[MG] composition

[mingshey]

My first attempt to translate a short story into Modern Greek.
It's a "toilet" humor about a bear and a hare:

(warning : This story may be offending.)
A bear and a hare had a poo side by side in the mountain.
The hare was about to leave without wiping the behind.
The bear asked the hare, "Don't you mind the klingon on your fur?"
Answered the hare, "I don't mind."
And the bear picked up the hare and wiped his behind with him.

μια άρκτος και ενας λαγός κοπρίσαν πλάι-πλάι μεσα στο βούνο.
ο λαγός ηταν έτοιμος να πηγαίνει χώρις να σκουπίσει τα οπίσθια.
η άρκτος ερώτησε του λαγού, "Δεν σε πειράζει η κοπριά στο τριχώμα;"
απάντησε ο λαγός, "Δεν με πειράζει."
και η άρκτος πήρε τον λαγόν και απο τον σκούπισε τα δικά της οπίσθια.

[modus.irrealis]

Would you like comments/corrections?

[mingshey]

Would you like comments/corrections?

Of course. Corrections are always welcome. Actually I posted this in order to invite corrections.

[IreneY]

Ewwwwww!!
For what is worth, my translation in very colloquial Greek.

Μια αρκούδα και ένας λαγός τα έκαναν (έκαναν τα κακά τους) δίπλα δίπλα στο βουνό.
Ο λαγός ήταν έτοιμος να φύγει χωρίς να σκουπίσει τον πισινό του/τα πισινά του (both vulgar)/ τα οπίσθιά του/ τον ποπό του.
Η αρκούδα ρώτησε το λαγό, "Δεν σε πειράζουν τα κόπρανα/κακά στη γούνα σου;"
Ο λαγός απάντησε, "Δεν με πειράζουν".
Και η αρκούδα πήρε/άρπαξε (grabbed) το λαγό και σκούπισε μ' αυτόν τα δικά της οπίσθια

[modus.irrealis]

Irene's translation basically makes most of the comments I had written up pointless at this stage, but:

-- κοπρίζω means "to fertilize with manure" and κοπριά "manure"
-- από τον is impossible in Greek. With prepositions you have to use the longer forms of the pronoun, απ' αυτόν, or, in a few cases, you can replace the whole prep. + pronoun with the genitive, μακριά απ' αυτόν ~ μακριά του.
-- with έτοιμος να... needs to be followed by the aorist subjunctive -- I'm not even sure if it's possible with the present subjunctive (Irene?) but if it is, it's rare.

[IreneY]

Re "έτοιμος να". You are right, only past subjunctive.

Edit: I have to say, your translation reminded me a lot of the writings of Greeks of the 18th and 19th century Still modern Greek obviously, but with a lot of ancient Greek (or what is today considered ancient Greek, let's not go there, or I'll start a long diatribe ) interspersed.

[mingshey]

Edit: I have to say, your translation reminded me a lot of the writings of Greeks of the 18th and 19th century Still modern Greek obviously, but with a lot of ancient Greek (or what is today considered ancient Greek, let's not go there, or I'll start a long diatribe ) interspersed.

That's good for me! I was worried it might remind you of the Homeric Greek, because I'm now following the Pharr-E study group. If it did, it would have meant I had to catch up as far as 28 centuries instead of just two or three.