The Cherokee Language translation of the beginning of Pilgrim's Progress.
This is the text as published in The Cherokee Messenger in 1844.
The translation starts where the dream begins and stops after the two children are discussed in the Interpreter's house.
ᎢᏳᏃ ᎢᏗᎪᎵᏯ ᎤᏍᏆᏂᎪᏗ ᎧᏃᎮᏍᎩ ᎪᏪᎵ, ᎠᏏ ᎤᏟ ᏂᎧᏁᏉᎪ ᎤᏍᏆᏂᎪᏗ ᎢᏗᏰᎸᏍᎬ ᎢᏳᏃ ᏱᏗᎦᏔᎭ ᎾᏍᎩ ᎤᏬᏪᎳᏅᎯ ᎨᏒ ᎠᎴ ᏄᎵᏍᏓᏁᎵᏙᎸᎢ, ᎠᎴ ᏄᏍᏛ ᎠᏕᏅᎢ. ᎬᏂᏳ ᎿᏉ ᎠᏂᏣᎳᎩ ᎾᏍᎩ ᎤᏍᏆᏂᎪᏗᏳ ᎠᏰᎸᏗ ᎠᎴ ᎣᏍᏛ ᎠᏓᏕᏲᎲᏍᎩ ᎩᎳ ᎾᎨᏎᏍᏗ ᏛᏂᎪᎵᏰᎢ, ᎾᏍᎩ ᏂᎦᎵᏍᏙᏓ ᎣᏣᏓᏅᏛᎵ ᎢᎸᏍᎩ ᎢᎧᏁᏨᎯ ᎬᏂᎨᏒ ᎢᏲᎬᏁᏗᏱ ᏄᏍᏛ ᎤᏕᏅ ᎠᎴ ᏭᏓᏁᏟᏴᎡᎵᎸ ᎤᏓᏅᏙ ᎢᏯᏍᏗ ᎾᏍᎩ ᎯᎠ ᎤᏬᏪᎳᏅᎯ.
ᎯᎠ ᎾᏍᎩ ᎤᏬᏪᎳᏅᎯ ᏣᏂ ᏆᏂ ᏚᏙᎡᎢ. ᎠᏂᎩᎵᏏᏱ ᎤᏕᏁ ᎤᏕᏘᏴᏌᏗᏒ 1628. ᎤᏙᏓ ᎤᏲᏉ ᎢᏳᏛᎿᏕᎩ ᎨᏎᎢ, ᎠᏎᏃ ᎣᏏᏳ ᎠᎦᏓᏅᏖᏗᏱ ᎨᏎᎢ, ᎠᎴ ᎤᏪᏥ ᏣᏂ ᎪᏪᎵ ᏧᏕᎶᏆᏍᏗᏱ ᎤᎵᏂᎬᏁᎴᎢ. ᎠᏎᏃ ᎤᏛᏏᏗᏒ ᎧᏁᏉᏥᏎᏉ ᎤᏁᎫᎯᏳ ᏂᎦᎵᏍᏗᏍᎬᎢ, ᎠᎴ ᎤᏩᎨᏫᏎᏉ ᏄᏍᏛ ᎠᎨᏲᏅ ᎠᏧᏣ ᏅᏧᎵᏍᏔᏅᎢ.
ᏧᏟᎢᎸᏔᏅ ᎠᏂᏦᎢ ᏧᎾᏍᏗ ᏏᏆ ᎨᏎ. ᏧᎬᏩᎶᏗ ᎤᏂᏯᎸᏎ. ᎢᎬᏱ ᏏᏆ ᎠᎴ ᎠᏍᎦᏯ ᏚᎾᏠᏎ. ᎢᎦᏓ ᏂᏕᎦᏛᎥ ᎧᏁᏍᎦ ᏚᎾᎡ Ꮎ ᎠᏍᎦᏯ ᎠᎴ ᏏᏆ ᎤᏛᏁ:—
“ᎰᏍᏓ ᎠᏍᎦᏯ, ᎢᎦᏓ ᎧᏁᏍᎦ ᏗᏍᎬᏏ ᎦᎵᏦᏕ ᎠᏆᏁᏍᎨᏗ ᎠᏆᏚᎵ.”
ᎢᏳᏍᏗ ᎠᏍᎦᏯ ᏄᏛᏁᎴ ᎠᎴ Ꮎ ᎤᏍᏗ ᏏᏆ ᎤᏤᎵ ᎦᎵᏦᏕ ᎤᏁᏍᎨᎮ ᎬᏗ ᎧᏁᏍᎦ. ᎩᎳᏊ ᏩᎭᏯ ᎤᎷᏤ ᎤᎿ. ᎦᎶᎯᏍᏗ ᎤᏩᏂᎴ ᎠᎴ ᎤᏛᏁ:—
“ᎤᏍᏗ ᏏᏆ, ᎤᏍᏗ ᏏᏆ, ᏥᏴᎭ!”
The Cherokees have the oldest and best-known Native American writing system in the United States. Invented by Sequoyah and made public in 1821, it was rapidly adopted, leading to nineteenth-century Cherokee literacy rates as high as 90 percent. This writing system, the Cherokee syllabary, is fully explained and used throughout this volume, the first and only complete published grammar of the Cherokee language.
The stories of the Cherokee people presented here capture in written form tales of history, myth, and legend for readers, speakers, and scholars of the Cherokee language. Assembled by noted authorities on Cherokee, this volume marks an unparalleled contribution to the linguistic analysis, understanding, and preservation of Cherokee language and culture.