jaxēwepōma

jaxēwepōma

Line 1 of the KÄ“len Jabberwocky:

il ōrralon ñi jarewēλecāwāŋŋi ā jawēlrūlri rū jaxēwepōma āñ;

(See Monday’s post for an introduction.)

“In the afternoon, the circular lizards did gyre and gimble around…” jaxÄ“wepōma.

In the original, the location is “in the wabe”, and Humpty Dumpty says the wabe is the grassy area around a sundial. What a thing to have a word for! I don’t even have a word for sundial. Oh, wait, a sundial is essentially something that sticks up and casts a shadow that moves with the sun. Hmm. –xÄ“w– is the stem in anxÄ“wi ‘shadows’ and –pōm– is the stem for japōma ‘stick’, making jaxÄ“wepōma a compound word for ‘shadow stick’, which may or may not be the usual word for sundial.

il ōrralon ñi jarewēλecāwāŋŋi ā jawēlrūlri rū jaxēwepōma āñ;
In the afternoon, the circular lizards did gyre and gimble around the shadow-stick.