LL-L "Review" 2007.05.20 (06) [E]

[Lowlands-L List]

L O W L A N D S - L  -  20 May 2007 - Volume 06

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

Norbert Buske, Katechismusfrömmigkeit in Pommern : Spätmittelalterliche
niederdeutsche Reimfassungen der Zehn Gebote aus dem Bereich des pommerschen
Bistums Cammin und die in Pomern gültigen Fassungen von Martin Luthers
Kleinem Katechismus (Catechismal Devotion in Pomerania : Late-medieval Low
German rhyme versions of the Ten Commandments from the area of the
Pomeranian diocese Cammin [Kamień] and versions of Martin Luther's Small
Catechism then current in Pomerania), Schwerin, Germany: Thomas Helms
Verlag, 2006, pp. 63; ISBN 3-935749-61-9

Someone kindly sent me a copy of this new little book. Thanks to plenty of
historical quotes and literary excerpts, it turns out to be full of very
interesting linguistic material as well.

It deals with the early days of the Protestant Reformation along the Baltic
Sea coast, an area in which at that time (and until the end of World War II)
four languages rubbed shoulders with each other: Kashubian, Polish, Saxon
and German.  Kashubian and Middle Saxon were predominant then; German and
Polish were newcomers that tended to dominate especially among aristocrats,
scholars and clerics.

We are dealing with the 16th century. Although the power of the
Saxon-speaking Hanseatic League was fading, the Saxon language was still
strongly entrenched especially in and around the Baltic Sea Coast port
cities, most of them being Hanseatic ports.  German was beginning to
encroach via transplanted learned circles, among them many followers of the
Reformer Martin Luther (originally Martin Luder, 1483-1546), including
native German speakers, including also Saxon speakers that had become
accustomed to using German and Latin in their scholarly pursuits.  Attempts
had been made to introduce German religious texts in churches of the area.
But the locals would have none of that. They demanded them in their native
Saxon (Middle Saxon), which must have been one of Luther's considerations
when he urged his Pomeranian brother-in-arms Johannes Bugenhagen (1485-1558)
to translate the bible into Saxon.

We find bilingual German-Kashubian catechism publications in the area, a
page of a Gdańsk (Danzig) publication of 1643 being shown in Buske's book:

  * *

*Das Vater unser*

*Vater unser/ der du bist im Himmel.*

     Was ist das? Antwort

     Gott wil uns damit locken/ daß wir gläuben sollen/ Er sei unser rechter
Vater/ und wir seine rechte kinder/ auff das wur getrost und mit aller
Zuversicht jhn bitten sollen/ wie die lieben Kinder jhren lieben Vater
bitten.

*Pacierz ábo Modlitwá Pánstá*

*Oycze náß ktory jes w Niebie.*

     Co to jestá? Odpowiedzenie

     P. Bog z tym nas wábic y náwodzye chce / á bysmy wier zily / yß on náß
práwy Oycjestá / á my jego práwe dzecy / á bysmy smiele y wßytką nádzeją
jemu się modlily y jego prosily / jáko mile dzecy swego milego Oycá proße.

* *

There is no mention of Saxon-Kashubian publications, though we know that
Kashubian (Slavonic East Pomeranian) is strongly influenced by Saxon and
many people in the area spoke both Saxon and Kashubian.

Buske's focus is the tradition of publications in which the Ten Commandments
and in many cases their explanations are published in rhyme form. This was
very popular at the time, both in German and in Saxon, possibly because
rhymed versions could be more easily remembered, especially by the
illiterate majority. Buske provides two 16th-century Pomeranian examples of
the elaborated Ten Commandments: one of Pudagla Monastery on the Island of
Usedom (Polish Uznam) and one of Stargard (Kashubian Stôrgard, now
Polish Stargard
Szczeciński). For comparison he added a version from the Lower Saxon city of
Wolfenbüttel. Below please find the First Commandment of each accompanied by
my English translations.

  *First of the Ten Commandments of the Pudagla Monastery Chapel, Isle of
Usedom, Pomerania, 1548*

*Dat Erste Gebodt*

Ick bede dy, sprickt GODT in dem ersten gebade
Du schalt nicht anbeden yennige Affgöde
Se synt van holte edder van stenen
Sondern my dynen Godt allene
Vnd wat dy vp erden edder ergent leuer ys wen ick dyn Godt
Dat is allwege dyn Affgodt
Dat sy dyn fründt / kindt / edder wyf
Werlt /gudt /hemmel / ehr edder lyff.

*The First Commandment*

I command thee, sayeth GOD in the first commandment,
Thou shalt not worship any idols,
Be they of wood or of stone,
But me, thine God, alone.
And that which on earth or elsewhere thou lovest before God
That is thy idol without fail,
Be it friend, child or wife,
World, belongings, heaven, honour or body.

*First of the Ten Commandments of Stargard (Stôrgard), Pomerania, 16thCentury
*

*I*

Leue here myt dyneme yrsten bode
Vobydestu to erende de afgode,
Vnde de ok nycht alleyne,
Dede an holte, edder an steyne,
Synt gehouwen, efte gemalet,
Dar menych doch sere an twalet,
Sunder wat my ok leuer is wen got,
Dat hyt al myn afghodt,
It sy kint, vrunt, man edder wyf,
Myne ere, myn guet, edder myn lyf.
Wat my leuest is, schal ik darby merken,
Wor ik my meyst an vlite myt danken vnde werken.
Wat schaden my dar van vnsteyt,
Dat my meyst tho herten geyt,
Ys dat gêstlyk edder tîtlyk gût,
Dat wyset wol vt mynes herten mût.
Toverye vnde wyckrye scal ik laten,
Anders kann my dat erste bot nycht baten.
Beware my, maria, muder godes
Vor ouertredynge des ersten bodes!

*I*

Dear Lord, with thy first commandment
Dost Thou forbid honouring idols,
And not alone those
Thatof wood or of stone
Are hewn or are painted,
Beguiling many in their craze,
But that which is dearer to me than God
All be named none but my idol,
Be it child, friend, husband or wife,
My honour, my belongings or my body.
That which is dearest to me will I recognize
By my utmost ardour for it in thought and in deed.
The damage that this causeth me,
That which saddeneth me most of all,
Be it spiritual or impermanent goods,
My heart's disposition will surely show.
I shall abandon magic and witchcraft,
Or the First Commandment will be for naught.
Protect me, Mary, Mother of God,
From breaking the First Commandment!

*First of the Ten Commandments of Wolfenbüttel, Lower Saxony, 16th Century*

*Dat erste ghebot*

Dat ys dat erste unses heren ghebot,
Hebbe leef unde anbede eynen god;
Lat ungheloue unde wykerye,
Unde letterye unde touerie.
Do allen luden also
Du welt dat men dy do.
Wat du auer leuer heuest dan god,
Da is dyn afgod,
Da sy brut, wyf,
Edder kynt, de werlt gud, ere edder lyff.

*The First Commandment*

This is the first of our Lord's commandments:
Love and worship but one god;
Abandon impiety and witchcraft
And divination and magic art.
Do unto all people thus
You wish they would do unto you.
Yet what you love better than God
Is thine idol,
Be it darling, wife,
Or child, earthly goods, honour or body.

* *

The Roman Catholic character (or remnant?) of the Stargard version reveals
itself in the final two lines.

Otherwise the three versions bear great resemblance to each other, which
seems to indicate the existence of a standard or template.

Numerous linguistic observations can be made, which would best be left to
later discussions. Suffice it to say that some dialectical differences are
apparent, as are indications that the prefix ge-, now largely vanished, was
already unstable at the time.

An interesting word is edder for 'or'. It corresponds to oder and or in most
modern dialects. Considering the Low Saxon tendency toward changing -dd- to
liquids (-rr- or -ll-), it may suggest that we have the origin of
Scandinavian eller and Faeroese ela 'or' here. Compare Old Norse eðr ~
eða'or' (Modern Icelandic
eða), which, however, would lead us to expect *edder or *er in Danish. Or is
edder a Scandinavianism in Saxon?

Note the following lines:

Toverye vnde wyckrye scal ik laten, (I shall abandon magic and witchcraft)

Lat ungheloue unde wykerye, (Abandon impiety and witchcraft)
Unde letterye unde touerie. (And divination and magic art.)

Here we encounter yet again a word that seems to me related to "witch" and
"Wicca."

Letterye refers to casting letters for divination, perhaps runic letters on
wood or bone.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron
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