Myron Eells’s hymn book (Part 10: Prayer)
Song #10 from Myron Eells’s little book, “Hymns in the Chinook Jargon Language“, 2nd (expanded!) edition (Portland, OR: David Steel, 1889):
(Here’s a link to all installments in this mini-series.)
Image credit: ChristArt
This one’s titled simply “Prayer”, set to the tune of “March Along Together“.
Here Eells has once again created lyrics carrying a message he felt was best for his specific, Indigenous, audience.
I haven’t located the original “March Along Together” hymn’s words for sure, but I’m feeling confident that Eells wasn’t remotely trying to replicate them in another language.
I feel that with this song, Eells is back to his best form — that is, keeping things terse and simple, so that his good command of Chinuk Wawa grammar could shine through.
I. Saghalie Tyee potlatch
sáx̣ali-táyí pátlach
sky-chief give
{Exact translation:} ‘God gives’Iktas kopa nika;
íkta-s kʰupa nayka;
thing-s to me;
‘Valuables to me;’
Repeat both lines.
Nika mahsie yaka;
nayka mási yaka;
I “thanks” him;
‘I “thank-you” him;’ [weird use of masi as a verb rather than the usual function as an interjection]
Repeat.Chorus —
Kopa nesika yaka tumtum kloshe.
kʰupa nsayka yaka tə́mtəm łúsh.
to us his heart good.
‘It’s to us that his heart is good.’
Repeat.2. Spose nesika tikegh
spus nsayka tíki
if we want
‘If we want’
Mash mesachie tumtum,
másh masáchi tə́mtəm,
leave evil heart,
‘To get away from an evil heart,’
Repeat as in first verse.Nika wawa Jesus;
nayka wáwa djísəs*;
I talk Jesus;
‘I talk to Jesus;’ [weird shift of subject, I feel, from “we” to “I”]
Chorus-
Kopa, etc.3. Spose nesika tikegh
spus nsayka tíki
if we want
‘If we want’
Tumtum kahkwa Jesus,
tə́mtəm kákwa djísəs*,
heart like Jesus,
‘Hearts like Jesus,’
Nika wawa Jesus.
nayka wáwa djísəs*.
I talk Jesus.
‘I talk to Jesus.’
Chorus–4. Jesus tikegh nika
djísəs* tíki nayka
Jesus want me
‘Jesus wants me’
Wawa yaka kwanesum,
wáwa yaka kwánəsəm,
talk him always,
‘Talking to him always,’ [not ungrammatical at all, but different from “to pray to him” in the English version below]
Nika wawa Jesus.
nayka wáwa djísəs*.
I talk Jesus.
‘I talk to Jesus.’
Chorus-
Contrast that Chinook with the following, which is Eells’s own translation into English of what he felt he’d said in Jargon —
1. God gives
Things to me.
I thank him.
To us His mind is good (or, He loves us).2. If we wish
To throw away our wicked hearts,
I will pray (talk) to Jesus.3. If we wish
Hearts like Jesus,
I will pray to Jesus.4. Jesus wishes me
To pray to Him always.
I will pray to Jesus.
