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Biblical question: Alta Kanto 6:8

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Ubutumwa 6

ururimi: English

cFlat7 (Kwerekana umwidondoro) 5 Nyakanga 2011 20:19:38

In Alta Kanto 6:8 (Song of Songs), we have, "Da reĝinoj ekzistas sesdek, kaj okdeko da kromvirinoj..."

Does anyone know why 'okdek' is given an O ending and 'sesdek' not? The two phrases seem equivalent apart from word order and that the first phrase holds the verb. Is it perhaps optional and the difference is just a matter of poetic style?

geo63 (Kwerekana umwidondoro) 5 Nyakanga 2011 21:44:39

I think that it it is the latter case - poetic style. Okdeko is a substantive numeral here, perhaps to show it as a whole or something...

EldanarLambetur (Kwerekana umwidondoro) 5 Nyakanga 2011 22:02:33

Doesn't it emphasis like a group of things of the same kind (so yeah, kinda like a whole)? For example:

dekduo = a dozen
deko = a ten (of something)
okdeko = an eighty(?) (of something)

cFlat7 (Kwerekana umwidondoro) 6 Nyakanga 2011 00:35:15

This makes sense (what you both have said). I checked the Hebrew and it doesn't appear to be trying to make a distinction. So maybe Mr. Zamenhof was using poetic license or was influenced by the German or Russian translations. Perhaps someone with Hebrew, Russian, or German skills has a further idea.

erinja (Kwerekana umwidondoro) 6 Nyakanga 2011 01:36:51

If Zamenhof was trying to treat it like a poem in Esperanto, he may have been trying to fit the Esperanto text to certain meter.

Use of okdeko necessitates use of 'da', so it adds two syllables to that line. Maybe he chose that for rhythmic purposes.

cFlat7 (Kwerekana umwidondoro) 6 Nyakanga 2011 13:49:11

erinja:If Zamenhof was trying to treat it like a poem in Esperanto, he may have been trying to fit the Esperanto text to certain meter.

Use of okdeko necessitates use of 'da', so it adds two syllables to that line. Maybe he chose that for rhythmic purposes.
Yes, that makes good sense. Thanks.

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