University of Oxford
Linguistics, Philology & Phonetics

On-line language documentation for Biak (Austronesian)

Biak text:

Yamarisn yadisn doya ri kyor fa yafarem be Hannah i yo Sastra mu. Doya skoya skorok radine. Arwo prim yarower rande ma manggawok sya sibre. Syom be Au Manseren ro Nanggi. Mansren bekain fioro. Fabye ara aiwan sirya besya sifawi sisyom Manseren. Snonggaku koine ma kan bo kenef bape Mansren byefnder ko ba.

Indonesian translation:

Saya ingin menyanyikan tiga buah lagu untuk Hannah dan Sastra. Ketiga lagu itu berbunyi demikian: Di subuh aku mendengar murai pun berkicau. Mereka memuji Engkau Tuhan di Sorga. Allah yang kekal abadi. Sungguh mereka hanyalah ungas belaka tetapi mereka tahu memuji Tuhan. Tetapi kita manusia, kita lupakan Tuhan tetapi Tuhan tidak lupakan kita.

English translation:

I would like to sing three songs for Hannah and Sastra. The songs go like this: In the early morning I heard Manggawok birds singing. They bowed to You, God in heaven. God who reigns forever. It's wonderful, they are only animals but they know how to praise God. We, human beings, always forget our God (Lit: we only eat and sleep) but God never forgets us.

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