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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 ...
Western Canadian Prairies Dialect
Listen to
this translation narrated with native pronunciation:
The wren used to have his nest in the garage. Once the parents had both flown out—they had wanted to get something to eat for their young—and had left the little ones all alone.
After a while, Father Wren returns home.
“What’s happened here?” he says. “Who harmed you, children? You look terrified!”
“Oh, Dad,” they say, “some big boogeyman came by just now. He looked so fierce and horrible! He stared into our nest with his big eyes. It scared us badly!”
“I see,” Father Wren says, “where did he go?”
“Well,” they say, “he went down that way.”
“Wait!” Father Wren says, “I’ll go after him. Don’t you worry now, children! I’ll get him,” and flies after him.
When he comes around the bend, it’s the lion who is walking along there.
But the wren is not afraid. He lands on the lion’s back and starts scolding him. “What business do you have coming to my house,” he says, “and frightening my children?!”
The lion pays no attention to him and keeps walking.
That makes the little loud-mouth berate him even more fiercely. “You have no
business being there, I tell you! And if you come back,” he says, “well, then
you’ll see! I don’t really want to do it,” he says and finally lifts one of his
legs, “but I’d break your back with my leg in a second!”
He then flies back to his nest.
“There you go, children,” he says, “I’ve taught that one a lesson. He won’t be back.”
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