Another Calintese translation exercise, this time of Ilich-Svitych’s little poem in his proposed reconstruction of Nostratic.
Xútto pàttuavemi céxarastra oxèsmen
tongue time-GEN-N.DAT river-DAT=ART=through crossing
Language is a ford through the river of time
bièdeigo aná àstitixis hiettétras
lead-N.SG=and 1PL-N.ACC depart-PFV-N.GEN.PL=ART house-DAT=ART
and leads us to the dwelling of the departed
la górris puddá crìlie géyeva éara
but fear-M.SG=ART deep-F.ACC.SG water-ACC go-M.SG=NEG that-N.DAT.SG
but he does not arrive there who is afraid of deep water.
Note the usage of the dative as an allative case and how a subjectless verb may be understood to be modify an indefinite subject when the article is attached: górris “the fearing one” or “he who fears”, i.e., “whoever fears.”
Bibliotheca Yalenskaya 