LL-L: "Etymology" [E/S] LOWLANDS-L, 08.OCT.1999 (04)

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From: Sandy Fleming [sandy at fleimin.demon.co.uk]
Subject: LL-L: "Etymology" [D/E/S] LOWLANDS-L

From: Sandy Fleming [sandy at fleimin.demon.co.uk]
Subject: "Etymology"

> From: John M. Tait [jmtait at altavista.net]
> Subject: LL-L: "Etymology" (was "Little words") [E/S] LOWLANDS-L,
> 05.OCT.1999
> (01)
>
> Sandy wrate:
> >
> >Ye canna dae athoot the word "stey" aathegither in Scots wi hou
> "bide" winna
> >dae for it whan it's uized in the sense o "support", e.g. barrel steys
> >(capacious corsets) &c.
>
> Ay, Sandy, I can see hou ye wadna get aboot yer ilkaday livin wi'oot some
> wey o describin thon!

Ye'r richt, nae goth's likely tae git throu his weekend nouadays athout at
laest a mention o black steys, e.g. "Yer steys is lowss hen, come on A'll
sort them" &c.

Sandy
http://scotstext.org

----------

From: R. F. Hahn [sassisch at yahoo.com]
Subject: Etymology (was "Help needed")

Dear Lowlanders,

Thanks to a tip from Klaas Chielens
(http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind9910a&L=lowlands-l&O=T&P=2569)
regarding the Middle Low Saxon (Low German) word _boleken_ found in a 16th
century song book, what I had assumed to be a lullaby turned out to be a
"courtship" song of the somewhat more bawdy type:

> Ligge stille, ligge stille,
> ik wil dik en boleken maken
> dus also
> up deme stro
> sunder syden laken.
>
> "Lie still, lie still!
> I shall make you my sweetheart
> just like this,
> on this straw [bed]
> without a silken sheet."

(Previously: "Lie still, lie still! / I shall make you a little ball / just
like this, / on this straw [bed] / without silken sheet.")

The theory then was that _boleken_ was not 'little ball' but something like
'sweetheart' (from */boule/ _bole_ > _Bool_ ~ _Bohl_ 'lover', 'sexual
consort'), related to Dutch _boel_ and German _Buhle_.

Floor van Lamoen suggested that there might be a connection with 'ball' after
all, in the sense of "swollen and round due to pregnancy," and I was very
reluctant to go along with that
(http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind9910a&L=lowlands-l&O=T&P=2883).

In the meantime I found in another song in the same book another occurrence of
_boleken_ (alternating with the spelling _bolekin_) and this seems to confirm
the interpretation 'lover', 'sexual consort'.  I am not totally sure about the
meaning of some words and expressions and would be grateful for your help.
Numbers in brackets refer to notes dealing with problems.

Woldestu yo [1] min boleken [2] wesen,
ik wolde di en par klypken gheuen,
wo behaghet di dat?
Bolekin lat aff [4],
bolekin lat aff [4],
io [1] du mer [5] nu lecht,
io [1] du mer vorloren hefft,
bolekin, dat helpet di nicht en kaff [6].

Wouldst thou be my sweetheart [2] (indeed [1])?
I would give you a few cookies [3].
How does that please you?
Sweetheart, let be [4]!
Sweetheart, let be [4]!
The more [5] thou now dost lie,
the more [5] thou hast lost,
Sweetheart, that helpeth thee not a bit [6].

[1] I take _yo_ and _io_ to be related to modern _ja_ ~ _jo_ (1), 'yes',
'aye', (2) positively reinforcing particle, e.g., 'indeed', 'after all',
'truly' (like Scots _aye_?)

[2] The main word in question.  'Sweetheart' may be a "polite" translation.
'Paramour' might be more to the point (though not sounding right here), if my
interpretations of this song and the previous one are correct.  (See comments
below.)

[3] I assume that _klypken_ is the diminutive form of *klyp_ ~ *_klybe(n)_
related to Modern Low Saxon _Klieben_ ['kli:b=m] 'cooked flour dumpling',
'cooked (sweet?) lump of dough' (something like an Austrian _Nockerl_, just
not as refined?) -- probably considered a special treat in the early 16th
century, perhaps the equivalent of today's cookie (= non-American 'biscuit').

[4] I take _laat aff!_ as being related to Modern Low Saxon /af-laat-/
_aflaten_ 'to stop (doing something)', 'to quit' (e.g. _Ick laat dat af_ 'I
(will) stop (doing) that/it'), in this case demanding that the _boleken_
person stop resisting his advances, thus 'Stop struggling!', 'Give (it) up!'

[5] I assume _mer_ to be a variant of the more usual _mêr_ 'more' (with a long
vowel -- or diphthong).

[6] Literally "that helpeth thee not a chaff."

That _bolekin_ connotes 'paramour' rather than 'girlfriend', 'sweetheart',
'beloved', 'betrothed' or something of that sort seems to be indicated by the
use of _vrundenken_, diminutive of _vrunden_ ~ _vrundin_ 'female friend' in
the sense of 'girlfriend' or 'sweetheart' in a more courtly song found in the
same song book.  I will give you the first verse:

De jungelin sprack: ,,schon junckfrow fyn,
wltu  (= wul(l)tu) myn vrundenken syn?
Ik gheue dy de truwe myn
vnd neme dy to wiüe.''
Heyo! vnd neme dy to wiüe.

My translation:

The younker said, "Fair maiden fine,
willst thou not be my sweetheart?
I will give thee my troth
and take thee as my wife.
Heyo! and take thee as my wife."

Help and any kind of etymological clues would be most welcome.

By the way, I might post the texts on the web sometime, along with MIDI sound
files I have been making.  Perhaps some of you are interested.  The folksy
songs sound remarkably medieval (including abrupt endings), while the artsy
ones sound more like one would expect of Renaissance music.

Thanks, and best regards,

Reinhard/Ron

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