birthday ditty

[ewb2 at CORNELL.EDU]

On Thu, 27 Sep 2001, Jeff Holdeman wrote:

>
> Regarding the suggestion of "Karavai" by Edward Dumanis, in The
> Russian's World, Genevra Gerhardt gives the text and instructions.
>
> Kak na Oliny imeniny
> ispekli my karavai.
> Vot takoi vyshiny,
> vot takoi nizhiny
> vot takoi shiriny
> vot takoi uzhiny.
> Karavai, karavai, kogo liubish, vybirai.
>
> -Ia liubliu ochen' vsekh,
>      a Mar'ianu bol'she vsekh.
>
> HOW TO PLAY: [...]
If some reader has a group of children who can't manage to
say "ispekli my karavai", here's an attempt at a translation
that preserves the same rhythm and introduces only a minimum
amount of otsebjatina. Try it and see if the kids
accept it.
Ol'ga had a birthday
and we baked a birthday cake.
Just as high as you see,
just as low as you see,
just as wide as you see,
just as narrow as you see.
Birthday cake, birthday cake,
who do you like, who do you take?

I like all in the hall
but Marianna most of all.



(Yes, I did change imeniny into birthday for the sake of
North American children.)
Have fun,


Wayles Browne, Assoc. Prof. of Linguistics
Department of Linguistics
Morrill Hall 220, Cornell University
Ithaca, New York 14853, U.S.A.

tel. 607-255-0712 (o), 607-273-3009 (h)
fax 607-255-2044 (write FOR W. BROWNE)
e-mail ewb2 at cornell.edu

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