Wed Apr 13, 2011 9:06 pm
Norn:
Fetlar version 1: Krabə krabə kåmə läņdə
æ˙və rig rīvə måg
skäļəna rīvə dỏk
nā trät sø˙.
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Krabə jå'nsa tråţalỏs
Fetlar version 2: Krabə krabə kåmə lānd
āvə rig rīvə
måg skäļəna rīvə dig
nā tråtşə krabə
jå'nşa tråtşəlỏs (tråţəlỏs)
Unst version: Crab, crab, come ashore!
Nāgə trȯita, nāgə trȯita
I'm feared, du "rigraivs" me.
Old Norse: Krabbi krabbi kom at landi!
(Ek) efa(sk), at þú hrygghrífir mik
Ek skal eigi hrífa þik
"Nei, þrátt!" sagði krabbinn
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(Hon er)svá trygðalaus.
http://nornlanguage.x10.mx/index.php?shettxt/39fable
Sat Oct 13, 2012 8:01 pm
The title of the fragment, The Crow and the Crab, tells us that this is a dialogue between those two creatures. In Norse folklore the crow was known to be a trickster. In this fragment the crow is trying to lure the crab onto land through flattery and deception, but the crab is not fooled and remains in the water.
Norn:
Fetlar version 2:
Krabə krabə kåmə lānd
āvə rig rīvə
måg skäļəna rīvə dig
nā tråtşə krabə
jå'nşa tråtşəlỏs (tråţəlỏs)
Probable original:
Krabe Krabe kåme lande
Ave rig rivje
Måg skal ega rive dig
Nå tråitt se krabe
Eg ante trå til los
English translation :
Crab, Crab, come to land,
You of the rich reef,
I shall not rake you,
"No, certainly not!" said the Crab,
"I yet desire to be free!"
This translation was made by cross referencing the extant Norn words with Hnolt's Norn Lexicon and the existing Norse languages of Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Denmark and Old Norse. It is my opinion that the Fetlar version cited above was transcribed by someone who did not know the language and was therefore attempting to transcribe what they heard someone recite. In this way the two words "tråitt se" were written as "tråtşə" and "Eg ante trå til los" as "jå'nşa tråtşəlỏs". I see this as a reasonable mistake seeing as the right words, and the way they were written sound essentially identical when pronounced with an Old Norse accent.