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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 ...
Ossenbrügger Plat
Westphalian Low Saxon Osnabrück
Dialect
Listen to this translation
narrated with near-native pronunciation:
Language information: Westphalian Low Saxon is one of the varieties of the Low Saxon language, spoken
in the German region of Westfalen (Westphalia). Some of the dialects on the
Netherlands side of the border in that region might be classified Westphalian. [Click here for more.]
De niëtelkuönînk hêw zien nest în
eeine wagenschoer hat. Noe zînt de aaulen beeide maaul oetvloögen wiêzen –
ze hêwwet veur iêre jongen wat tou iêten halen wolt –
oen hêwwet de lutken gaants alleein laauten.
Naau eeine tiedlaang kump de aaule wier tou hoes.
„Wat is dên hiêr blaaut passeeird?“ vrog he. „Wêr hêw joe wat dooun, kînner?
Ji zînt jêe gaans verschuchterd.“
„Aoch, Vaër“, aanferet ze, „hier kwaaimp iêben zaau eein graauten laaigen
kêrel veurbie. De zaog zaau bêuse on schoederig oet. De gloepkede met ziene
graauten aaugen naau oezet nest rîn. Dao hêwwet wie os zaau veur vervêrd.“
„Zaau“, zeg de aaule „waorniêwen is he dên afbliëwen?“
„Jaau“, zegget ze, „he is daor herumme gooun.“
„Tuiwet!“ zeg de aaule, „dên wil ik naau. Ziët ji mên stîl, kînner! Dên
wîl ik kriëgen.“ Daormit vloig he em naau.
As he umme dat hoouk kump, doar is dat de löwwe, de geeit daor laank.
De niëtelkuönînk is mên nich vervêrd. He zet zik oep den löwwen zien rugge
hên on vaangt een schênnen aan. „Wat hês doe bie mien hoes tou dooun“, rop
he, „oen miene lutken kînner tou vervêrn?“
De löwwe kêrt zik dao gar nich aan oen geeit zienen gaang.
Doa wêd he noch doller schimpen, de lutke kratszak. „doe hês daor gar niks
verloären, wî’ ’k die mên zeggen! On kûms doe wier“, zeg he, „dên zas mên maaul
zeein! Ik mag et eeigentlik nich doen“, zeg he – on daormet trekt he eein zien
beein in de huigte –, „zus ped’ ik die op de stiehe dên rugge în!“
Daoroep vlug he wier trugge naau zien nest hên.
„Zaau, kînner“, zeg he, „dên hêww’ ik dat aflêërd. De kump nich wier.“
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