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TRANSLATIONS
There are 1334 glyphs in the Tahua text. 1334 = 46 * 29. 1334 is an even number and we therefore must have two glyphs in the 'middle':
The even number of the glyphs forces the end to be united with the beginning (similar to when a kava sign is united with a 'pregnant person'). Counting from the beginning of side b, from Ab1-1, is therefore an artificial construct of the human mind. Neither 520 nor 521 are numbers divisible by 29. Ab7-26 will be counted twice if we count from Ab1-1:
Therefore, a better 'map' must be:
The end with Aa8-26 (as in 26 * 29) is followed by a 'double-month' (2 * 29 = 58 glyphs) before the arrival of next sun season (18 * 29 = 522 glyphs). 46 = 18 + 26 + 2. 18 alludes to the season of the sun (18 * 10 = 180 days) and 26 to the season of the moon (26 * 14 = 364 nights). Sun is present during only half the year while moon is always here (excepting 1 dark night between the years). But the month has 28 illuminated moon nights. In a way, therefore, the map can be read as an allusion to that fact - with the domain of the moon continuing for 28 * 29 glyphs. The dark moon (1½) nights will then not be represented in the Tahua text. The kuhane stations beyond the 26th are not for the present king. Papa O Pea (27) is the residence of the future king and Ahu Akapu (28) the residence for the abdicated king. The 29th station (Te Pito O Te Kainga) is in the dark and cannot be defined in precise terms, it is not possible to describe it in the words (or glyphs) of enlightenment. Inserting the 'sure' kava event into the new map we find Aa8-31 to be the night of 'conception' (365 - 364):
In the 364th (26 * 14) night the old fire is blown out (puhi), in the 365th night a new light is generated. Clearly Metoro was right in starting his reading at the beginning of side b. 26 is fetched - I think - from 26 * 29 and used to define the end of the year by multiplying by 14 instead of by 29. The dark 29 is useless when writing for eyes to read. 522 glyphs for 180 days of summer will be 87 glyphs for each of 6 months, close to 3 glyphs per day. With 3 glyphs per day 522 corresponds to 174 days. This leaves 364 - 174 = 190 nights for the moon, a reasonable result because sun is 'absent' (19). 1334 - 522 = 28 * 29 = 812 glyphs for the moon is incompatible with 190 nights. If we count 29.5 * 29 = 855.5 we get close to 4.5 glyphs per night (or rather 9 glyphs for 2 nights). 855 = 19 * 45. In other words - the Tahua text presumably does not show the pito nights. 855 - 812 = 43 glyphs are 'missing'. 1334 + 43 (reversed 34) = 1377 = 3 * 459 = 9 * 153 = 27 * 51 = 54 * 17. 855 / 855.5 * 29.5 = 29.48 is not a better estimate of the synodic cycle of the moon (ca 29.53) than 29.5. But how much can you demand? Wikipedia: "Because of perturbations in the orbits of the Earth and Moon, the actual time between lunations may range from about 29.27 to about 29.83 days." And with ca 1350 glyphs to use there is not much room for manœuvres. With 30 days for each of 6 summer months and 522 glyphs there will be 2.9 glyphs per day. This leaves us with 364 - 180 = 184 nights for the moon. 1334 - 522 = 812 glyphs for the moon is incompatible with 184 nights. But 4.5 * 184 = 828, is a number we will find below (at Aa2-74) - and once again there are 9 glyphs for 2 nights (184 / 2 = 92 nights and 9 * 92 = 184 glyphs). 828 - 812 = 16 are 'missing' in the text and 828 / 812 * 29 = 29.57 (a better estimate of the synodic cycle of the moon than 29.48). The 'unsure' kava event is incommensurable with counting multiples of 29 from Ab1-1:
28 * 29 = 812 and 29 * 29 = 841. 828 = 36 * 23. But 828 / 28 = 29.57. The event lies inside the 26 * 29 glyphs defined by the viri in Ab7-26 and Aa8-26, it ought to be a moon event (while Aa8-30--31 lie between moon and sun). The ordinal numbers 8 and 29 (in 829) reflect the ordinal numbers 8 and 26 (in Aa8-26). Recounting from Aa8-26 instead of from Ab1-1 will lead to the following numbers:
889 = 7 * 127 is not a good number. Instead, presumably, it is the midglyph Aa2-74 with ordinal number 888 which is intended by the creator of the text. The first of the hau tea ('light') glyphs on side a, and a spreading out one (though still without the 'roof' letting in any light from the world above the sky). Thrice 8 equals 24, a sign of the sun, and sun has 3 wives. |
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