Q. yéni únótimë ve aldaron rámar “long-years not-countable as trees’ wings”
[< Previous Phrase] Namárië, prose [Next Phrase >]
The 2nd phrase of the prose Namárië. Tolkien altered the text from the poetic version as follows:
yéni únótimë ve rámar aldaron >> yéni únótimë ve aldaron rámar
Tolkien moved the genitive element aldaron “trees’, of trees” to be before the noun it modifies: rámar “wings”. Elsewhere Tolkien indicated that the Quenya genitive can appear after the noun in ordinary speech (WJ/368), so perhaps either placement is acceptable.
Reference ✧ RGEO/58 ✧ yēni ū-nōt-ime ve aldaron rāmar “years (long Elvish years) not-count-able as trees-of wings”
Elements
yén | “Elvish long year (144 solar years)” | plural | ✧ RGEO/58 (yēni) |
únótima | “numberless, innumerable, countless, difficult/impossible to count” | plural | ✧ RGEO/58 (ū-nōt-ime) |
ve¹ | “as, like, similar, after the manner [of]” | ✧ RGEO/58 | |
alda | “tree” | genitive plural | ✧ RGEO/58 (aldaron) |
ráma | “wing” | plural | ✧ RGEO/58 (rāmar) |
Element In