Traditional folk song of the indigenous peoples of Melenoria, sung in the Èthanshwogg dialect

Wylu, cocka shlimby, fwy?

Shlimbu nogga swimbry vly!

Kalu-ziki ruzuvah,

Ishdu bliki zuru kah.

Myluzenri shubu tekka shlien!

Lazuka mani ishubizelien!

.

English Translation:

Crazy one, you brag gleefully, eh?

Happy head, making mud!*

From out my heart a war cry,

issuing destruction to the red line.**

My comrades, fight till the technology is slain!

Large-like-a-lake*** blessings to our civilization!

*idiom similar to our “muddying the waters”

** “The red line” is a reference to autocorrect.

*** “Large-like-a-lake” is an idiom denoting richness, fullness, and completeness.

Cultural Significance:

“Zuru Kah” is an ancient folk song of the Melenorians, versed in honor of their beloved hero Ethan Talbert (without whose word-inventions they may never have existed). It is traditionally sung during the annual wordwirking festival, which takes place the last week of February. Melenorians from all over gather, bringing new terms they have coined for submission to the following year’s dictionary. A series of votes are taken until the entries have been narrowed down to one hundred words. On the eve of the final day of the festival, the One Hundred, as they are called, are then entered ceremoniously into the parchment by the chief scribe and borne through the streets by the royal guard to the castle in a procession involving torches. There, the One Hundred are bound into a new volume and added to the castle library. At this time, everyone sings “Zuru Kah,” and feasting and dancing ensues.

“Zuru Kah” is also the beloved anthem of Melenorian warriors in their frequent skirmishes with autocorrect, one of Melenoria’s many sworn enemies.