Dear John,
Thank you for the reply. Actually the more I advance in this book (I
have reached exercise 18) the more problems I encounter with
translating from Pali to English. I would have thought that the
opposite would happen. I sometimes understand the general meaning of
the sentence but then I am never too sure if what I write in English
is acceptable from a stylistical and grammatical point of view.

The other problem is that I have sometimes the impression that the
sentences I translate are a bit "old-fashioned" and not really
connected with any "reality". I must admit that I enjoy translating
these sentences (a bit like solving a mathematical problem) but
besides the intellectual satisfaction of having achieved something,
does it really bring me a lot? I want to believe that once I will have
finished the 28 exercises (and I will, I don't like to leave things
half finished) it will really help me to study texts of the canon,
such as the ones you translate.

In his preface Warder writes "In Ceylon and other countries where Pali
is taught at school the method is to begin with the later language
[...] and the amcient canonical language is taught only to advanced
pupils. To the beginner [...] however, the ancient Pali is somewhat
easier than the medieval. It is also far more interesting."

I suppose this applies to the book I am studying! Is it really worth
from a practical point of view, besides the intellectual point of
view, to put all this effort and time to finish this book? I am
starting to doubt about it and I would like to hear your comments.

With metta,

Florent

> Dear Florent,
> I don't think there has to be some standard way - it's entirely up to
> you (the translator) what choice to make, or whether even to show
> alternative possibilities. If this was not an isolated sentence,
> shown out of context, it would probably be much clearer as to the best
> translation. E.g. if one knew that the slaves in question were
> rebellious then they might take horses to the enemies, but it seems
> more likely to me that someone's slaves would be taking away the
> enemies' horses.
>
> With metta,
> John
> --- In Pali@yahoogroups.com, "flrobert2000" <flrobert2000@...> wrote:
> > Dear John,
> >
> > Thank you for the comment. Actually is there a way I should write
> > alternative solutions when they are logically possible? Like for
> example:
> >
> > 7. Tumha.m daasaa ariina.m asse hari.msu.
> > your / slaves / [to] or [of] enemies / horses / took away
> > Your slaves took away the horses to (of) the enemies.
> >
> > Or should I just keep the one that seems to make more sense?
> >
> > With metta,
> >
> > Florent
> >
> >
> > --- In Pali@yahoogroups.com, "John Kelly" <palistudent@...> wrote:
> > > Dear Florent,
> > >
> > > > 7. Tumha.m daasaa ariina.m asse hari.msu.
> > > > your / slaves / [to] enemies / horses / took away
> > > > Your slaves took away the horses to the enemies.
> > >
> > > An alternative reading would be that ariina.m is genitive

plural, and

> > > thus:
> > > Your slaves took away the enemies' horses.
> > >
> > > With metta, John
> > > --- In Pali@yahoogroups.com, "flrobert2000" <flrobert2000@...>

wrote:

> > > > Hi everyone,
> > > >
> > > > You will find below the answers to the first part of exercise

7 page

> > > > 19 of "The New Pali Course" of Buddhadatta. This exercise mainly
> > > > illustrates the use of the personal pronouns "amha" and "tumha".
> > > > With metta,
> > > >
> > > > Florent
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > 1. Aha.m mayha.m puttassa assa.m adadi.m.
> > > > I / my / [to] son / horse / gave
> > > > I gave the horse to my son.
> > > >
> > > > 2. Tva.m amhaaka.m gaamaa aagacchasi.
> > > > you / our / village / come
> > > > You come (from) our village.
> > > >
> > > > 3. Maya.m tava hatthe passaama.
> > > > we / your / hands / see
> > > > We see your hands.
> > > >
> > > > 4. Mama puttaa giri.m aaruhi.msu.
> > > > my / sons / mountain / climbed
> > > > My sons climbed the mountain.
> > > >
> > > > 5. Tumhaaka.m sunakhaa magge sayi.msu.
> > > > your / dogs / [on] path / slept
> > > > Your dogs slept on the path.
> > > >
> > > > 6. Amha.m mittaa cora.m asinaa pahari.msu.
> > > > my / friends / thief / [with] sword / struck
> > > > My friends struck the thief with the sword.
> > > >
> > > > 7. Tumha.m daasaa ariina.m asse hari.msu.
> > > > your / slaves / [to] enemies / horses / took away
> > > > Your slaves took away the horses to the enemies.
> > > >
> > > > 8. Coro mama puttassa ma.nayo coresi.
> > > > thief / my / [of] son / gems / stole
> > > > The thief stole my son's gems.
> > > >
> > > > 9. Isayo mayha.m gehe na vasi.msu.
> > > > sages / our/ [in] house / not / dwellt
> > > > The sages did not dwell in our house.
> > > >
> > > > 10. Kavi tava puttaana.m dhamma.m desesi.
> > > > poet / your / [to] sons / doctrine / preached
> > > > The poet preached the dhamma to your sons.