.
Sui guinol, sílo
Gladho, linno, no ú-noer
i-veleth vîn amann ú-dhortha
Nae! Lú ven neitha adh ú-vangatha.
.
While living, shine
Laugh, sing, do not lament;
Our love endures not long
Alas, time wrongs us and will not trade.
Literally:
The tomb [of the] lover
As living, shine
Laugh, sing, be not-sad
The-love ours for a long time not-lasts
Alas! Time wrongs us and will not-trade.
This is a Sindarin translation of Seikilos Epitaph, the oldest recorded complete song [lyrics with accompanying tune] we have in the world, circa 100 C.E. It was found on a grave marker near Ephesus. It is debatable whether the epitaph and song were written 1) from Seikilos for Euterpe, a woman and possibly his wife 2) from Seikilos for Euterpe, a muse of music, or 3) for Seikilos, son of Euterpos. As the style of music and popularity of the girl's name Euterpe during the time period suggest a more romantic connotation, I couldn't resist a Kíliel connection.
From Wikipedia, you can find the following original text and other English translations.
Koine Greek (polytonic transliteration):
hoson zës phainou
mëden holös sy lypou
pros oligon esti to zën
to telos ho chromos apaitei.
English translation:
As long as you live; shine,
Have no grief at all
Life exists only for a short while,
And time demands its toll.
More literal:
While you live, dance and sing
Grieve not and be joyful
For life is too short
And time carries away the prize of death [time necessitates an end].
Hank Green's version (Vlogbrothers "What is the oldest song?")
While you live, shine on;
Be joyous and dance and seize the day;
We're only here until we're gone
And time demands to be paid.
Sources:
1) Hiswelókë's Sindarin-English Dictionary: "Strict" Sindarin & Noldorin Alphabetical and Analogical Dictionaries.
2) Thorsten Renk's Pedin Edhellen, a Sindarin-Course, Version 3.05
