Sumric Verse

Old Sumrë literature, ranging from children's songs to epic poems, is rife with various different forms of alliteration. This page will list all of the attested forms of alliterations, or "verses".

=Mirma Basi verse= This verse, meaning "same head", is made of lines where every word begins in the same sound (aspirated consonants are considered the same as non-aspirated in this verse). An example is the last line of a lullabye warning about the arrival of Brumnos:

«tar tăămñje!» tomna thȯȯvau, toñ tarė thioče! ("gallop!" a herald dares, hurry and seek shelter!")

=Sustyrha verse=

Devised by Sustyrh for use in The Book of Creation. In which the first words of four lines must alliterate by beginning in the same VC or C(C)V sequence. In Sustyrha verse vowels i, a and u can only alliterate with themselves, the vowels ü, ö, y, ĕ, e, ė alliterate with each other and o, ȯ, ӑ alliterate with each other. Vowel length is not regarded. Each consonant may only alliterate with itself, even aspirated consonants can't alliterate with their non-aspirated counterparts. After four lines the alliterating sequence must change although it can continue for a few more lines if near the end of the poem. This verse is quite young compared to others as it has never existed in oral tradition. Indeed Sustyrha verse only works on the page because each line can get quite long, when recited the alliterating words are so far apart that the verse simply fails. Rather the alliterating words are clearly seen together as the heads of each line when scanning the left side of the page vertically.

Tomӑrk dülh klatam semdwosȯna skyrptasa santeasynaksėd jota,

Tobḿ Unwe hwolptӑkmuolk mabӑӑ dӑvdwosela,

Tomyrkmu pyykiñ sȯ dӑvdwȯȯ umaken,

Tȯȯmpa, mabá artwomuӑkti nylkisbin endimbin jėryrkmusėd sumӑben ksülau sülarat domyrktisėd nȯȯm,

=Süliktšik verse=

This verse, which means "spotted", is among the oldest forms of alliteration used by the Sumnė. In this verse each word must contain the atylmart (< OS atylmart "that which is evident") i.e the alliterating sequence of sounds. Each line has its own atylmart which can be a single sound or a sequence of sounds. If it is a sequence then the various sounds may either have to occur in order with no other sound in between and they may occur across word boundaries (Tomyrkmu myr kaald, rėnyrkmu), or in order but with various sounds in between, again they may occur across word boundaries (Amakú hantӑkmu naan uhadaan utgi). Below will be a full poem in Süliktšik verse, each atylmart will be marked at the beginning of each line in capitals, Sg stands for when the atylmart is a single sound and SEQ if the atylmart is a sequence of sounds:

SG:Ė - nė dėnuk ėwėenk sė makwo, (the final word makwo is an exception as it contains no ė, this is permitted due to it forming a noun phrase with sė "this")

SG:A - Maawatarraa lamӑk amáuryla,

SEQ:A...U - Amakú hantӑkmu naan uhadaan utgi,

SEQ:YRK - Tomyrkmu myr kaald, rėnyrkmu,

SEQ:Ė...A - Sėana vrė ažtala, swė ak tėėlga,

SEQ:ER - Merik erh ter serpesdwona,

SEQ:R...A - Rakăses Maawatarraa weȯññyrak, raakӑvna lustyrha

SG:A - Efskaadӑrk lemana kwagӑӑ ak swa jȯanises,

SEQ:KR/KL - «Krėn, kleresmu ak rusik lemasȯna»,

SG:L - Sülӑk dwolba lintetėė limbėenk ñuslonau blarmumau,

SG:R - «Joklyr tarȯn tomyr vyrrtaum rakӑsesmu»,

SG:K - Sülӑk askadiatėė ak sülӑk krėnlonutrat,

SEQ:JO - Jo twüljok joccoba,

SG:V - «Vürrtutrje vėrrtėsasȯnė»,

SEQ:R...Ӑ - Rakӑses jyrӑk rӑӑm,

SG:R - Maawatarraa Brėylau vürrttӑӑm vrӑӑm,

SG:M - Mylmjemu lemanӑӑm! Maawatarraana,

SG:L - L'tiv livyrje kylbinė lamylnamė,

SG:M - Mylmjemu lemanӑӑm!