2024 Day 241

2024 Dedh Dew Cans Dogens ha Wonan

De Merher, ethves warn ügens mis Est

Wednesday, 28th August

Ma kevys genam daralla rag flehes scrifys genam nanj ew lies bledhen. E veu othom dhebm a chanjya oll an spellyans! Lebmyn nag eus dhebm termyn lowr she scrifa neppeth aral. Rag hedna, òtta kensa radn an daralla. Eus olifans gwydn gwir e'n daralla, en neb le? Martesen! E vedh gever, mergh ha cònidnas, en certan.  

I have found a story for children I wrote many years ago. I had to change all the spelling! Now I don't have enough time to write anything else. Therefore, here's the first part of the story. Is there a real white elephant in the story, somewhere? Perhaps! There will be goats, horses and rabbits, certainly.

Deg ger rag hedhyw Ten words for today

I had to invent geverjy goat-house, goat shed on the basis of similar words:

bôwjy (m) cowshed, cow-house

colomjy (m) pigeon-house

keunjy (m) kennel, dog-house

And here are some words around buying and selling: (th is often silent, and may be reduced to h)

bos gwerthys to be sold

dhe wertha for sale

gwerth (m) sale

gwertha  to sell

perna to buy

bos pernys to be bought

1. Dallath Daralla 

“Ma othom dhebm a olifans gwydn.” I need a white elephant. 

Lev ow hôr Rosa ew hedna. That is the voice of my sister Rosa. 

“Gwra gofen orth dha dhama wydn.” Ask your grandmother. 

Lev agan dama ew hedna. That is the voice of our mother. 

Ma hei ow cosôwes bes hanter ort Rosa. Hanter hy rach ew kemerys gen caletter aral. Fatel ell hei gwitha agan broder bian dhort towla brodnyon ort an gath. Ma dhodho gallos marthys rag nebonan nag ew bes trei bloodh coth. She is only half listening to Rosa. Half of her attention is taken with another problem. How can she stop our little brother throwing porridge at the cat. He has wonderful skill for someone who is only three years old. 

“Prag a venjes ta olifans gwydn, poran?” Why would you like a white elephant, exactly? 

Henn ew agan sira, pup pres den heweres. That is our father, always a helpful man. 

“Rag an gwerth olifans gwydn en fer an scol, entei. Rag fra ken?” For the white elephant sale at the school fair, of course. Why else? 

“Drog ew genam, chîl vian, dhe egery dha lagajow, bes nag ew gwerth olifans gwydn rag gwertha olifanjes gwydn.”  I’m sorry, darling, to disillusion you, but a white elephant sale is not for selling white elephants. 

“Nag eram ow convedhes.” Ma mir trûan dhe Rosa. I don’t understand. Rosa is looking sad. 

“Olifanjes gwydn ew taclow nag eus whans anodhans dhe düs na velha.” White elephants are things that people no longer want. 

“An taclow henwys atal gen Mabm?” The things Mum calls rubbish? 

“Nantei. Anjei ell bos da lowr, bes na ell tüs cavas ûs vetholl ragtans.” Definitely not. They can be O.K. , but people can’t find any use for them at all. 

“My alja ûsya olifans gwydn.” I could use a white elephant. 

“Ma taclow ew destnys dhe vos olifanjes gwydn. Pernys ens ha wòja hedna thens res dhe ves, dhe vos gwerthys arta. Thens radn an economiedh.” There are things that are destined to be white elephants. They are bought and after that they are given away, to be sold again. They are part of the economy.  

“Na whath, penag oll vo anjei, ma othom dhebm a onan anodhans. Eus olifans gwydn dhis?” However, whatever they might be, I need one of them. Do you have a white elephant?” 

Lebmyn ma geryow Tas ow tasseny geryow Mabm. Now Dad’s words echo Mum’s words. 

“Gwra gofen orth dha dhama wydn.” Ask your grandmother. 

Thera nei ow mos, rag hedna, Rosa ha vy, dhe’n chei bian agan dama wydn en ogas; 

Therefore, we are going, Rosa and I, to our grandmother’s little house nearby: 

a-dreus pras an gever, dres an rew a wedh Nadelik, dres geverjy ha gweythva e’n lowarth, ha bys e’n daras kegin agan dama wydn. 

across the goats’ field, past the row of Christmas trees, past a goathouse and workshop in the garden, and up to our grandmother’s kitchen door.