And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.
(Luke 24:11)
And so we reach double figures! Welcome once again to what Kehaar might call "Stories vith Meester Dando". In today's thrilling instalment, our hero's showing off lands him (as it usually does) in big trouble. You'll notice I've changed his name slightly, from u rooli roo to simply Rooli Roo, "Little Kitten". I think we know him well enough by now to give him a proper name, don't you? =;) Anyway, before we start there are four items of vocab to be learnt:
yen now, immediately. Also "suddenly"
uthow to hear, listen
-kyt nearly. This is a suffix, like -nyt etc.
sisi again (lit. "two-two")
Right then, let's get going. As in Unit 05, I'll give the Lapine story first, followed by an English translation. It's considerably longer than the previous tale - over 200 words - and this time, I'll be a little more idiomatic in the English, so don't expect an exact word-for-word match. I'm sure you're capable of working things out, though - Watership Down readers are, by definition, the most intelligent people on the planet in any case! The MP3 is split into two parts for convenience - the asterisks mark the break.
[LISTEN - part one] [LISTEN - part two]
Hyao, ver sie methai, Rooli Roo laynt zyz ven hlienes. An fu hithra-nyt, e laynt zayn silflay. Maythennion a Pathun laynt thli, flay flayfath.
"Hay il ma, es si!" laynt meth Rooli Roo. "A lay zayn flay u flayrah ithé, ar a lay zayn thli yen!"
"Nao, Rooli Roo," laynt meth Maythennion.
"Nahl zayn thli, Rooli Roo!" laynt meth Pathun. "Ithéil lay elil-nyt. Nahl zayn!"
An Rooli Roo laynt nahl uthow, a laynt meth, "es nahl lay veheeril. A lay veth zayn, a lay tring zayn, ar a lay zayn zayn!"
Zoth, u naylte roo laynt hray il flayfath nos ithé, laynt hay u flayrah, a laynt flay. A flay. A flay. Fu neorsé, e laynt zyz asith brek.
* * *
Yen, e laynt uthow paf. "Rooli Roo! Rooli Roo!" E laynt Maythennion. "Thli lay hrair ithéil thli!"
"Yao? Yao?" laynt meth Rooli Roo, kan e laynt nahl veth hay u ithéil - an e laynt veth uthow mai, meth a hain.
"Isth u kothenil. Nahl the, Rooli Roo!"
Rooli Roo laynt tharn-kyt yen, an fu hithra u ithéil laynt zayn il hlienes, ao naylte roo laynt hray il Maythennion a Pathun.
"O, o, o!" laynt meth Rooli Roo. "Es si laynt vao, ar a laynt nao-nyt! A lay zayn uthow il mes yen!"
An fu neorsé-nyt, e laynt zyz... sisi!
Once upon a time, Little Kitten was asleep at home. But eventually he went to silflay. Acorn and Bluebell were there, eating grass.
"Look at me, you two!" said Little Kitten. "I'm going to eat the man's flayrah, and I'm going there now!"
"No, Little Kitten," said Acorn.
"Don't go, Little Kitten," said Bluebell. "Men are serious elil. Don't go!"
But Little Kitten would not listen, and said, "you're not veheers. I can go, I want to go, and I'm going to go!
So, the little rabbit ran to the man's lawn, saw the flayrah, and ate. And ate. And ate. After a little while, he fell asleep by a bramble.
* * *
Suddenly, he heard stamping. "Little Kitten! Little Kitten!" It was Acorn. "There are hrair men there!"
"Where? Where?" said Little Kitten, because he couldn't see the men - although he could hear them talking and singing.
"Under the hazel trees. Don't move, Little Kitten!"
Little Kitten was almost tharn by now, but after a long while the men went home, and the little rabbit ran over to Acorn and Bluebell.
"Oh, oh, oh!" said Little Kitten. "You two were right, and I was very wrong! I'm going to listen to you now!"
But almost immediately, he fell asleep... again!
Copyright © David "Loganberry" Buttery 2002-4. Updated 30/03/04.