Jooba’ T’óó Nizhóní
https://www.angelfire.com/rock3/countryboy79/song_sheets/amazing_grace.html
Author: John Newton
Navajo Translation: Albert Tsosie
Performed by: Elizabeth Bryant and Virginia Gramountain
Video in DayBreakWarrior, YouTube Channel
Nizhónígo jooba’ diits’a’
The grace sounds beautiful
Yisdáshííłtínígíí
The one that saved me.
Yóó’ííyáá nít’éé,’ k’ad shénáhoosdzin
I used to be lost, now I am found/re-established / newly known
Doo eesh’í̜i̜ da nít’éé.’
I used to not see
Jooba’ shijéí shá neineeztá̜á̜’
My heart was taught by the grace
T’áá bí shá ak’eh deesdlí̜í̜’
It alone for me it overcame
Ílí̜igo bijooba’ yiiłtsá̜
I saw his grace which is worthy
T’óó yisisdla̜a̜d yé̜e̜dá̜á̜’
By the time in the past I just believed
T’óó ahayóí atí’éł’í̜ bitahdé̜é̜’ shééhozin
Many dangers and trials, among them, I’ve been found / known of
Bijooba’ii éí shilááh neel’á̜
His grace it is greater than me
Éí bee baa nídeeshdááł
I will return to him by means of him / He will guide me back
Neeznáadi mííl nááhai nidi
Despite ten thousand years (that may pass)
Bits’ádi’nílíid doo
It will be shining
Yoołkáałii éí doo bee bi’oh da,
There’s no less days passing
Bee hahoolzhiizh yé̜e̜dóó
With which started from then on
WORD BY WORD ANALYSIS
Nizhónígo jooba’ diits’a’
The grace sounds beautiful
- Nizhóní means “beauty” added go means beautifully, in a beautiful way
- jooba means “grace”
- diits’a’ means “it sounds”
Yisdáshííłtínígíí
The one that saved me.
- yisdá means “in a safe place”
- sh means “to me”
- ííł contains íí a perfective prefix with the linking ł
- tín may be connected to tin meaning “freeze”, so the whole thing means like “he froze me in a safe place”
- ígíí means “the one that”
Yóó’ííyáá nít’éé,’ k’ad shénáhoosdzin
I used to be lost, now I am found/re-established / newly known
- Yóó’ííyáá nít’éé means “I used to lost”, with the perfective first and third person singular ííyá, yóó meaning “away into visibility” and the past marker nít’éé marking “used to be”
- k’ad means “now”
- shénáhoosdzin means “I am found / re-established”
- shé may be shéé meaning “concerning me”
- ná may be connected to náá meaning “once again”
- hoo means in an area
- s may be a shortening of si meaning “stative of oneself”
- d may be a shortening of di with variable meanings, may be “in the act of starting to go along”
- zin the perfective and neuter stem meaning “to know, to think, to be aware” like in bééhózin which means “there’s knowledge about”
Doo eesh’í̜i̜ da nít’éé.’
I used to not see
- Doo … da means negation
- eesh’į́į means not to see with the prefix ’ees meaning “out of sight”, sh meaning me, and the perfective stem ’į́į́ meaning “to see”
- nít’éé’ means “used to”
Jooba’ shijéí shá neineeztá̜á̜’
Grace taught my heart
- Jooba means “grace”
- shijéí means “my heart” with shi (my) and jéí a shortening of ajéídíshjool meaning heart
- shá means “for me, to me”
- neineeztą́ą́’ means “he taught” with a passivizer prefix ei and the perfective stem for “teaching” -tą́ą́’, na’neeztą́ą́’ is the third person perfective singular and dual for “teaching”
T’áá bí shá ak’eh deesdlí̜í̜’
It alone for me it overcame
- T’áá bí means “it alone” or “itself, himself, herself”
- shá means “to me, for me”
- ak’ehdeesdlį́į́ means “it overcame”
- ak’eh means “in the way of”
- dees is a prefix contained in the third person past, the si-perfective turned into s
- lį́į́’ perfective stem meaning “come into being”
Ílí̜igo bijooba’ yiiłtsá̜
I saw his grace which is worthy
- Ilį́įgo constains ilį́ meaning “it costs, it values” with a gliding tone transitioning to go meaning “which is” or turns the verb ilį́ into an adjective
- bijooba means “his grace” with bi meaning “his” and jooba’ meaning grace
- yiiłtsą́ means “I saw it”
T’óó yisisdla̜a̜d yé̜e̜dá̜á̜’
By the time in the past I just believed
- t’óó means “merely”
- yisisdląąd means “I believed”, with the stem ląąd meaning “become a believer” and also “become many, increase, multiply”
- yę́ędą́ą́’ means “by the time in the past”
T’óó ahayóí atí’éł’í̜ bitahdé̜é̜’ shééhozin
Many dangers and trials, among them, I’ve been found / known of
- t’óó ahayóí means “many”
- atí’eł’į́ means “troubles, trials”
- bitahdę́ę́’ mans “from among them” with bitah meaning “among them” and dę́ę́’ meaning “from”
- shééhozin means “I’ve been found” connected to bééhozin meaning “to know” and shéé meaning “to me”
Bijooba’ii éí shilááh neel’á̜
His grace it is greater than me
- Bijooba’ii means “his grace” with bi (his), jooba (grace) and ’ii (the one who does)
- éí means “it” or “that”
- shilááh means “greater than me” with lááh meaning “greater” and shi meaning “me”
- neel’ą́ means “in amount / quantity”
Éí bee baa nídeeshdááł
I will return to him by means of him / He will guide me back
- Éí means “that”
- bee means “by means of it”
- baa means “to him”
- nídeeshdááł means “I will return” with a future stem dááł meaning “return” and a prefix ní (piercing) which may be connected to dínéeshdaał the future of “sitting”
Neeznáadi mííl nááhai nidi
Despite ten thousand years (that may pass)
- Neeznáadi mííl means “ten thousand”
- nááhai means “years have passed” or “the passing of years”
- nidi means “despite” as it appears at the end of the phrase
Bits’ádi’nílíid doo
It will be radiating light
- Bi means “his”
- ts’á means “way from”
- di means “relinquish”
- ní is the ni perfective for third person
- lííd is the neuter stem of líd meaning to be shiny, lustruous. It has a gliding tone to transition into doo
- doo means future
- bits’ádi’nílííd means “to be shiny”
Yoołkáałii éí doo bee bi’oh da,
There’s no less days passing
- Yoołkáałii means “the days” or “the passage of days”
- yooł contains yi meaning “night passes” with the drop of i, so yi turns into y only, and oo with is a progressive, with the connecting -ł- (classifier)
- kááł is progressive stem of root for ką́ which means “night passes” as if handling the sun which is an Open Container, a plate or a dish
- ii means “the one who does”
- yoołkááł means “to become day” or “to become daytime” or “to be a date”, connected to yoołkááłígíí meaning “days of week” or yoołkáłí meaning “calendar”
- éí is a topicalizer
- doo … da means negation
- bee means “by means of it”
- bi’oh means “less than it”
Bee hahoolzhiizh yé̜e̜dóó
With which started from then on
- Bee hahoolzhiizh means “what started with”, connected to the third person perfective hahoolzhiish whose imperfective is hahalzhíísh, meaning “season / era” or “a period of time begins”
- bee means “by means of”
- ha means “up out”
- hool contains the prefix ho meaning “space, area, things” along with the connecting l
- zhíísh means “time passes”
- zhizh is a stem meaning “to breathe” in a momentaneous aspect with imperfective, perfective and optative meaning,
- yę́ędóó means “from then on” at the end of the phrase