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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 ...
Et duymke had syn nös in de sküppe. De olden
warren der maol uut evloegen, se wollen wat te etten krygen vuyr hoer jungen,
en hadden de kleynen alene achter elaoten.
Nao een setje koem et menke wiir t’huus.
“Wat is der hyr passeerd?” segde he. “We hev u kwaod edaon, wichter? Uyloe
seet der amaol so bange uut!”
“Och va,” segden se, “der koem hyr net so enen groten buman langs. He
sag der so gemeen en ofskuyulik uut! He staeren in uns nös met syne grote ogen.
He maken uns so bange!”
“So,” segde de va, “woor is he hen?”
“No”, segden se, “he güng de kante uut.”
“Wocht maer!” segde de va, “ik sal der wal es aeven achterran gaon. Waest
maer nit bange, wichter. Ik pakke ’m wal!” En he vloeg der achterran.
Met at he üm de boch koem, loep daor de loeue rond.
Maer et duymke was gans nit bange. He sprüng up de rügge van de
loeue en begün up üm to futeren. “Wat maak y nu, nao myn huus to kommen,” segde
he, “en myne wichter bange te maken?!”
De loeue letten der nit up en loep verdan.
Det maken et duymke nog helliger. “Y hebt daor niks te soeken, seg ik
u! En as y nog maol terügge komt,” segde he, “no, dan sal ik u es! Ik do et
nit gerne,” segde he en buyren een van syne bene up, “maer ik brekke u met
myn been so de rügge in ene sekonde!”
Daornao vloeg he wiir terügge naor syn huus.
“So wichter,” segde he, “den heb ik es maol good de woch an eseg. Den
kümp nit wiir.”
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