<p>Black Speech is mostly reconstructed, and there are different versions of it. This is my attempt at translating it, using the <a href="http://blackspeech.ru/los/index.php" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Shadowlandian dialect</a> -- the beginning is mainly the standard Ring motto, but with the object pronoun changed to 3rd person singular (instead of plural).</p>
<blockquote>
<p>One ring to rule you,</p>
</blockquote>
<p><em>Ash nazg durbatlat,</em></p>
<blockquote>
<p>one ring to find you,</p>
</blockquote>
<p><em>ash nazg gimbatlat,</em></p>
<blockquote>
<p>One ring to bring you,</p>
</blockquote>
<p><em>ash nazg thrakatlat,</em></p>
<blockquote>
<p>and in the darkness bind you;</p>
</blockquote>
<p><em>agh burzumishi krimpatlat.</em></p>
<blockquote>
<p>I love you Gopinadh</p>
</blockquote>
<p><em>Brogbizg lat, Gopinadh</em></p>
<p>I hope this is useful!</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-05-08T14:38:06.907Z
"Reconstructed" doesn't really seem accurate seeing as a huge number of the morphemes here are entirely absent in Tolkien's writings. Instead Neo-Black-Speech is a conlang distinct from but consistent with Tolkien's Black Speech sketch
Tristan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-05-08T14:39:35.440Z
also should that read: "_Brogbizglat_" instead of "_Brogbizg lat_"?
Tristan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-05-08T14:54:22.670Z
@Tristan Yes, "reconstructed" is doing a lot of heavy lifting here... there are various versions that are kind of extrapolated from the few attested Black Speech sentences. The separation of _lat_ is arbitrary; it could also be all separate: _izg brogb lat_; So yes, _brogbizglat_ would also be possible.
Oliver Mason
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-05-08T14:59:31.240Z
the other instances of an 2sg object pronoun have it written joined to the verb though, so having it separated seems somewhat inconsistent (although ofc that is the only finite verb, whereas the others are infinitive, and ofc languages can distinguish in how they treat object pronoun clitics between finite and non-finite verbs, just as Spanish does e.g. finite "te amo" vs infinitive "amarte")
Tristan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-05-08T14:22:56.043Z
2024-05-08T14:22:56.043Z
Oliver Mason
<blockquote>
<p>One ring to rule you, one ring to find you<br />
One ring to bring you, and in the darkness bind you<br />
I love you<br />
<strong>Gopinadh</strong></p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-05-06T16:13:22.940Z
The only things Tolkien ever wrote in Black Speech were the ring inscription, a single further sentence, and some five further words. Except for "them" in the ring inscription, no pronouns are known, and neither is the verb "love". So, this is impossible to translate.
Cecilia
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-05-06T18:27:04.683Z
Is your sweetheart a masochist?
Anton Sherwood
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-05-08T17:50:24.607Z
I guess if Black Speech had the verb “to love”, it would have only the meaning “to eat eagerly” or  “to consider edible”.
Yellow Sky
<tolkien-black-speech>
How would you write this modified version of the ring inscription in the Black Speech?
# How would you write this modified version of the ring inscription in the Black Speech?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2024-05-06)

> One ring to rule you, one ring to find you  
> One ring to bring you, and in the darkness bind you  
> I love you  
> **Gopinadh**

**Tags:** tolkien-black-speech
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: The only things Tolkien ever wrote in Black Speech were the ring inscription, a single further sentence, and some five further words. Except for "them" in the ring inscription, no pronouns are known, and neither is the verb "love". So, this is impossible to translate.  
> **username_2**: Is your sweetheart a masochist?  
> **username_3**: I guess if Black Speech had the verb “to love”, it would have only the meaning “to eat eagerly” or  “to consider edible”.  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2024-05-08. Score: 1

Black Speech is mostly reconstructed, and there are different versions of it. This is my attempt at translating it, using the [Shadowlandian dialect](http://blackspeech.ru/los/index.php) -- the beginning is mainly the standard Ring motto, but with the object pronoun changed to 3rd person singular (instead of plural).

> One ring to rule you,

*Ash nazg durbatlat,*

> one ring to find you,

*ash nazg gimbatlat,*

> One ring to bring you,

*ash nazg thrakatlat,*

> and in the darkness bind you;

*agh burzumishi krimpatlat.*

> I love you Gopinadh

*Brogbizg lat, Gopinadh*

I hope this is useful!

> **Comments:**
> **username_5**: "Reconstructed" doesn't really seem accurate seeing as a huge number of the morphemes here are entirely absent in Tolkien's writings. Instead Neo-Black-Speech is a conlang distinct from but consistent with Tolkien's Black Speech sketch  
> **username_5**: also should that read: "_Brogbizglat_" instead of "_Brogbizg lat_"?  
> **username_4**: @Tristan Yes, "reconstructed" is doing a lot of heavy lifting here... there are various versions that are kind of extrapolated from the few attested Black Speech sentences. The separation of _lat_ is arbitrary; it could also be all separate: _izg brogb lat_; So yes, _brogbizglat_ would also be possible.  
> **username_5**: the other instances of an 2sg object pronoun have it written joined to the verb though, so having it separated seems somewhat inconsistent (although ofc that is the only finite verb, whereas the others are infinitive, and ofc languages can distinguish in how they treat object pronoun clitics between finite and non-finite verbs, just as Spanish does e.g. finite "te amo" vs infinitive "amarte")  

---

