The "Wren Story" project

[G eorge]

I’d like to present the “Wren Story†to you.

This nice little folktale originally in “Low German†(= Plattdeutsch) is a medium for the international “lowland project†to present and explore other languages.

It’s really interesting to surf the world’s versions presented here. And you’ll find any language you may think about. There is a tremendous number of European languages, f.i. Bokmål, Nynorsk and even 2(!) versions of Faroese, – but no Shaetlan …

I am no member nor staff of this project, but I spent hours in this exciting stuff, which were really worth while. And I know that the project, especially the chief editor Reinhard (“Ronâ€) F. Hahn (sassisch@yahoo.com), will very gratefully receive a Shaetlan translation and if possible sound recordings of the sample story.

 

Please read more on http://www.lowlands-l.net/anniversary/project.php

Maybe this will attract some fun and interest to add the Shetlandic version.

 

Here is the “Wren†in British English:

 

The Wren

There once was a wren who had made his nest in a garage. He lived there with his family. One day he and his mate went out to look for some food to bring their chicks, leaving the young birds all alone.

After a while the father wren returned home.

“What’s been going on here?†he asked. “Has something happened? You children look scared to death!â€

“Dad!†they said, “a big monster just came by. He looked so scary! He glared into our nest with his big eyes! That scared us to death!â€

“I see,†he said, “Where did he go?â€

“He went that way!â€

“You children wait here,†said the father wren, “I’m going to teach him a lesson he won’t soon forget! Don’t worry, children. I’ll get him.†So he chased after the monster.

He turned a corner and saw a lion walking along, but the wren wasn’t afraid. He landed right on the lion’s back and started shouting at him. “Who on earth do you think you are coming to my nest and scaring my children to death?!â€

The mountain lion didn’t listen to the wren though, but just kept on walking.

That annoyed the wren even more, and he started really shouting at the mountain lion. “You have no reason coming to my nest, and if you come back,†he said, “then you’ll really live to regret it! I don’t want to get violent,†he said lifting one of his legs into the air, “but I’ll break your back in a heartbeat!â€

Having said that, he flew back to his nest.

“There’s nothing to worry about now, children,†he said, “I’ve taught him a lesson. He won’t be coming back.â€

 

And this is the “Wren†in Bokmål:

 

Gjerdesmetten

Gjerdesmetten hadde reiret sitt i et hjørne av låven. En gang fløy begge de voksne fuglene ut – de ville finne noe å spise til ungene sine, og lot dem være helt alene.

Etter en stund kom Far Gjerdesmett hjem til reiret igjen.

“Hva har skjedd her?†sier han. “Hvem er det som har gjort dere noe, unger? Dere ser ut som dere har blitt vettskremt, alle sammen!â€

“Åh, pappa,†sa de, “en stor stygging kom forbi her for bare noen øyeblikk siden. Han var skikkelig skremmende! Han stirret inn i reiret vÃ¥rt og hadde slike skikkelig digre øyne og skremte oss skikkelig fælt!â€

“Ja, jeg skjønner,†sa Far Gjerdesmett. “Hvor gikk han hen?â€

“Jo,†sa de, “han gikk den veien – ned dit i skogen!â€

“Vent her!†sa Far Gjerdesmett. “Jeg skal følge etter ham! Nå skal dere ikke være redde, unger, jeg skal få tak i ham.†Med disse ordene fløy han i vei fra reiret sitt.

Han fløy altså lenger inn i skogen, så rundt en sving, og etter en stund kom han over en løve.

Men gjerdesmetten var ikke det minste skremt. Han landet på ryggen til løven og begynte å skjelle den ut.

“Hva har du med Ã¥ komme til huset mitt,†sier han, “og skremme ungene mine sÃ¥nn?â€

Løven bryr seg slett ikke om fuglen og bare fortsetter å gå.

Det gjør den lille hissigproppen bare enda villere, og han begynner å skjelle ut løven enda verre enn før.

“NÃ¥ skal du høre her – du har slett ingenting Ã¥ gjøre der! Og om du tør Ã¥ komme tilbake,†sier han, “ja, da skal du fÃ¥ se – jeg har ikke lyst til Ã¥ gjøre det,†sier han, og begynner Ã¥ løfte en av føttene, “men jeg knekker ryggen pÃ¥ deg med foten min pÃ¥ et øyeblikk!â€

Da han hadde sagt det, fløy han rett tilbake til reiret sitt.

“SÃ¥nn ja, unger,†sier han, “jeg lærte den fæle løven en skikkelig lekse. Han tør nok aldri komme hit mer.â€

[DePooperit]

Here's an attempt, off the cuff:

 

Da Robbicuddie

 

Eence dae wir a robbicuddie at wis biggit ithin a garage. He bed dere wi his faimly. Ee day, him an his maik gied oot ta leuk for some maet ta tak tae dir bairns, an left da peerie burds dir laen.

 

Efter a start da faider robbicuddie cam haem.

 

"Whit's been gaein on here?" he aksed. "Is somethin happened? You bairns aa looks afflickit!"

 

"Daddy," dey sed, "a gret muckle munster just cam by. He lookit dat fairsome! He glooered in itae wir nest wi his muckle een. Dat gluffed da life oot o wis!"

 

"I see," he sed. "Whit wye did he gaeng?"

 

"He gied yun wye."

 

"You bairns bide here," said da faider robbicuddie. "I'm gaein ta lairn him somethin he winna shuin forgit! Dunna worry, bairns. I's' git him." So he shaested efter da munster.

 

He turned a coarner an saa a lion walkin alang, bit da robbicuddie wisna fairt. He settled richt apo da lion's back an begood ta roar at him. "Wha helt duis du tink du is, comin ta my nest an gluffin da life oot o my bairns?"

 

Da mountain lion didna listen tae da robbicuddie, toh. He juist kerried on his gaet.

 

Dis provokit da robbicuddie even mair, an he startit ta really roar at da lion. "Du haes nae business comin ta my nest, an if du comes back," he sed, "dan du sal git dy pexins! I'm no wantin ta set apo dee," he sed, liftin ee laeg ithin da air, "bit I'll brack di rig ithin a instant!"

 

Wi dat, he fled back tae his nest.

 

"Dae'r naethin ta worry aboot noo, bairns," he sed. "I'm lairned him a lesson. He winna be back."

[Ghostrider]

It makes a big difference whether you try to translate English > Shetland word for word as near as possible, or whether you take it on a sentence by sentence basis and replace the English sentence with a Shetland equivalent. This is more of the latter than the former, and more or less how I would speak it in Shetland.

 

 

Eence dir wis dis wren it biggit is nest athin a garage. He bed dere we da shö een an dir peerie tings. Ee dae da auld pair gud furt aboot lookin für maet für da young eens, laevin da peerie eens aw alane.

 

Athin a braw start da fedder wren cam abootigyen hame.

 

"Whit's taen place heer?" he aksed. "Is onthin happinid? You bairns hae your een speetin upoa your sheeks da sam is you wir hed a goadliss gluff!"

 

"Fedder!" dey sed, "a gret muckle unkin craitir wis heer. He hed an appearance it wis gluffin! He glowered athin wir nest we is muckle een! Dat gluffed wis most tryin!

 

"I heer you" he sed, "Whaur güd he?"

 

"He gud yun wye!"

 

"Bairns, dunna you muv fae heer, " sed da fedder wren, "Ah'll wirk im sae is he'll no be furyattin upoa hit onytime shun! Nivvir you leet ur tak on aboot hit bairns, ah'll richt im." An wi yun he shaested eftir dis muckle unkin craitir.

 

He gud aroond a neuk an sichted a muckle wild cat wanderin alang, bit da wren wisna nivvir gluffed be im avaa. He juist set im doon upoa da cat's rig an set aboot roarin an flitein it im. "Wha anunder heeven dus du tink du is comin ta my nest an gluffin da wit oot oh my bairns?!"

 

Bit da muckle wild cat nivvir ented da wren, he juist keepit on traivellin.

 

Dis raised da hackles idda wren, an he roared loodir it da wild cat. "Dir nae call avaa für dee ta be aneer my nest, an if I fin de aneer da place igyen," he sed, "den ah'll gie dee whit'll be a burden ta de für da rest a dy daes! Ah'm no wantin ta licht ta dee," he sed is he liftit a fit idda air, "Bit sae help me, ah'll brak dy rig a twa fastir is du can blink!"

 

Noo dat he wis sed aw he wis cum ta sae, hed fled abootigyen ta is nest.

 

""Tak you paece noo bairns, nivir leet aboot yun craitir ony mair," he sed, "Ah'm richted Ah'm properlee, he'll no be abootigyen heer".

[Fjool]

Why was this particular story chosen for the project?

[G eorge]

Why was this particular story chosen for the project?

As I mentioned, I know but the web results of this project, - not its devellopment. For anybody interested in linguistics this project is not without fascination. But I am happy to say, that the project's chief editor will soon log in this thread.

Thank you for your translations. I am always impressed, that with my German tongue and some English I am able to understand most of the Shaetlan text reading it.

[Fjool]

I did have a quick read of the website but couldn't find any information about why it was chosen. I thought maybe someone had seen something I had missed.

 

The reason I asked is that it's a somewhat vague story. Maybe I just don't get it, or perhaps it has more impact in the original language. Some subtlety lost in translation perhaps? If so, that's an interesting result of the project.

 

I look forward to the editor's comments.

[G eorge]

Why was this particular story chosen for the project?

I am sorry, it seems as if there is a problem with contact to 'Ron'. Last week he reportet difficulties receiving the key. I am sure there will be a contact soon.

He told me that they decided to choose this particular original lower-saxonian or lower-german story for their world wide project, because it had already been there. There had been already a serie of local and regional dialect translations, which were used to find and test different orthographies.

It soon developed into a project with closely related languages and worldwide as it is now.

I agree, it is just an easy story, - by the way, I never heard it before -, but this may be an advantage for its worlwide distribution. 'Ron' probably could tell more about.

What I really like reading your and other related versions on the project's hompage is to experience the feeling that we once had a common lingua franca.