TRANSLATIONS

TRANSLATIONS

In Tahua the 42 relevant glyphs in line a1 (beyond the last glyph of the night, Aa1-48) can be grouped as follows. First we can imagine a group of 6 + 6 = 12 glyphs:


Aa1-49	Aa1-50	Aa1-51	Aa1-52	Aa1-53	Aa1-54

Aa1-55	Aa1-56	Aa1-57	Aa1-58	Aa1-59	Aa1-60

The red-marked glyphs we have earlier identified as possible end-of-sequence glyphs. To recapitulate:

Let us now return to the earlier discoveries:

... 90 = 36 (Aa1-1--36) + 18 (Aa1-37--54) + 36 (Aa1-55--90):

Aa1-1--12	12	36
Aa1-13--15	3
Aa1-16--36	21

Aa1-37--42	6	12
Aa1-43--48	6	12
Aa1-49--54	6

Aa1-55--60	6	36
Aa1-60--66	7
Aa1-67--72	6
Aa1-73--76	4
Aa1-77--90	14

… My intention to present in a table the division of line a1 into 36 + 18 + 36 glyphs failed. Considering what I perceive as the meaning in the glyphs it became impossible to sum up to 18: The calendar of the night consists of 12 glyphs and does not easily extend forward 6 glyphs more. Though it could be done by arguing that Aa1-13--15 (the X-area) is an extension of the solar year (Aa1-1--12), and that Aa1-43--48 therefore equally well might be read as an extension of the night (Aa1-37--48). The 'finished' leg is seen both in Aa1-15 and Aa1-54. I have shown the last glyphs of each sequence in the column at right ...

The attempt was not so bad, I now think. There are similar glyphs at the end of three subdivisions (Aa-15, Aa1-54 and Aa1-90):

90 will thereby be divided into 15 + 39 + 36 glyphs, i.e. into 54 (= 3 * 18) + 36 (= 2 * 18). Furthermore, 'The calendar of the night consists of 12 glyphs and does not easily extend forward 6 glyphs more.' The problem is solved - as earlier suggested - by subtracting 6 glyphs (Aa1-43--48). Thereby the assymmetric 12 disappears and 18 is nicely reached by 3 * 6:

Aa1-37--42	6
Aa1-43--48	6
Aa1-49--54	6

Therefore we should continue the successful 18-glyph trip. Aa1-18 fits into the pattern:


Aa1-16	Aa1-17	Aa1-18	Aa1-19

The reverse Aa1-17 tells us that at Aa1-18 a new period is beginning. Similarly the reverse Aa1-34 (twice 17) tell us that 'one got away' and a new cycle will start again after the Janus sign in Aa1-35:


Aa1-32	Aa1-33	Aa1-34	Aa1-35	Aa1-36

A third version of the same story appears with Aa1-52 as the 'survivor':


Aa1-49	Aa1-50	Aa1-51	Aa1-52

Aa1-53	Aa1-54	Aa1-55	Aa1-56

Aa1-54 (3 * 18) arrives immediately after the Janus sign in Aa1-53. Therefore, we should reinterpret Aa1-15 to mean that after 14 glyphs a new period begins:

		*14 26 = 364**
Aa1-1	Aa1-2	*14 26 = 364**

Aa1-3	Aa1-4	Aa1-5	Aa1-6	Aa1-7	Aa1-8

Aa1-9	Aa1-10	Aa1-11	Aa1-12	Aa1-13	Aa1-14

Also Aa1-72 (with 72 = 4 * 18) seems to be a point of turning around:


Aa1-69	Aa1-70	Aa1-71	Aa1-72

Aa1-73	Aa1-74	Aa1-75	Aa1-76

The 5 marks on Aa1-72 probably means the same thing as the 5 marks on the reversed tapa mea in Aa1-34, i.e. that 'one got away'. Also: 360 / 5 = 72.

Thus line Aa1 seems to be intentionally divided into 5 parts:


Aa1-18	Aa1-36	Aa1-54	Aa1-72	Aa1-90
*sun escapes (tere) from darkness*	one 'got away' (new start)	*new start (oho)*	*'turning around' (vari) 5 times*	*'finished' (oti)*

During p.m. there are 2 * 6 = 12 forward marks up to and including the 'death' of the sun, but only 6 + 5 = 11 backward marks - i.e. one 'got away' and in Aa1-36 we can see him:

←						pm
→						am

Tere

1. To run, to flee, to escape from a prison. 2. To sail a boat (also: hakatere); tere vaka, owner of a fishing boat. 3. (Deap-sea) fisherman; tere kahi, tuna fisherman; tere ho'ou, novice fisherman, one who goes deap-sea fishing for the first time. Penei te huru tûai; he-oho te tere ho'ou ki ruga ki te hakanonoga; ana ta'e rava'a, he-avai e te tahi tagata tere vaka i te îka ki a îa mo hakakoa, mo iri-hakaou ki te hakanonoga i te tahi raá. The ancient custom was like this: the novice fisherman would go to a hakanonoga; if he didn't catch anything, another fisherman would give him fishes to make him happy so he'd go again one day to the hakanonoga (more distant fishing zones where larger fishes are found). Vanaga.

To depart, to run, to take leave, to desert, to escape, to go away, to flee, fugitive, to sail, to row, to take refuge, to withdraw, to retreat, to save oneself; terea, rest, defeat; tetere, to beat a retreat, to go away, refugee; teretere, to go away, hurrah; hakatere, to set free, to despatch, to expel, to let go, to liberate, to conquer, helmsman; terega, departure, sailing; teretai, a sailor. Churchill.

Oho

1. To go: ka-oho! go! go away! (i.e. 'goodbye' said by the person staying behind); ka-oho-mai (very often contracted to: koho-mai), welcome! (lit.: come here); ku-oho-á te tagata, the man has gone. Ohoga, travel, direction of a journey; ohoga-mai, return. 2. Also rauoho, hair. Vanaga.

1. To delegate; rava oho, to root. 2. To go, to keep on going, to walk, to depart, to retire; ka oho, begone, good-bye; oho amua, to preced; oho mai, to come, to bring; oho arurua, to sail as consorts; hakaoho, to send, a messenger. 3. Tehe oho te ikapotu, to abut, adjoin; mei nei tehe i oho mai ai inei te ikapotu, as far as, to; kai oho, to abstain, to forego; hakaoho, to put on the brakes. 4. The head (only in the composite rauoho, hair). Churchill.

Vari

1. Menstruation, period (also: tiko). 2. To tack, to veer (nautical); ku-vari-mai-á te miro, the boat arrives, have veered [around Rano Kau]. Vanaga.

About, circumference, to turn in a circle; hakavari, pliant, to bend, square; varivari, about, to go around; vavari, a garland; varikapau, circumference, to surround, a compass, to admire; hiriga varikapau, to go in a ring; pa varikapau, to close in; varitakataka (vari-taka 3) to surround. Churchill.

A group with 6 + 6 + 4 = 16 glyphs follows, beyond the ordinal number 60:


Aa1-61	Aa1-62	Aa1-63	Aa1-64	Aa1-65	Aa1-66

Aa1-67	Aa1-68	Aa1-69	Aa1-70	Aa1-71	Aa1-72

Aa1-73	Aa1-74	Aa1-75	Aa1-76

The important parallel 20-glyph sequence in H begins at Aa1-63 and ends at Aa1-79 (see below). The 20-glyph group in H seems not to be congruent with the structure in A. In A we probably have a last group with 7 + 7 = 14 glyphs:


Aa1-77	Aa1-78	Aa1-79	Aa1-80	Aa1-81	Aa1-82	Aa1-83

Aa1-84	Aa1-85	Aa1-86	Aa1-87	Aa1-88	Aa1-89	Aa1-90

Aa1-67 appears at the beginning of a 6-glyph subgroup above. It is number 7 in the 16-glyph group and number 19 counted from Aa1-49. Possibly 19 is the solar number corresponding to lunar 29 (darkness).

Aa1-79 looks forwards, not backwards as in Ha6-139 (*Ha6-64):

The end of the central 20-glyph group in H presumably coincides with Aa1-79 anyhow. Its importance is obvious:

Ha1-1 -- Ha6-119 (?)	314	20	314	648?
Hb1-1 -- Hb7-6	314	20	314	648

Therefore, I am inclined to revise the earlier suggested structure for line a1 in Tahua. If we move Aa1-77--78 back to the 16-glyph group - thereby increasing it to a 18-glyph group, which seems very reasonable due to how number 18 presumably (as we have seen) was a preferred measure in line a1 - then the last group of glyphs in line a1 will have 12 glyphs (quite in symmetry with the first group, beyond the 48 first glyphs, also having 12 glyphs).


Aa1-49	Aa1-50	Aa1-51	Aa1-52	Aa1-53	Aa1-54

Aa1-55	Aa1-56	Aa1-57	Aa1-58	Aa1-59	Aa1-60


Aa1-61	Aa1-62	Aa1-63	Aa1-64	Aa1-65	Aa1-66

Aa1-67	Aa1-68	Aa1-69	Aa1-70	Aa1-71	Aa1-72

Aa1-73	Aa1-74	Aa1-75	Aa1-76	Aa1-77	Aa1-78


Aa1-79	Aa1-80	Aa1-81	Aa1-82	Aa1-83	Aa1-84

Aa1-85	Aa1-86	Aa1-87	Aa1-88	Aa1-89	Aa1-90

I have moved the red-coloured marks to the end glyphs in all the 6-glyph subgroups. There are 7 such subgroups in a symmetrical pattern (2 + 3 + 2 = 7, 12 + 18 + 12 = 42).

Aa1-52 and Aa1-58 are number 4 in each subgroup, while Aa2-67 is located as number 1 in its subgroup - and indeed Aa2-67 is different in kind compared with Aa2-52 and Aa2-58:

Aa2-35	Aa2-43	Aa2-48	Aa2-52	Aa2-58	Aa2-67	Aa2-77	Aa3-11	Aa3-38

35	43	48	52	58	67	77	96	123
13			15			46

We can construct a little table:


Aa1-52	Aa1-58	Aa1-67
4	10	19

Aa2-52	Aa2-58	Aa2-67

If there is any 'truth' in these ideas, then Aa2-52 marks the beginning of the season when sun is present and Aa2-67 marks the end the same season.

Instead of Aa2-67 marking winter solstice we should consider the possibility that it marks autumn equinox. The parallels between lines a1 and a2 makes us infer that then also Aa1-67 will mark autumn equinox (and Aa1-52 - as well as Aa2-52 - will mark spring equinox).

Several possible alternatives exist, however, and they may even have been intentionally superimposed on each other.

For instance: Beyond the end of the night (Aa1-48) we can distinguish a cardinal group of 6 glyphs (Aa1-49--54). Then arrives two groups with 18 glyphs in each, the first group (Aa1-55--72) relating to sun being present and the second group (Aa1-73--90) relating to sun being absent. Of the ordinal numbers in the little table above (52, 58 and 67) only 52 occurs outside the suggested 'sun being present' glyph sequence - and that is quite in order because Rei introduces a season, it does not belong in it.