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What’s with this “Wren” thing?
The oldest extant version of the fable
we
are presenting here appeared in 1913 in the first volume of a two-volume anthology
of Low
Saxon folktales (Plattdeutsche
Volksmärchen “Low German Folktales”)
collected by Wilhelm Wisser (1843–1935). Read
more ...
Low Saxon (“Low German”)
Northern (Low) Saxon Variety of the Hadeln Region
Listen to
this translation narrated with native pronunciation:
Daar
weyr dey tuun-koynig mit syn nest in ’t schuer. Eynmaal woyren dey öldern
bayd’ weg-vlougen – sey wullen wat tou vreten halen voer jem er broud un hannen
dey lütten alleyn laten.
’n Stout later Vadder Tuun-Koynig keym na huus.
“Wat is hyr lous?” se hey. „Woukeyn het jou op-jaagd? Jy seyt ja al tou
houp arig verbeysterd uut!”
“O, Vadder”, segen s’ tou, “’n grouten buman is jüst hyr ween. Hey woyr
sou boys un gresig. Hey keyk sou leyg in uns nest mit syn warig grout ougen.
Dat het uns al tou houp sou bang maakt!”
“Verdorrig”, sey Vadder Tuun-Koynig, „wo is ’ey af-bleben?”
“Daar”, segen s’, „daar is hey lang loupen.”
“Toevt eyrst af,” sey Vadder Tuun-Koynig, “daar go ik achter ran. Weest
ne bang, kinder. Ik schal em wol vaat krygen!” un vloyg achter em her.
Hay keym rüm ’e hoern, un nüms anners as dey loyw loyp daar voer em rüm.
Man – dey Tuun-Koynig woyr ne bang. Hey koomt op dennen loyw syn rüg tou
sitten un gayt op em daal. “Wat valt dy in, na myn huus tou komen,” sey hey,
“un myn kinder bang tou maken?”
Dey loyw’ stoyr sik ne an em un güng wyder op syn pad.
Nu keym uns lüt wip-steyrtig hanen ennig tou gang. “Daar hest du niks
verlouren, rayn gon-niks! Un – schulst du maal wedder komen,” sey hey, “den
waar dy! Ik mag dat ja mayst sülbst ne lyden,” sey hey den un lüch eyn von
syn voyt op, “man – ik schal dy wol mit dit beyn vours dyn rüg tway-breken!”
Den vloyg hey trüg na syn nest.
„Suy-sou, kinders,” sey hey, “dennen hev ik ’n ennig’ tinnen mit-geven!
Dennen schölt wy hyr wol ne weller tou seyn krygen.”