1914: LBDB’s “Chinook-English Songs”, part 6 of 15 “Lilly Dale”
Do you know “Lilly Dale”? Previously, I’ve written that this may have been the pop song that was most translated into Chinook!
(A link to all installments in this mini-series.)
Image credit: ebay
Here’s an addition to the “Lilly Dale” translation collection; who’s gonna record all of these?
I often ponder starting a fund to pay those who record the many, many old Chinook songs…
This here is from pages 22 & 23 of LBDB’s book, “Chinook-English Songs” (Portland, OR: Kubli-Miller, 1914).
Compare this with Max Irwin’s version, and the others, at the link above!
It’s also fun to compare LBDB’s Chinook with the original lyrics that she was working from — she usually did what I consider a poor job of translation — so I don’t recommend *speaking* like her, even if her translated song is a historical treasure.
This is some dark stuff! Not quite a “murder ballad”, but one of the many popular depressing songs of the Victorian age.
LILLY DALE.
Ict.
íxt.
one.
‘One.’Halo wind polakely, yah-ka moon t’kope te’wagh,
hílu-wín púlakʰli, yaka mún tk’úp t’wáx̣,
no-wind night, its moon white bright,
‘The night is out of breath, its moon is white (and) bright,’Konaway lemoti, pee illahee,
kʰánawi lámətáy, pi ílihi,
all mountain, and land,
‘All of the mountains and land,’
Yah-ka tellicum tum-tum sick, chaco nanich mamoloos bed,
yaka tílixam tə́mtəm sík, cháku nánich míməlus-béd,
her people heart sickness, come see dead.person-bed,
‘Her people think it’s a sickness, come see the deathbed,’
Mitlíte níka klosh Lilly Dale.
míɬayt nayka ɬúsh líli-déyl*.
be.there my good Lilly Dale.
‘My good Lilly Dale is there.’Konaway Shunta.
kʰánawi shánti.
all sing.
‘Everybody sings.’Oo, Lilly, t’see Lilly,
ó, líli*, t’sí líli*,
oh, Lilly, sweet Lilly,
‘Oh, Lilly, sweet Lilly,’Klosh Lilly Dale,
ɬúsh líli-déyl*,
good Lilly Dale,
‘Good Lilly Dale,’Alta tupso mitlite kopa yah-ka tenas mamoloos house,
álta típsu míɬayt kʰupa yaka tənəs míməlus-háws,
now grass be.there on her little dead.person-house,
‘Now there’s grass on her little death house,’
Kee-kwilla stick pee tupso, klosh illahee.
kíkwəli stík pi típsu, ɬúsh ílihi.
low tree and grass, good land.
‘Short trees and grass (and) good land.’Mox.
mákwst.
two.
‘Two.’Nika klatawa, yah-ka wau-wau, kopa illahee, halo mamook,
nayka ɬátwa, yaka wáwa, kʰupa ílihi, hílu mámuk,
I go, she say, on land, no work,
‘I went there, she said, on the land there’s no work,’Pee e’lip nika skookum klatawa,
pi íləp nayka skúkum ɬátwa,
and/but first I strongly go,
‘But first I harshly went,’Nika yi-em kopa kah, mika, mamook mameloos bed,
nayka yáʔyim kʰupa qʰá, mayka, mámuk míməlus-béd,
I tell.story from somewhere, you, make dead.person-bed,
‘I told a story from somewhere, you made a deathbed,’
Mitlite marsh klosh Lilly Dale.
míɬayt másh ɬúsh líli-déyl*.
be.there put good Lilly Dale.
‘Be there, put good Lilly Dale.’Konaway shunta, Oo, Lilly.
kʰánawi shánti, ó, líli*.
all sing, oh, Lilly.
‘Everyone sings, Oh, Lilly.’Klone.
ɬún.
three.
‘Three.’Kee-kwilla kopa tuka-willa stick, konaway lemola tupso kah,
kíkwəli kʰupa taqwəla-stík, kʰánawi límoló típsu qʰá,
low from hazelnut-tree, all wild grass where,
‘Under a hazelnut tree, it’s all wild grass somewhere,’
Tenas chuck klatawa mitlite illahee;
tənəs chə́qw ɬátwa míɬayt [Ø] ílihi;
little water go be.there on land;
‘A little stream goes to be on the land;’
Kah kula-kula kwanisum shunta mitlite chee wam,
qʰá kə́ləkələ kwánsəm shánti míɬayt chxí-wám,
where bird always sing be.there new-summer,
‘Where birds always sing there’s a springtime,’
Yah-wa, yah-ka marsh Lilly Dale.
yáwá, yaka másh líli-déyl*.
there, she put Lilly Dale.
‘There, she put Lilly Dale.’Konaway shunta, OO, Lilly.
kʰánawi shánti, ó, líli*.
all sing, oh, Lilly.
‘Everyone sings, Oh, Lilly.’
And now the original English-language lyrics, to show you how far astray things went in translation:
LILLY DALE.
1“Twas a calm still night and the moon’s pale light,
Shone soft o’er hill and vale,
When friends mute with grief, stood around the death bed
Of my poor lost Lilly Dale.Chorus
O, Lilly, sweet Lilly,
Dear Lilly Dale,
Now the wild rose blossoms o’er her little green grave,
‘Neath the trees in the flow’ry vale.2
“I go,” she said, “to the land of rest,
And ere my strength shall fail,
I must tell you where, near my own loved home,
You must lay poor Lilly Dale.”Chorus, O, Lilly, etc.
3
“Neath the ches’nut tree, where the wild flowers grow,
And the stream ripples forth thro’ the vale,
Where the birds shall warble, their songs in spring,
There lay poor Lilly Dale.”Chorus, O, Lilly, etc.
