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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 ...
“Hao’ ki,” waḥẹ́éṛo ne roti’níha, “ka’ nóówe wààre?”
“Ah,” waḥonííṛo, “é’tho ṇokwááti wààre – ci karhááḳo ṇokááti.”
“Ḳe’ sewaterháárat!” waḥẹ́éṛo ne roti’níha. “̣Ehíhsere. Tóhsa sewaṭe’niḳohrhááṛe,
tóhske ci ̣ehiiééna.” E’thóóne tahatáhsaẉe karhááḳo tahááṭe.
Ṣé ha ííṇo ci karhááḳo wa’thááṭe, e’thóóne iahatkaṛe hrááko, e’thóóne
óóṇe wahoia’tacḥẹ́é ri ne ḳẹ̀èreks.
Nek ci iah othééṇe tehohteṛọ́óni ne kaṇohsaṇọ̀òwe’s. Ḳẹ̀èreks rahṣọ̀òne
wa’thááta’ne ne kaṇohsaṇọ̀òwe’s táhṇo tahatáhsaẉe tahoḥẹ́érehte.
“Oh ṇotiééṛe
ci é’tho íhse’skwe ci tiakwacinahkwáhere,” waḥẹ́éṛo, “táhṇo wahshéhteṛo’ne
ne khei ̣e’oḳọ́ó’a?!” Iah othééṇe tehotaḥohsiióhsṭo ne ḳẹ̀èreks táhṇo
shééḳo tehathaháhkwa.