Nûrlâm –
Black Speech
dialect wiki

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====== Orcish lullaby from Lay of Leithian ======
  I’ll sing ye famous song, how in the days of yore,
  When flat was our world, when Rings have not yet been made,
  Our first Dark Lord defeated was by Elfin maid,
  Where others failed; Tinúviel was name of her.

Idea of making a lullaby from Lay of Leithian came to me after reading a Russian translation of "Beren and Luthien" book, where line "Down crumpled Orc, down Balrog proud" reminded me of "Sleep tired toys, books are asleep..."(("Спят усталые игрушки, книжки спят...")) from a children show. But making a lullaby for Orcs required changes to be made, for example baby-orc should be afraid of Lúthien. I've also made a quick research to be sure that scary lullabies are the thing in almost every culture.

It also reflects Tolkien's belief that Evil cannot create art or life:
> The Shadow that bred them can only mock, it cannot make: not real new things of its own.
> //(Frodo to Sam about Orcs, LOTR, ROTK)//

> Melkor spent his spirit in envy and hate, until at last he could make nothing save in mockery of the thought of others...
> //(Silmarillion)//

So, most of the text was taken directly from Lay of Leithian, but with lines and words inside of them re-arranged. Out of 500 words over 300 were "stolen". Words taken directly from corresponding line were marked with **bold**, and line is marked with it's number from original poem. A couple of lines have line numbers specified, but not marked with bold -- this means it's inspired by original, but wording changed too much.

===== English text =====
<wrap monospace>
Why won’t you sleep? Loud is Angband.
All day and night there hammers pound.		3861
**The** **rumour** **thunder**s in the **forges**		3852
built deep in Thangorodrim’s gorges.
**A burning wind there roaring** blows		3853
**foul vapours up from gaping holes,**		3854
where wretched **captives** cry in **pain**		3865
**amid the iron clink of chain.**			3864

Soon, soon it will be **slow**ly **change**d:		3962
the elven witch in **raiment strange**,		3963
**batlike**, will secretly here fly,		3963
bloodthirsty snobbish wood-sprites’ spy,
**to Morgoth’s hall, where** splendid **feast**		3876
**he** holds, **and** drinks **the blood of beast**		3877
**and lives of Men**, she’ll boldly raid.		3878
Her **eyes** will blaze with **flame** **and** hate.	3879

She’ll **let her flying raiment sweep,**		4068
**enmeshed with woven spells of sleep,**		4069
**as round the dark void she** will **reel**,		4070
and hidden **garment** she’ll **reveal**		3968, 3965
with **starlight caught in** elvish **veil**		3969
which **glimmer**s in Angband’s halls **pale**.		3968
**Dim dreams and faint oblivious sleep**		3970
will **softly** fall on **dungeons deep**,		3971

And smell of Doriath’s **flowers**			3972
will cloud fiery glowing towers.
**Then softly she**’ll begin **to sing**		3978
**a theme of sleep and slumbering.**		3979
**The fires of Angband** will **flare and die**,	3984
**smouldered into darkness; through the** high	3985
**and hollow halls there**'ll roll **unfurled**		3986
**the shadows of the underworld.**			3987

**Wandering, woven with deeper spell,**		3980
her voice all **maw**s **and** **heart**s will quell.	4082
**Down crumpled orc**s, down hungry **beast**s		4080 / 4170
**turned in their dreams of** lavish **feast**s;	4171
**the fires of heart and maw** are **still**,		4082
soothed by enchanting **bird**-like **thrill**;		4083
**in sleep uneasy Balrog**s **stir**;			4172
all lulled by sorcery of her.

And as **her song** begins **anew**			4062
and **soft** comes **dropping like a dew**,		4063
that falls from ceiling of that dome
and grows to seething silver foam
of loudly rumbling rapid **streams**, 		4066
**pale falling in dark pools** of **dreams**,		4067
a heart-enthralling dance she winds		4059, 4060
to calm the servants restless minds.

**All movement** stops, **and sound** ceases,		3988
**save Orc**s’ **and beast**s’ slumberous wheezes.	3989
**All eyes were quenched, save those that glared**	4086
**in** gloomy **Morgoth**’s face **and stared**		4087
at elvish beauty, frail and false,
bewitching in the great vast halls
**in slowly wandering wonder round**,		4088
all **were in enchantment bound**.			4089

**Like stars the Silmarils** glittered,		4092
from Dark Lord’s crown they down flittered,	4135
and **flaring suddenly they fell,**			4096
**upon the floors of Iron Hell.**			4097 -- 4103
**The dark and mighty head was bowed;
like mountain-top beneath a cloud
the shoulders foundered, the vast form
crashed, as in overwhelming storm
huge cliffs in ruin slide and fall;
and prone lays Morgoth in his hall.**

**All eyes** are **quenched, all heads** are **bowed;**	4081
sleeps **crumpled Orc**, sleeps **Balrog proud**;	4080
**the wolves like corpses foul** are **strewn**,	4110
no more they **howling** on the Moon;		4175
sleep **adders, lay like twisted stone;**		4109
**lays Morgoth in his hall**, dream-**prone**.		4103 (word order changed)
**His crown there roll**s **upon the ground**,		4104
with **Silmarils kindl**ing; **all sound**		4092, 4105
**died, and a silence grew as deep**		4106
**as were the heart of Earth asleep.**		4107

**All movement stayed, and all sound ceased,**	3988	
**save** snoring **breath of Orc and beast.**		3989
**All eyes** are **quenched, all heads** are **bowed**;	4081
sleep, child, your bed be soft as cloud.
</wrap>

===== New words =====
<WRAP center round info 60%>
Words that have synonyms are not listed here.
</WRAP>
^ English ^ Nûrlâm ^ Etymology ^
| adder | fâm | Gnomish "fem" (venom of snakes) + MERP "farmak" (venom, poison) |
| anew | nokhar | lit. "once more" |
| beauty | fânurm | Quenya "vanya", "vanima", Sindarin "bain" < Etym. "BAN" |
| ceiling | pulz | MERP "pulaz"; added to differentiate from "dîlg" (dome) |
| crumpled | kunaga | past passive participle "bent" |
| Doriath | thurkuzg | translation of Sindarin name "Land of the Fence" |
| enchant | lûf- | from early abandoned translations of PN "Lúthien" (Enchantress) < Ilkorin & Noldorin < Noldorin "lhûtha" (to enchant), Middle-Quenya "luhta"; also HG "ful-" (to charm) written reversed;\\ also used to translate "bewitching" |
| enmeshed | thuromaga | "thu-" (over) + "rom" (mesh, net) + past passive participle suffix "-aga" |
| false | prakhûrz | LL "prakh-" (to lure, deceive) |
| founder | dhund- | HG "dhu" (downward) |
| frail | dîb | merging Etym. "NIN-DI" (fragile, thin) and early Primitive Elvish roots "(N)DIP", "(N)DUP", "(N)DUB" (drooping, bending) |
| gape | hâgh | Quenya "hac-" (to yawn), "hácala" (yawning) |
| glitter | thir- | Valarin "ithîr" (light) |
| howl | sogl- | HG "sokl-" < MERP "sokalî" (shriek) |
| lavish | malgûrz | adjective from "malg" (abundance) |
| maw | korl | MERP "korlash" (jaw, mouth); compare with Sindarin "carch" (fang) < Etym. "KARAK" | 
| oblivious | ribholûgz | from "ribhol-" (to rorget) < "bhol-" (to remember) and active adjective suffix "-ûgz" |
| quench | nanstak- | "nan-" (un-, dis-, prefix of cancelling) + "stak-" (ignite, kindle) |
| proud | mîb | MERP "mîburr" (pride) < Albanian "mburrem" |
| restless | nanborzûrz | "nan-" (un-, dis-, prefix of cancelling) + "borz" (calm, peace, n.) + adjective suffix "-ûrz" |
| roar  | robh- | Quenya "rávë", "rávëa" < Etym. "RAW"; compare with Sindarin waterfall name "Rauros" |
| round | kurn | was already in dictionary under entry "around" |
| ruin | ladh | merging "lata" (under), "latr" (bottom) with "dhu" (down), "dhund-" (to collapse) |
| save | rihikug | prefix "ri-" (interruption) + present participle from "hik" (part) |
| ::: | ap nar | lit. "but not" |
| seethe | ghûlsh- | merging ZA "ghûsh-" (to boil) with Gnomish "gwel-" (to boil, bubble) |
| Silmaril | Silbrulz | lit. "Crystal glitter", dervied from the same Etym. roots "SIL", "RIL" as original name |
| ::: | Shilbrîdh | lit. "Moon-Pearl", calque from early Qenya translation of "Silmaril" |
| slumbering | dhûlurm | LOS "dhûl" (sleep) < HG |
| snobbish | ardaukûrz | NL "ard" (noble) + deragatory agental suffix "-auk" + adjective suffix "-ûrz" |
| snore | pûz | Qenya "pusu" (to puff, snort) |
| soothe | bort- | HG "borz" (calm, peace) |
| spell | dosh | merging Gnomish "thoth" (evil spell) with TK BS "dush" (dark sorcery, necromancy) |
| still | rubh | Qenya "rua", "rúva" (steady, still, tranquil) |
| theme | lîth | Qenya "lin", "lind" < early Primitive Elvish root "LIÐI" (to sing) |
| thrill | glirsh | merging "girth-" (to quiver, tremble) with "linsh" (music) and with Primitive Elvish root "LIR" (to sing, warble) |
| unfurled | nanfraghaga | "nan-" (un-, dis-, prefix of cancelling) + "fragh-" (to wrap, enfold) + "-aga" (suffix of past passive participle) |

===== Nûrlâm translation =====
<WRAP center round todo 60%>
<todo !!!>Translation to be done</todo>
</WRAP>
<wrap monospace>Dalashub gizûr imb laush, amarz shi il hoirumob,
Amil thard dakob kuzâ gok, amil Nazg krampâkuzû rad,
Âshûrz mor goth dakob faikâkuzâ golugfândirzi,
Amin isk sauguzû; Lûthnind kuzâ iznab.
</wrap>

<wrap monospace>
Mûr finarlor? Lugonk kulâ rûrz.
Ârshûk agh fughûk drang sudû zîgin.
Zurmum zurgâ ânghambor
tumbaga dhun grikor Sangrodgaib.
Ash ghâshûrz zûl robhug zîgin thûthâ 
glob usk ghu hozah hâghug,
amin fait glûr blordû taitaga hrizg
Nôlurmonkri gaib.
</wrap>
Nûrlâm –Black Speech dialect wiki

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Black Speech
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