Goblin Song

These songs from The Hobbit (sometimes referred as “Fifteen birds”) were sung by goblins chasing Thorin and company to the trees, after their escape from Goblin-town (“Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire” chapter). In the Rankin/Bass's animated movie (1977) it was titled as “Funny Little Things”.

Fifteen birds in five fir-trees, 
their feathers were fanned in a fiery breeze! 
But, funny little birds, they had no wings! 
O what shall we do with the funny little things? 
Roast 'em alive, or stew them in a pot; 
fry them, boil them and eat them hot? 
Burn, burn tree and fern! 
Shrivel and scorch! A fizzling torch 
To light the night for our delight, 
Ya hey! 

Bake and toast 'em, fry and roast 'em! 
till beards blaze, and eyes glaze; 
till hair smells and skins crack, 
fat melts, and bones black 
in cinders lie 
beneath the sky! 

So dwarves shall die, 
and light the night for our delight, 
Ya hey! 
Ya-harri-hey! 
Ya hoy! 

The List of required words

The following words (listed alphabetically) are required for translation:

English Nûrlâm Etymology and comments
alive kîbarz DS “kîb-” (to live), “kîbum” (life) + LOS adverb ending “-arz”
and agh TK, RI
bake mazg- NL < LOS “mûz” (bread) < Quenya “masta” < Etym. “MBAS”, “MASAG” (knead)
beard thârg NL, merging Khuzdul “tarâg” (beard) with Sindarin “fang” < Etym. “SPÁNAG”
beneath lata EL (under)
bird aig NL < Gnomish “aigli”, Sindarin “aew” < Etym. “AIWÊ” (small bird)
black mor LOS < Sindarin
blaze ghâzh- DS (Moria) (light, n) < DS (Proto-) “gâra” < Etym. “GAL” [1], “KAL” (light, shine, be bright); obviously also inspired by TK “ghâsh” (fire)
boil zugsh- NL < HG “zu-” (to cook, boil, stew) < LOS and all major dialects “zau-” < MERP < Albanian “ziej”
bone takh NL < SV “tach”
breeze zûzd NL < Quenya “hwesta” < Etym. “SWES” (noise of blow or breathing)
but ap NL < Quenya “apa”
burn ghâsh- LL < TK (fire)
cinder hîsht LOS (ash, dust) < SV
crack grik- NL < Qenya “kirkis”, compare with TK “grish” in PN “Grishnákh”
delight zrî LOS < SV (sadistic pleasure)
die ghur- DS (Moria) < Sindarin “guru” < Etym. “ÑGUR”
do kramp- LOS
dwarves gazat-hai EL < Khuzdul “khazad”
eat throkh- SV < LL “throqu-”
eye hont LOS < Quenya and Sindarin “hend” < Etym. “KHEN-D-E”
fan zûp- the verb “to fan” means “blow” (wind, fire), “winnow” (grain);
NL, Qenya word “puse” (puff, whiff) written reversed and merged with NL “zûl” (wind), “zûzd” (breeze)
fat tôm NL < LOS “tûm” < MB, SV “tû”, probably from Sindarin “tûg” < Etym. “TIW”
feather pozg NL < Noldorin “pesseg” (pillow)
fern filg NL < Gnomish “fileg”, Qenya “filqe”
fiery hûr not literal translation: NL < TK PN “Mauhúr”, probably from Noldorin “hûr” (vigour, fiery spirit) < Etym. “KHOR”
literally would be “ghâshûrz”
fifteen nukrâk NL
fir drodh ON, probably from MERP “brodh” < Albanian
five krâk LL
fizzling shûfug NL, onomatopoeic
for -(z)ûr EL
fry zhîz- NL < Qenya “sisi” (to scorch, singe, fry)
funny glaz NL < Noldorin “glas” (joy) < Etym. “GALÁS” (joy, be glad)
glaze kolg- NL < Gnomish “celeg”, “celc” (glass)
hair zud NL < EH “azud” < Valarin “(a)šata”
have brus LOS
hot gashûrz NL < SV “gash” < TK “ghâsh”
in -or LOS
lie kât- lie on side, LOS < Quenya “caita” < Etym. “KAY”
light thîr- NL < Valarin “ithîr” (n)
little mik SV
sta SV
melt tîkh- NL < Qenya “tiqi”
night fugh NL < Gnomish “fuʒu”, “fui”
no nar AN < TK
or ogh LOS (SN)
our dakob NL
pot kus any vessel for cooking on fire, MERP
roast ghaur- LOS
scorch shiz- NL < Qenya “sisi” (to scorch, singe, fry)
shall maug- NL < Noldorin “bui” (I must), “baur” (need) < Etym. “MBAW” (compel, force, subject, oppress); compare with “mog” in name “Gothmog”
shrivel nark- NL (wither, fade) < merging TK “nar” (negative particle) + Qenya “narqa” (to wither), Gnomish “narcos” (to rot, decay) < Primitive Elvish root “NṚQṚ”
skin daft NL, melting Gnomish “daf”, “dôf”, “dauth”
sky nût EL
smell pushd- lit. “stink”, TK, OC
so zârz NL < EL “za” and LOS adverb suffix “-arz”
stew zâpsh- NL, merging LOS “zau” (soup, stew) < MERP “zau-” (to cook) < Albanian “ziej” (to stew) with LOS “âps” (cooked meat) < Quenya “apsa” and NL “zugsh-” (to boil)
their takob EL “tak” (they)
them ul TK, RI
they tak EL
thing kûl HG
till zi LOS
toast rozg- NL < Gnomish “ras”, “rôsi” (to scorch, toast), “rasc” (toasted bread)
torch glar NL < Quenya and Sindarin “calar” (lamp) < Etym. “KAL” (shine)
tree orn NL < Quenya “ornë” (high isolated tree) < Etym. “ÓR-NI”
we dak HG
what mash LOS
wing skoir LOS
with sha TK, OC

The Translation

Nukrâk aig krâk drodhornor,
Takob pozg zûpâkuzû ash hûr zûzdor!
Ap, glaz mik aig, taknarbrus skoir!
Oh mash dakmaug kûlsha glaz mik?
Ghauratul kîbarz, ogh zâpshatul ash kusor;
Zhîzul, zûgshul agh throkhatul gashûrz?
Ghâsh, ghâsh orn agh filg!
Nark agh shiz! Ash glar shûfug
Dakob zrîzûr thîrat za fugh,
Ya hî!

Mazg agh rozgul, zhîz agh ghaurul!
zi thârg ghâzhubû, agh hont kolgubû;
zi zud pushdubû agh daft grikubû,
tôm tîkhub, agh takhmor
kâtubû hîshtor
lata nûtum!

Zârz gazat maugû ghurut,
agh dakob zrîzûr fughum thîrut,
Ya hî!
Ya har ri hî!
Ya hoi!
translations/goblin_song_2.txt · Last modified: 2024/03/10 20:32 by morgoth