First fumble with translating...

So, following from my recent curiosity around the nitty gritty of the meanings in the text I'm studying I've endeavored recently to get off my backside and upskill myself a little bit.

To this end I've determined that I'll pick a short section of a treatise and have a go translating it. In my favour I have High School level German, conversational Swedish, Google translate and I've picked Mair to start with because much of it is translated already and I can hit CTRL-F to reference this if I get stuck.

It took a while to get my eye in, but it was surprisingly fluid once I'd got my head around it. Here's my translation of the first play from Mair's Poleaxe:


"A parrying in the Poleaxe against a Murder Blow

It happens thus in this play: when you come together, go stand with your right foot forward and hold your Poleaxe in both hands high above your head, the point extended against your opponent. He then stands with his left foot against you and strikes a Murder Blow to your head. So displace him with your Poleaxe on your left side whilst jerking your Poleaxe to your left side and thrusting in to his groin.

If he thrusts you like this, take it away with your rearmost Poleaxe point. Meantime follow outward with your right leg and hew in with your Poleaxe blade after his face.

If he displaces you with the handle between both hands, so wind in your rearmost Point between his both arms into his face.

If he strikes and winds at you like this, step back with your right leg behind and displace between both hands on your haft.

If he displaces you so, then strike nimbly once more after his upper opening.

If he strikes you so above, displace with your haft and snatch to your left side and thrust in his face whilst stepping and winding up from him to the rear."



Now, I haven't refined this yet by hitting anyone with a Poleaxe simulator but it was a fascinating experience to work this puzzle out. 

Some highlights for me:

"Indes" which I took to mean "instantly" or "immediately" actually means "meantime" or "whilst." Kind of the same but kind of not.

"If he strikes you so above, displace with your haft and snatch to your left side and thrust in his face. Immediately step and wind up from him to the rear."

"If he strikes you so above, displace with your haft and snatch to your left side and thrust in his face whilst stepping and winding up from him to the rear."

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