LL-L "Traditions" 2005.10.26 (01) [E]

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A=Afrikaans Ap=Appalachian B=Brabantish D=Dutch E=English F=Frisian
L=Limburgish LS=Lowlands Saxon (Low German) N=Northumbrian
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26 October 2005 * Volume 01
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From: Sandy Fleming <sandy at scotstext.org>
Subject: LL-L "Traditions" 2005.10.25 (05) [E]

> From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Tranditions

> Scots:
>
>   The robin to the Wren's nest
>   Cam keekin' in, cam keekin' in;
>   O weel's me on your auld pow,
>   Wad ye be in, wad ye be in?
>   Thou's ne'er get leave to lie without,
>   And I within, and I within,
>   Sae lang's I hae an auld clout
>   To rowe ye in, to rowe ye in.
>
>           (Robert Burns)
>           [I hope this isn't naughty.]
>
No, it's not naughty, but quite charming. It means:

The Robin came to the Wren's nest
Came peeking in, came peeking in,
How glad I am of your old head,
Are you home, are you home?
I'll never let you lie outside,
And me indoors, and me indoors,
As long as I have an old cloth
To wrap you in, to wrap you in.

Those who are disappointed at the lack of naughtiness can look at:
http://scotstext.org/makars/merry_muses/

Sandy Fleming
http://scotstext.org/

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From: jonny <jonny.meibohm at arcor.de>
Subject: LL-L "Traditions" 2005.10.25 (05) [E]

Dear Ron,

you wrote:

> Note, for instance, the name "Droolin" in English, obviously derived from
> Scottish Gaelic _dreòlan_ or Irish _dreólán_ ~ _dreoilín_ 'wren'.
Couldn't it derive from the stem _drollig_? The 'Herkunfts-Duden' sees it as
an old Low Saxon/Dutch word in the meant of G: 'Knirps, Spaßmacher' (E:
'little guy, chap, clown'), originally G: 'rund gedrehter Kegel' (E: 'cone')
and cognate with 'drill'.

Greutens/Regards

Johannes "Jonny" Meibohm

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From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Traditions

Thanks, Sandy and Jonny.

Sandy:

> Those who are disappointed at the lack of naughtiness can look at:

Hey!  Why would you suspect such a thing?  :-}  I just can't trust Burns and 
his Scots-writing ilk, and those ditties you posted tell you why.  Many a 
time a supposedly charming children's verse turns out to hide naughtiness 
(like the French song _Au claire de la lune_).

> Couldn't it derive from the stem _drollig_? The 'Herkunfts-Duden' sees it 
> as
> an old Low Saxon/Dutch word in the meant of G: 'Knirps, Spaßmacher' (E:
> 'little guy, chap, clown'), originally G: 'rund gedrehter Kegel' (E: 
> 'cone')
> and cognate with 'drill'.

Good thinking, Jonny.  It had occurred to me too.  But apparently this isn't 
so.  (By the way, English, too, has "droll," from French _drôle_).

Insular Celtic languages have homophones here:

(1)
Sc.G. _dreòlan_, _dreathan(-donn)_, Ir. _dreólán_, _dreaán_, _drean_, 
_dreoilín_, Welsh _dryw_ < Celt. *_drivolo_ < *_dr at -vo-_ < *_d(h)er-_ 
'jump', 'hop' (?)

(2)
Sc.G. _dreòlan_, Ir. _dreólán_, Welsh _drel_ 'clown' (< Eng. "droll"?) > 
Sc.G. _dreòlan_;

(3)
Sc.G. _dreallaire_, _drollaire_ 'loiterer' < Norse _drolla_ 'to loiter' (> 
Engl. "droil")

I imagine Scottish and Irish Gaelic folk etymologies assumes a single source 
for these.  After all, wrens *are* kind of droll, especially in "our" story.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

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