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Atrus's Prayer - The D'ni page from the 1996 Myst calendar

The source
This text was released within the Myst calendar 1996, published by Cyan. It can be considered an official source, but we have to be aware that at this time the D'ni language was probably very much under development. Some points of the text look like mistakes, at least from our recent point of view, based on newer publications. Thanks to Karen Bahnsen who scanned the page and put it online, you can see it here: http://home.att.net/~supportpioneers/96cal.html.

The original text
The original text can be found at Karen's page, see above. Here is the transliteration:

ih|v|o	1
.k|o|d|o|ts|ih|kh|ch|o|r	2
f|eh|n|ih|g|eh|kh|ch|i|o|n	3
k|o|d|o|k|ih|kh|r|ih|d  k|ih|n  l|o|r|ih|g	4
k|eh|kh|eh|kh  b|'|k|eh|kh  sh|ah|kh  b|' ~ b|ay|ts	5
b|'|ch|o|ch|i  r|ih|kh|ih|l  y|o  n|ih|r|kh  ~	6
ch|ih|v|o|n  .d|o|p|r|ih|a|ah|z|eh|kh	7
b|'|z|oo  dh|o  n|u|ts|o|kh  b|'|ch|ay|r|oo|sh	8
l|eh|n|ih|r|kh|eh|n  n|eh|ch  n|ah|sh|o  y|ih|v	9
ch|eh  .g|ih|th  ch|'|dh|o  k|eh|kh|eh|kh  ~	10
dh|o|z|o|kh|eh|sh  ch|ay|r|oo  ch|'|b|ih|sh|i	11
v|ih|ch  ~  ts|ih|g|eh|n  g|ih|th	12
b|'|ch|ay|g|ih|kh  ts|eh|z|oo  .p|ih|r|ts	13
b|'|sh|eh|n  .k|ih|n  sh|ah|kh  b|ih|r|ch|ih	14
ch|'|g|eh|s|ch|oy  r|ah|l|kh|ih|r  b|'|f|ih|s|i	15
d|o|n|ih|dh|o  ch|'|p|ih|r|ih|th|o|n	16
g|ih|h|oo|y|ay|th|o|n  .v|o|ch|ih|r	17
ih|'|sh|eh|n  ts|eh|k|ih|n|r|o|v  k|eh|kh|eh|n	18
.g|a|e|v  ih|'|sh|eh|n  ts|eh|k|ih|n	19
l|'ih|r|ch|ih|eh|n  g|ih  k|ih|n  b|o|ih|r	20
ch|ih|eh|n	21
.k|eh|kh  a|eh|v|eh|ch  oy|kh	22
n|o|r|'|o|ts|'|n|o|r  k|o|k|eh|kh|eh|kh	23
r|eh|n|eh|s|f|eh|ch  b|'|v|ay|kh|u	24
ch|'|ts|oy|ch|ih|g  z|u  y|o|sh|eh|n	25
g|'|b|o|r|ch|ih|o|n	26

Some annotations.
The text suffers from some major and minor faults. There are reasons to think that some letters should be switched.
Here are my doubts/points of criticism (not about the creators of the text, but about it's value in examining the language. This text may be useful for us but it requires more than the first glance, and some corrections.)

• The letter [ch] is used 26 times, that means 7.4 per cent, while in other D'ni texts (my base was Gehn's journal) it is seldom used (0.76 %). But, we have no [t] in the whole text, which normally reaches about 10% frequency. This, and the visual similarity between the letters, makes me think that [ch] and [t] should be changed (i.e. replace all [ch]s, see below.) This would also change the unknown preposition "ch'" into the well-known, and frequent, "t'".
• The same case is [ah] (2% instead of 10%) and [ih] (12% instead of 2%). Furthermore, there are cases where an [ah] fits better, e.g. line 15: fahsi instead of fihsi. I'm not sure if the [ih] should be [ah], because it occurs only in unknown words.
• Of course then, it should be fahsee and not fahsi. So replace [i] with [ee] and we get also the correct plural suffix '-tee' instead of '-ti'.
• Another point: [kh] should be [n]. (kehnehn instead of kehkhkehkh in line 10, 23 etc.)
• And [n] should be [m]. This makes 'shehm'(you) out of 'shehn', and changes all '-on'(his) to '-om'(your), which makes sense in a prayer.
• If [a] is replaced by [ch] (similar letter!) line 19 becomes 'chehv ah shehm' - 'I thank you.'
• [y] has to be [ts] - then there is 'tso'(of) in line 6 and 'tsahv' (I live) in line 9.
• Finally, [ts] is probably [kh] because of 'okh'(of) in line 23.
• The first word [ih|v|o], or [ah|v|o] - maybe something to do with "Yahvo" (in a prayer...)
• There is a punctuation symbol "~" that I have not seen before. But it seems to be equivalent to our '-', to break a word at the end of a line: 'boahr-tahehn' in lines 20/21.
• In line 23 there is "mor'okh'mor" - sounds like some title, formula etc. (think of Jethe'Ro'Jethe from Book of D'ni)
• ... to be continued soon.

New version with the above replacements. (Oct. 21th)

ah|v|o	Yahvo (?)
.k|o|d|o|kh|ah|n|t|o|r	I khahntor-ed
f|eh|m|ah|g|eh|n|t|ee|o|m	on your magehns
k|o|d|o|k|ah|n|r|ah|d  k|ah|m  l|o|r|ah|g	I kahnrahd-ed kahm lorahg
k|eh|n|eh|n  b|'|k|eh|n  sh|ih|n  b|' ~ b|ay|kh	He/it is to be shihn to ~ link
b|'|t|o|t|ee  r|ah|n|ah|l  ts|o  m|ah|r|n ~	to tos rahn-ing of crea-
t|ah|v|o|m  .d|o|p|r|ah|ch|ih|z|eh|n	tion your. He is prahchihz-ing
b|'|z|oo  dh|o  m|u|kh|o|n  b|'|t|ay|r|oo|sh	to me dho his mukh to tayrooly
l|eh|m|ah|r|n|eh|m  m|eh|t  m|ih|sh|o  ts|ah|v	You have created this mihsho I live
t|eh  .g|ah|th  t|'|dh|o  k|eh|n|eh|n  ~	in .Still in/at/of dho is ~
dh|o|z|o|n|eh|sh  t|ay|r|oo  t|'|b|ah|sh|t|ee	dhozon(eh)-ly tayroo in/at bahshs
v|ah|t  ~  kh|ah|g|eh|m  g|ah|th	five ~ you still  khahg
b|'|t|ay|g|ah|n  kh|eh|z|oo  .p|ah|r|kh	to love for me. I pahrkh
b|'|sh|eh|m  .k|ah|n  sh|ih|n  b|ah|r|t|ah	to you. .kahn shihn to ahrtah
t|'|g|eh|s|t|oy  r|ih|l|n|ah|r  b|'|f|ah|s|ee	in art not nahr to 25
d|o|m|ah|dh|o  t|'|p|ah|r|ah|th|o|m	mahdhoing in your greatness
g|ah|h|oo|ts|ay|th|o|m .v|o|t|ah|r	and your hootsay-ness . I praise
ah|'|sh|eh|m  kh|eh|k|ah|m|r|o|v  k|eh|n|eh|m	you he is for kahmperson
.g|ch|e|v  ah|'|sh|eh|m  kh|eh|k|ah|m	.and I thank you for kahm
l|'ah|r|t|ah|eh|m g|ah  k|ah|m  b|o|ah|r	you have ahrtahed and kahm you will
t|ah|eh|m	ahrtah
.k|eh|n  ch|eh|v|eh|t  oy|n	I am we thank oyn
m|o|r|'|o|kh|'|m|o|r  k|o|k|eh|n|eh|n	mor'of'mor he/it has been
r|eh|m|eh|s|f|eh|t  b|'|v|ay|n|u	the mehsfeht to vaynu
t|'|kh|oy|t|ah|g  z|oo  ts|o|sh|eh|m	in khoygive me of you
g|'|b|o|r|t|ah|o|m	and your bortah

Comments...

Feel free to send your problems & questions:
Guild Master Josef
October 20th 1999