Re: Hey Celtophiles -- book for sale

Am 16.04.02, John Cowan yscrifef:

> Thomas Leigh scripsit:
>
> > I have just returned home from the Pennseythun Kernewek in Cornwall,
>
> This sent me on a journey which wound up at the on-line errata to
> Nicholas Williams's _English-Cornish Dictionary_ at
> http://www.evertype.com/gram/ecd-errata-addenda-4-reg.pdf .
> I never realized to what extent Padraic's Kerno orthography is a
> parody of Unified Cornish!  Cool stuff therefrom:
Perhaps I actually ought to try and learn something about Cornish
(beyond Pryce, that is!) I assure you, the silliness of Kerno
orthography is _totally_ the fault of a century of competing
Language Boards, Brithenig influence and well meaning ineptitude
of the Senate. I wash my hands of the whole thing! ;)

> Padraic, how about some translations into Kernu?
OK! You asked for it, though!

> Bryf, bryf, te dhavas dhu
A charcat dhuv en dhuv; a charcat dhuv!
tens ty cholles le laine le laine; tens ty laine?
A vaysteor,  vaysteor dhack; a vaysteoran,
trew sackes y vowghes traw; di laine llen.
Yen per li don li don; ce vowgga 'ci;
Yen per li dam li dam; il sackis 'ca;
Yen per li map li map; il l' ystrathe!

Ch:
A charcat dhuv en dhuv; a charcat dhuv!
A cant commeck-commeck; a charcat dhuv!

That's _Vorriseor Yowenck_'s moderny take on the old nursery
rhyme. While they're more known for fusing Celtic and Cajun;
they have at times turned their attentions to the truly weird.

This song is kind of slow, but not drudgy; kind of quiet and
soothing. Think of "Donal agus Morag" and you'll not be far off
the mark. It does feature the _yspatha musical_ and the _cornet_;
along with the expected _tambeor_, _croutha_ and various
background.

O lamb so black so black; o lamb so black!
has thou spools of wool of wool; oh has thou wool?
O mister, mister good; o mister, sir,
three sacks and three bags; of wool are full.
One for the lord the lord; this baggy here;
One for the dame the dame; the baggy there;
One for the lad the lad; he of the lane.

Chorus:
O lamb so black so black; o lamb so black!
Come sing with me with me; o lamb so black!

> Dew saw an Vyternes
No self respecting Kernow would willingly sing such a blatantly
Saxon hymn! The words just don't go together! ;)

> Dorn ues dh'y drestya, cledha da!
Yn clathimoris dack, et yn lams vere! Yn cor yoieos et vere;
compruindruront y varren le Jeamon que pothont facer y vap Kernow
Ach fiskateor il couand' et jeond'? Ach morris-s' il Drewlaunis?
Aci ce Kernow le ouygaint mil; et savuront y pher-que!

A sword good, & a hand true! A heart joyous & true;
they-will-understand the men of James what they-can to do the
        lads (of) Kernow
And is-fixed the when and where? And will-die-him the Trelawne?
Here some Kernow of twenty thousands; and they-will-know the
        wherefores!

Ah! I like this one; unfortunately, this is what might be termed
an anachronism (only replace "chrono-" with the Greek for
"place"). In other words, it doesn't fit the Universe As It Is;
since Bishop Trelawny was as Catholic as you could get in 1680s
Duneint; and wouldn't be likely to balk at reading out any class
of "declaration of indulgence" to the RCC. A nice piece; and the
analogue certainly is *there*'s origin of the phrase "will knowe
the Reason why" / "saberant llo pherch e llo che sig"; but out
of its historical place! (I'm sure there is _some_ song to be
sung of the Trelawny clan, though, as they seem to have been
troublemakers of a sort.)

> John Cowan
Padraic.
--
Stean San Agnes an guella stean en Kernow.

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