Pamarėska/Texts

In this article there are some texts in the Pomorian language.

Rūta zelioja

This old folk song (called gėdia or gėde in Pomorian) was recorded as a little poem by Rudolf von Magdeburg in 1587. Modern spelling is used here instead of the original one.

Hei, rūta, zelia rūta,          Hei, rue, green rue,
Juo vecere bū nåstąplu.         The evening has already came.
Rūta, rūta, rūta zelioja.       Rue, rue, the green rue.
Hei, rūta, zelia rūta,          Hei, rue, green rue,
Sulnika bū nåsėjli.             The sun has set.
Rūta, rūta, rūta zelioja.       Rue, rue, the green rue.
Hei, rūta, zelia rūta,          Hei, rue, green rue,
Lėtava dieni sę cėnė.           A summer day came to the end.
Rūta, rūta, rūta zelioja.       Rue, rue, the green rue.
Hei, rūta, zelia rūta,          Hei, rue, green rue,
Zvėgzdįko nebesie svytią.       Little stars are shining.
Rūta, rūta, rūta zelioja.       Rue, rue, the green rue.
Hei, rūta, zelia rūta,          Hei, rue, green rue,
Dabå jetų damau.                It's time to go home.
Rūta, rūta, rūta zelioja.       Rue, rue, the green rue.

Roža kvėtka

First recorded in 1921 in "Die pomerellischen und preußischen Volkslieder" ( the Pomorian and Prussian folk songs) it is an Eastern Pomorian folk song known as dz̦īdinka in Eastern dialects. Here the song is written using the Eastern orthography also using a special character "ȳ" to represent the /ɨː/ sound.

Ruože-kiele, ka tuo ļīskāja? Oi tūto, tūto.        Rose-flower, who's walking there? Oh, here, here.
Ruože-kiele, veiko muldini. Oi tūto, tūto.         Rose-flower, a young lad. Oh, here, here.
Ruože-kiele, či is lukāja? Oi tūto, tūto.          Rose-flower, what's he looking for? Oh, here, here.
Ruože-kiele, lōče dȳrną. Oi tūto, tūto.            Rose-flower, he looks for a young girl. Oh, here, here.
Ruože-kiele, dȳrną is rieņie. Oi tūto, tūto.       Rose-flower, he met a young girl. Oh, here, here.
Ruože-kiele, ko šīną ei grībie. Oi tūto, tūto.     Rose-flower, when she was stacking the hay. Oh, here, here.

The word tūto usually can not be translated into English, its literal meaning was lost a long time ago, but probably means something like "here you are" and is used in songs to give them a special melody.

Oi į meďelė

"Oi dervynelė" ("Oi į meďelė" in Pomorian proper) is a folk song from the Kulnå village (Kielno in Polish). In Western dialect this kind of songs are called "zangė", in the Pomorian proper they are "dėno". Unlike "gėdė" these are plain songs without repeating melody words.

Oi dervynelė                Oh in a little forest
Dambū įdziedę               Buds on trees opened
Prie dzilė kalnelei.        Near a big mountain.
Oi an dambeliuo             On the little tree
Dzegulia sėdejė             A cuckoo was sitting
Zeliamė dervynė.            In a green forest.
Oi jes nudzėdiå             Oh I was asking
Liekų dzegulią,             A little cuckoo,
Kėl menė joro dzyti.        How many years will i live.
Oi ji kukavė,               Oh she cooed,
Tei iskukavė                And she's cooed
Dilgėh joros dzyti.         Long years to live.
Oi dilgou dzyti,            To live long,
Lėpou pradzyti              to live a good life
Menė pervėdė ji.            She foretold me.

Jene lietu

"Jene lietu" or as it is known in Western dialects as "Jeis leiti" is an another "gėde" from the Kulnå village.

Jeis leiti, jeis leiti, vidė-vidė,        It rains heavily, it rains heavily, (being seen)-(being seen),
Pūsėjuo savą karvelią, videda.              I was grazing my cow, (it was seen).
Jeis leiti, jeis leiti, vidė-vidė,        It rains heavily, it rains heavily,
A karva begė kų marjou, videda.             But the cow ran to the sea.
Jeis leiti, jeis leiti, vidė-vidė,        It rains heavily, it rains heavily,
Karvą vedlu buvu damou, videda.             I've led the cow home.
Jeis leiti, jeis leiti, vidė-vidė,        It rains heavily, it rains heavily,
Jes dverį bustrou krovjuo, videda.          I quickly shut the door.
A kada dverį kravėjuo, vidė-vidė,           And when I was shutting the door,
Pastojuo jeiti leiti, videda.               It stopped raining heavily. 

The melody words (or gėdeslaveso) used here are not usually translated. However their approximate meanings are put in brackets in the text.

Lėta-dieva

It is a well known North-Western folk song about a Pomorian goddess of summers' sunlight and warmth Lėta. Even in spite of christianization Pomorians still keep some of their old pagan traditions, especially elders. The Lėtadieni holiday is celebrated right before Saint John's Day (or Kupūlynia in Pomorian) on June 23, however according to Rudolf von Magdeburg it was celebrated at the end of May in the XVIth century. During the holiday people sang and danced in fields or forests near lakes or rivers and honoured Lėta goddess.

Lėta-dieva, dievėnutia,              Lėta-goddess, dear goddess*,
Ku tavi mūtusia?                     Where is your mother?
An nebesy svėte suolna -             The sun shines in the sky -
Ta mani mutusia.                     She is my mother.
Lėta-dieva, dievėnutia,              Lėta-goddess, dear goddess,
Ku tavi atele?                       Where is your father?
An nebesy svėte mena -               The moon shines in the sky -
Te mani atele.                       He is my father.
Lėta-dieva, dievėnutia,              Lėta-goddess, dear goddess,
Ku tavi brotele?                     Where is your brother?
Ezerėje es Våpini -                  Våpini* is in the lake -
Te mani brotele.                     He is my brother.
Lėta-dieva, dievėnutia,              Lėta-goddess, dear goddess,
Ku tavi sestutia?                    Where is your sister?
An nebesy bėle zvėgzdia -            The star sparkles in the sky -
Ta mani sestutia.                    She is my sister.
Lėta-dieva, dievėnutia,              Lėta-goddess, dear goddess,
Kumou tu jeisi?                      Where do you go?
Sų nebesy nestų teplą                To bring warmth from the sky
kų zemėje jeimi.                     to the land I go.

• Dievėnia (plural - dievėtė) is also name for daughter of god Dieve.
• Våpini is a water god usually living in lakes and rivers. He was also honoured on Lėtadieni.

The sheep and the horses

The sheep and the horses(named also Schleicher's fable) is a small tale originally written in the Proto-Indo-European language. Other versions of the fable were created in different languages. This text is useful for comparison of variuos closely related languages or to indicate specific sound changes in their proto-language. Here are texts written in standard Pomorian, Polish, Old Prussian (to compare with a neighbouring Baltic language) and Common Slavic (Late Proto-Slavic after the separation of Old Novgorodian) for comparison.

• In Pomorian:

Avi, ån katerė vilno ne bū, pavydėla bū kabenų: pirveši vežimå tągų vezė, ątereši - kruolį vėlių, treťeši - zmeny būstrė nesąťe. Avi kabenam åzrecė: "Širdi mene gule - vydėti zmeny kabeny pajedąťo". Kabeny atrecę: "Kluoši, avie! Širdy nosėjė gulią kada vydėma: vyre-pane wilną avim tinovušu es sebė nå teplą audągą, avi vilno ne imi". Tå įkluošėvau, avi is luoko uztekla bū.

• In Polish:

Owca, na której wełny nie było, uwiedziała konie: jeden wóz ciężki wiózł, drugi - ciężar wielki,  trzeci - człowieka szybko niosący. Owca koniom zawołała: Serce mi boli - widzieć człowieka konie poganiającego. Konie zawołały: "Słuchaj, owco, serca nasze bolą gdy widzemy: człowiek-pan wełnę owcom ścina sobie na ciepłą odzież, a owca wełny nie ma". To usłyszawszy, owca z pola uciekła.

• In Common Slavic:

Ovьca na kъją vьlny ne bě, vъviděla bystъ konję, pьrvъjь vozъ tęžьkъ vęzě, vъtorъjь - tęžarъ velikъ, tretijь - čelvěka bystrě nesǫtjь. Ovьca konjemъ zarečě: "Sьrdьce mę bolitь - viděti čelveka konję paženetjego". Konji rekošę: "Sluxaji, ovьce! Sьrdьca nasъ bolętь kogъda vidimъ: možъ-gospodь vьlnǫ ovьcamъ sъtinajetь sebě na teplǫ odědjǫ, ovьca vьlny ne majetь." To vъslyšavъ, ovьca sъ polja vъtěkla.

• In Old Prussian:

Kammistjan, na kawīdse wilnas ne bēi widāi kamnītjan: pirmušis wīlka brendun wāgens, āntrašis - debīkan kraūlin, tīrtašis – zmānin prawedduns bēi dīwai. Kammistjan engērdau kamnītjammans: “Seran majs gulla – wīdatun zmānin jāntin ast kamnītjans”. Kamnītjai engērdau: “Klausēis, kammistja, serāi nūse gulla kaddan wīdimai: zmōi-ljūdis, wilnan kammistjammans aupjaūnja sabbei na tappjans rukans, be kammistjan wilnas ne turri”. Kirdīwai bēi stan, kammistjan pabēga iz laūkas.

• Translation:

A sheep that had no wool saw horses: the first one pulling a heavy wagon, the second - carrying a big load, the third - carrying a man quickly. The sheep said to the horses: "My heart pains me, seeing a man riding horses." The horses answered: "Listen, sheep, our hearts pain us when we see this: the man-master, makes the wool of the sheep into a warm garment for himself. And the sheep has no wool." Having heard this, the sheep fled into the field.