Procrastinating with the Help of Conlangs, Hooray!

Instead of doing something more than minimally productive with my day, I translated/localized the excellent villain song “Shiny” from the likewise excellent film Moana into my silly conlang, cemel riichnao. You can find the official English (or your language of choice’s) lyrics anywhere on the ol’ internet for the original lyrics. What I’m going to do for the, like, 3 people who might be interested is put up the unglossed cemel riichnao lyrics first, then a glossed word/morpheme breakdown (that will be approximately a billion light years in length), and finally a back-to-English retranslation.

The cemel riichnao lyrics sometimes need a little push or wiggle in their exact delivery (matching the meter one-to-one was never an option anyway) but the lines do indeed work. With that out of the way, I present “Kazad.”

Tamatoa ne lonkuir jachkonad
Kulcen bechdotet nebanad
Ce cimar kuad lagirce chodokan
Cenop ce licir, bebiich

Jachmazaim cemer dutirce lebama nal?
“Cen chanak ceinerad tal.”
Ce thymer cem darad zytarce cyla
Maza nycor!
Algaz ce

Kazar
Parlakan nothul nuvad achychadimo
Rahakar achtoj tal koppa ce
Kazar
Jachjalvaredan kefadimo
Ce vetar tal!

Ce cimar nal
Alamim ce kachir
Ce hunar rannaj lumad (Byckalim!)
Ah, deim ce anranar
Naja bemjachkazad
Mmm, hakinim!

Ce melur neparibeth
Ce davoker albeth

Kez cen nal?
Mavi bechad nyfir cedolkin deo
Iaich darchad, bechad, tetad
Dotop deo cen rondochad
Bemjachbomchad!
Chnaich, ne ce cajur pankin kynan

Ce taler padarce paro kelekop
Vunfudim yleca deicho
Chabora hachir zucen bunad deichan
Ger romer nead, cen bemjach

Kazad
Ih ce lumor chatolan jachnekuzad
Cejochar, naj iho ce
Kazar
Ce pudar cercelim tal pun ger chochor
Cho ce choir

Maviich, dince nucer pun
Darchiaadim ne ger echur
Echarce cal, ye!
Deich ger pacer tal
Cen kuad kol tetorce lebam
Deicho zachad

Chnaim chuor jatylad deich
Jehelurce bemel mojadimo
Deich temyr
Nucer camerce
Pun chabora deicho ne calar!

Maviich
Ih ger monokor godot
Deicho
Kul doter konchna

Kazad nal
Ce fudyr tal cenop naj kuzad cen
Acen ce orokar
Ih ce

Kazar
Ger ibar deicha, ce ycikar zoad
Ihop tal
Anadiman ne ger
Kazar
Ce talyr jachad e
Kazad

Tamatoa ne lonkuir jach-kon-ad

Tamatoa not dressed up very-when-ADJZ

Kul-cen bech-dotet ne-ban-ad

PP-is smallness-crab not-color-ADJZ

Ce cimar ku-ad lagir-ce chodok-an

PRS knew now-ADJZ was happy-INF clam-as

Cenop ce licir, bebi-ich

Because PRS was beautiful baby-VOC

Jach-maza-im cemer dutir-ce lebam-a nal?

High-parent-PL said listened-INF heart-to INT

“Cen chanak ceiner-ad tal.”

Is who was inside-ADJZ IMP

Ce thymer cem dar-ad zytar-ce cyl-a

PRS needed word two-ADJZ tear apart-INF argument-DO

Maza nycor!

Parent lied!

Algaz ce

Instead PRS

Kazar

Shined

Parlak-an noth-ul nuv-ad achychadim-o

Treasure-like wreckage-from depth-ADJZ pirate-POSS

Rahakar achtoj tal koppa ce

Scrubbed deck IMP until PRS

Kazar

Shined

Jach-jal-vared-an kef-ad-im-o

Very-wealth-neck-like female-ADJZ-NMZ-POSS

Ce vetar tal!

PRS waited IMP

Ce cimar nal

PRS know INT

Alamim ce kachir

Fish PRS were foolish

Ce hunar rannaj lum-ad (Byckal-im!)

PRS chased anything light-ADJZ (Student-PL)

Ah, deim ce anranar

Ah 3pl PRS arrived

Naj-a bem-jach-kaz-ad

Thing-to very-high-glimmer-ADJZ

Mmm, hakin-im!

Mmm dinner-PL

Ce melur ne-par-ibeth

PRS love not-value-food

Ce davoker albeth

PRS resemble seafood

Kez cen nal?

What is INT

Mavi bech-ad nyfir cedol-kin de-o

Maui smallness-ADJZ had trouble appearance-with 3s-POSS

Ia-ich darch-ad, bech-ad, tet-ad

God-VOC half-ADJZ smallness-ADJZ piece-ADJZ

Dotop de-o cen rondoch-ad

Performance 3s-POSS is embarrassment-ADJZ

Bem-jach-bomch-ad!

Very-high-badness-ADJZ

Chna-ich, ne ce cajur pan-kin kyn-an

Person-VOC not PRS swung hook-with past-as

Ce taler padar-ce paro kelek-op

PRS required gave-INF credit start-for

Vunfud-im ylec-a deich-o

Tattoo-PL outside-at 2s-POSS

Chabora hachir zuc-en bun-ad deich-an

Body changed work-towards art-ADJZ 2s-as

Ger romer ne-ad, cen bem-jach

FUT hide not-ADJZ is very-high

Kaz-ad

Glimmer-ADJZ

Ih ce lumor chatol-an jach-ne-kuz-ad

1s PRS shined diamond-as very-not-finish-ADJZ

Cejochar, naj ih-o ce

Boasted thing 1s-POSS PRS

Kazar

Shined

Ce pudar cercelim tal pun ger chochor

PRS sent army IMP but FUT failed

Cho ce choir

Shell PRS hardened

Mavi-ich, din-ce nucer pun

Maui-VOC POT-PRS tried but

Darch-ia-ad-im ne ger echur

Half-god-ADJZ-NMZ not FUT defeated

Echar-ce cal, ye!

Beat-INF COND EMP

Deich ger pacer tal

2s FUT died IMP

Cen ku-ad kol tetor-ce lebam

Is now-ADJZ time took apart-INF heart

Deich-o zach-ad

2s-POSS pain-ADJZ

Chna-im chuor jatyl-ad deich

Person-PL abandoned distance-ADJZ 2s

Jehelur-ce bemel mojadim-o

Pursued-INF love human-POSS

Deich temyr

2s rallied

Nucer camer-ce

Tried was strong-INF

Pun chabora deich-o ne calar!

But body 2s-POSS not was able

Mavi-ich

Maui-VOC

Ih ger monokor godot

1s FUT kicked rear

Deich-o

2s-POSS

Kul doter konchna

PP saw someone

Kaz-ad nal

Glimmer-ADJZ INT

Ce fudyr tal cenop naj kuz-ad cen

PRS took in IMP because thing end-ADJZ is

Acen ce orokar

Life PRS was cruel

Ih ce

1s PRS

Kazar

Shined

Ger ibar deich-a, ce ycikar zo-ad

FUT ate 2s-DO PRS prepared only-ADJZ

Ih-op tal

1s-for IMP

An-ad-im-an ne ger

Like-ADJZ-NMZ-like not FUT

Kazar

Shined

Ce talyr jach-ad e

PRS wished for great-ADJZ and

Kaz-ad

Glimmer-ADJZ

Tamatoa wasn’t dressed up long ago

He was a small, plain crab

Now he knows to be happy as a clam

Because he’s beautiful, baby

Your ancestors said to listen to your heart?

“Be who you are on the inside.”

I need two words to tear the argument apart

Your ancestors lied!

Instead

Shine

Like a treasure from a sunken pirate’s wreck

Its deck scrubbed until it

Shines

Like a very wealthy woman’s neck

Wait!

Do you know?

Fish are foolish

They chase anything bright (Amateurs!)

Ah, they are arriving

To the brightest thing

Mmm, dinners

I love free food

You look like seafood

What is this?

Little Maui had trouble with his look

You demi-, mini-, tiny god

His performance is embarrassing

The absolute worst!

Man, you don’t swing your hook like before

I must give credit for the start

Your tattoos on the outside

My body became a work of art

It won’t hide, it’s too

Shiny

I shine like an unfinished diamond

I bragged, my things are

Shiny

Send an army but they will fail

My shell is hardened

Maui, you could try but

A demigod won’t win

They could be beaten, yes!

You will die

It’s time to take apart

Your hurting heart

People abandoned you far away

To pursue the love of humans

You rallied

You tried being strong

But your body couldn’t manage it!

Maui

I will kick your rear

Have you seen someone

Shiny?

Take it in because the end is here

Life is cruel

I am

Shiny

I will eat you, being prepared just for me

You’ll never be shiny like me

You wish for greatness and shininess