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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 of Norg
Listen to
this translation narrated with native pronunciation:
Language information: While the town of Norg belongs to the Dutch province of Drenthe, it is situated
only about 25 kilometers southwest of the city of Groningen in Groningen province,
and the dialect, though often referred to as Nörgs Drèents, belongs typologically to the Groningen group of Low Saxon. One of the characteristics
the Groningen group has in common with the Low Saxon varieties of Germany as
well as with Frisian is retention of the old second person singular pronoun du (Dutch spelling doe), which in other Low Saxon dialects of the Netherlands, as well as in Dutch
dialects, has given way to the generalized plural (= polite) third person plural
pronoun (as thou has in English and Scots).
[Click for more here and here.]
’t Tuunkruperie had zien nest bouwd in ’t aachterhoes. ’n Maol waren de oldelu oetvlogen om wat eten veur de jonkies te haolen – en ze hadden heur hummelies allennig in hoes laoten.
Nao ’n toertie komp pap weer bij hoes. “Wat hej om haans had?” zeg e. “Wel hef je wat daon, kinder, daj zo schieterig oetkieken?”
“Och Pap,” zeggen ze, “Der kwam hier zopas zu’n maal beeist veurbij, die zag der zo gemeein oet. Hij gapte mit zien grote ogen zo oous nussie binnen. En daor bin wij zo benauwd van worden.”
“Zo,” zeg pap. “Waor is e hengaon?”
“Hij is die kaant opgaon.”
“Wacht maor evenpies,” zeg heur pap, “ik gao der drekt achteran. Stil maor, kinder.
Ik zal ’m wel kriegen ...”
En hij gauw der achteran.
As e de hoouk om komp, löp daor een leeuw.
Maor ’t tuunkruperie is niet benauwd. Hij geeit bij de leeuw op de rug zitten en begunt ’m oet te schelden. “Wat hestoe bij mien nust te zeuiken?!” zeg e hellig “en mien jonkies benauwd te maoken?!”
De leeuw trekt hum der niks van an en löp gewoon wieder of e niks heurd hef.
Noe begunt dat klein krummelie nog kwaoier te worden. “Doe hest daor niks te zeuiken, vertel ik dij! En astoe nog ies weer kommen duurst,” zeg e “dan zastoe ’t wel maarken! Ik doou ’t niet geern“ – en hij holdt zien eeine pootie in de lucht – “mar aans moe’k dij de rug deur midden schuppen!”
Daornao vlög e weer op zien nust an.
“Zo kinder,” zeg e. “Dat he’k hum mooi ofleerd. Die kriew hier nooit weer te zeein!”
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[Dutch
Spelling] 
’t Tuunkruperie had zien nest bouwd in ’t aachterhoes. ’n Maol waren de oldelu oetvlogen om wat eten veur de jonkies te haolen – en ze hadden heur hummelies allennig in hoes laoten.