TRANSLATIONS

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The first of the glyphs apparently says the 'nuku season' is 'turning around'.  In the G calendar a similar sign is used at day 237:

Qa3-1 Gb1-6 Gb1-7 (237)

The 'fire' arms in Gb1-6--7 indicate the sun, while in Qa3-1 we can see a growing moon sign at bottom left. It is the moon which is turning around. The beginning of side a in Q is still in the shadows, spring sun has not yet made his entrance.

Already at the end of glyph line Qa2, though, his arrival is announced:

*Qa2-40 *Qa2-41 *Qa2-42 *Qa2-43 Qa3-1 Qa3-2

In *Qa2-43 the face (mata) of the 'nuku season' is no longer visible. In Qa3-2 a toa with hanging maro string illustrates the events in a way whích is quite opposite to that at the beginning of the night:

Qa5-29 Qa5-30

The double Rei in *Qa2-41 is likewise to be contrasted with the other such in *Qb5-7:

516
*Qa2-40 (63) *Qa2-41 (64) *Qb5-7 (581) *Qb5-8
96 = 64 / 2 + 32 258 355
260 days

In *Qa2-41 spring sun is referred to. There is only one 'tail' (at top right), in contrast to the 3 (fat ones) in *Qb5-7. Spring sun will not survive midsummer, only 'stumps' remain of the 2 bottom tails.

 

 

I have suggested that rima vae ('no fire') is the central sign of nuku. This idea finds support in the following glyphs:

Qa3-3
Qa3-4 Qa3-5 Qa3-6 Qa3-7
Qa3-8 Qa3-9 Qa3-10 Qa3-11 (77)
Qa3-12

Tagata at left in Qa3-3 has a pau foot, and in front there are 5 'feathers'. Then follows 4 pairs of glyphs ending with a final tagata holding a fist with a 'wilting' maro string. 3 * 4 (in Qa3-4) and 3 * 12 (in Qa3-12) refer to the sun (12 respectively 36).

The 'fists' evolve into arms and hands with 3 fingers and a thumb. In the 4th quarter, though, the fist has disappeared and instead there are 2 mata riding in a canoe of the moon. The thumb went away together with the fist.

From a state of 'full hand' (a fist) the fingers are released one at a time until only the empty hand remains. This happens thrice:

Qa3-5 Qa3-6 Qa3-7
Qa3-8 Qa3-9 Qa3-10

 

These 3 seasons of the sun apparently are counterbalanced by 3 seasons of nuku:

Qa3-13 Qa3-14 (80) Qa3-15 Qa3-16 Qa3-17 Qa3-18
Qa3-19 Qa3-20 Qa3-21 Qa3-22 Qa3-23 Qa3-24 (90)

Only 3 nuku glyphs with double mata (but without maro strings) could possibly be referred to:

Qa3-1 Qa3-18 Qa3-22 Qa3-24 Qa5-30 *Qa7-6
*Qa7-30 Qa8-4 Qa8-9 Qa8-30 Qa8-32 Qb3-27
*Qb3-41 Qb4-36 *Qb5-2 *Qb6-13 *Qb7-12 *Qb7-13

Let's count:

276 52 107 83
Qa8-4 (299) *Qb5-2 (576) *Qb6-13 (629)
331 190
3 1 208
Qa3-18 (84) Qa3-22 (88) Qa3-24 (90)
7

736 = 331 + 190 + 7 + 208 = 210 + 329 + 190 + 7:

206
Qa3-25 (91) Qa3-26 Qa8-4 Qa8-5 (300)
210 = 7 * 30 = 14 * 15

736 - 210 = 526 = 436 + 90::

274 52 105
Qa8-6 (301) *Qb5-2 (576) *Qb6-13 (629) *Qb6-14 *Qb8-32 (736)
436
83 3 1
Qa3-18 (84) Qa3-22 (88) Qa3-24 (90)
90
206
Qa3-25 (91) Qa3-26 Qa8-4 Qa8-5 (300)
210 = 7 * 30 = 14 * 15

In days: 218 + 45 + 105 = 368.

We are not very much wiser.

But the very last glyph, number 736 at *Qb8-32, has the same numbers as nuku in Qa8-32, and the distance is 409 glyphs (as the ordinal number for Rogo at Gb6-26):

407
Qa8-32 (327) Qa8-33 *Qb8-32 (736)
409

328 / 2 + 64 = 164 + 64 = 228.

Both 409 and 225 are significant:

409
Qa8-32 (327)
225 = 15 * 15
Qb3-27 (511)
165 = 11 * 15
Qb4-36 (571)

And they are related:

 

183 59
Qa8-32 (327) Qb3-27 (511) Qb4-36 (571)
184 60
244

736 - 244 = 492 = 300 + 192.

368 - 122 = 246 = 150 + 96.