Ad. azrē nai {phurusam >>} phurrusim akhās-ada “seas might-flow Chasm-into”
The first draft of the 5th phrase of the Lament of Akallabêth (SD/311). Its has the same vocabulary as the final version except that it has nai “might” (an adverb?) instead of the prefix du. This nai is almost certainly a variant of Q. nai “maybe, be it that”.
The draft version has several other grammatical differences from later versions. The subject azrē “seas” seems to be a simple rather than subjective plural. Tolkien initially wrote phurusam for the verb and then changed to phurrusim “flow”, perhaps aorist and past tenses of the verb phurus-, respectively. Both conjugations have the plural verb suffix -m. The last phrase akhās-ada “into Chasm” is essentially identical to the final version, however.
Reference ✧ SD/311 ✧ “seas might-flow Chasm-into”
Changes
Elements
azra | “sea” | draft-plural | ✧ SD/311 (azrē) |
nai | “might (draft)” | ✧ SD/311 | |
phurus- | “to gush, flow” | past plural | ✧ SD/311 (phurrusim) |
akhâs | “chasm” | ✧ SD/311 (akhās) | |
-ada | “to, toward, into, against, -ward” | ✧ SD/311 |
Element In