Translate Linnyd into Sindarin?

david wendelken #4521

A linnod (pl. linnyd) is a two line poem with 7 syllables per line.

These are little love poems to my wife, which I crafted so I can also use them as love poems from one book character to another, 'cause writing poetry is HARD.

I would love to see them translated into Sindarin.

Because I know this is a lot of work to ask, I'll transpose the Sindarin into the correct elven letters and make an illustration out of it. I'll send a hand-printed illustration to those who really help me with this.

I'm just really struggling with the syntax and grammar, it just doesn't want to stick in my head, and I need help.

PS - My personal fave is the last one.


The bonfire’s blaze shares no heat, Your smile enfolds and warms me.


Dawning sun sets sky afire, Your bright eyes set me alight.


Embers struggle to light fire, I burn with love at your touch.


Long-miles journey hews at me, The first smile from you heals all.


Lovers in my tales are mute, One thought of you and words flow.


Ellanto #4599

No to rain on the parade, but a linnod is not just two lines of 7 syllables each. Rhyme aside, at minimum the metrical pattern of each line is also critical: dactyl-trochee-trochee. From a cursory look at this thread, this is not observed here (in neither the Sindarin translations, nor the English originals).

Also - assuming the capitalised parts in @Celebrínor's translations indicate stressed syllables - it should be noted that prepositions and the definite article do not attract stress, so e·rae o gin is stressed as e·RAE o GIN, etc.

david wendelken #4600

Thanks, but I'm apparently genetically nearly unable to hear those stress patterns unless they are exaggerated by the performer well past the bounds of comedic interpretation.

I'll make you the same offer, if you're interested!

david wendelken #4636

I learned how to make paper in the last two weeks, so I can make the props with hand-made paper soon. :)

david wendelken #4792

Did I do this poem in the Tengwar script correctly? I couldn't figure out how to do the dash in e-naur.

The link is to an image of the poem text in Sindarin and the writing of it with Tengwar letters.

[drive.google.com]

Ellanto #4793

Sadly there are many big issues here. To list some that immediately jump out, you are using the wrong mode (Sindarin uses either the General Mode, where tehtar are placed on the following consonant, or the Mode of Beleriand), you are ignoring vowel length, you're using word-final rómen (fine in the Mode of Beleriand, but not otherwise), and you're not denoting diphthongs correctly. Also note that the tehtar on the vowel carriers are misaligned in 5 out 8 instances, they should be further to the right.

Please consult Amanye Tenceli for how to use Tengwar correctly, it is the best resource out there. You can also compare your results with Tecendil, which is not 100% accurate but pretty close (e.g. here is the passage you were trying to write).

Oh and the dash/dot in e-naur / e·naur should be left out in Tengwar. You need to use the dash in Tecendil to produce the correct result, which is placing the article adjacent to the noun without a space between them, but also without merging them completely (see the example linked above).

david wendelken #4794

Oh, wow! Thanks!

david wendelken #4795

Which fonts would you recommend for this?

Ellanto #4797

Fonts are just a visual styling of the letters, entirely a matter of taste. Though maybe try to avoid the highly overused font inspired by the Ring inscription...