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Lès paskéyes d’Alice è payis dès mèrvèyes
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland in Central Walloon

Lès paskéyes d’Alice è payis dès mèrvèyes

By Lewis Carroll, translated into Central Walloon by Bernard Louis

First edition, 2017. Illustrations by John Tenniel. Poetlaoise: Evertype. ISBN 978-1-78201-173-6 (paperback), price: €12.95, £10.95, $15.95.

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“In that direction,” the Cat said, waving its right paw around, “lives a Hatter: and in that direction,” waving the other paw, “lives a March Hare. Visit either you like: they’re both mad.”   “Avaur-,” di-st-i l’ Tchèt tot fiant on rond avou s’ drwète pate, “c’è-st-on Tchapelî qu’î d’meûre ; èt avaur-,” tot fiant on rond avou l’ôte pate, “c’è-st-on Lîve di Maus´. Alez veûy li ci qu’ vos v’loz. I sont lwagnes tos lès deûs.”
“But I don’t want to go among mad people,” Alice remarked.   “Mins dji n’ vou nin aler èmon dès lwagnes,” a-t-èle fêt r’mârquer Alice.
“Oh, you ca’n’t help that,” said the Cat: “we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad.”   “O, vos n’î saurîz rin fé,” di-st-i l’ Tchèt ; “nos-èstans tortos lwagnes vêci. Dji so lwagne. Vos-èstoz lwagne.”
“How do you know I’m mad?” said Alice.   “Comint savoz qui dj’ so lwagne ?” di-st-èle Alice.
“You must be,” said the Cat, “or you wouldn't have come here.”   “Vos l’ divoz yèsse,” di-st-i l’ Tchèt, “oudôbin vos n’aurîz nin v’nu vêci.”
Cat Clárach
Lewis Carroll was born Charles Lutwidge Dodgson in Daresbury (Cheshire) on January 27, 1832 and died on January 14, 1898 in Gulford. He was a mathematical lecturer at Christ Church, Oxford and also developed an interest in photography. On July 4, 1862, he went on a boating expedition on the Thames with the three daughters of Henry Liddell, Dean of Christ Church: Edith (8), Lorina (13) and Alice (who happened to turn 10 on that very day), as well as a friend, Reverend Robinson Duckworth, who was rowing the boat. The sisters asked him to tell them a story. He improvised the tale of a little Alice who fell in a rabbit hole. Alice begged him to write the story out for her. Of course, the author added all kinds of episodes to his tale. He gave it to Alice as a Christmas present in 1864 and the following year, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was published with illustrations by John Tenniel.   Lewis Carroll, di s’ vrê nom Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, a v’nu au monde à Daresbury (Cheshire) li 27 di janvier è 1832, èt il a moru l’ 14 dè minme mwès è 1898, à Guilford. Il èsteut mêsse di matématiques è Christ Church College à Oxford. I s’a intèrèssé ossi al fotografîye. Li 4 di julèt´ è 1862, i fêt one porminâde dins one bârque su l’ Tamise avou lès trwès fèyes dau dwèyin Henry Liddell dè Christ College, Édith (8 ans), Lorina (13 ans) èt Alice (tot jusse 10 ans ç’ djoû-là), èt co on soçon, li révérind Robinson Duckworth qui tint lès rames. Lès soûs lî d’mandèt dèlzî raconter one istwêre èt il èmantche li fauve d’one pitite Alice qui toume dins l’ tèréye d’on lapin. Alice li va soyî po qu’i mète tot ça d’ssu papî. Li scrîjeû va bin sûr ajouter totes sôtes d’afêres à s’ conte. I l’ofrit à Alice po s’ Noyé è 1864 èt l’anéye d’après, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland èst publiyî avou dès dèssins da John Tenniel.
The book has been translated in numerous languages. Walloon, too, has everything it takes to recount Alice’s adventures. There are still some people who think Walloon is just folklore, a language that merely serves to tell jokes. They are unaware that it has a written tradition dating back to 1600 approximately. They are unaware that well-known authors of the 20th century made our literature great. I also intend to take that direction with my translation of a great novel.   Ci lîve-là a stî r’mètu dins one masse di langues. Li walon a tot ç’ qu’i faut ossi po raconter les paskéyes d’Alice. I-gn-a co dès djins qui tûzèt qui l’ walon, c’èst dè folklôre, qui c’è-st-on lingadje tot jusse bon po conter dès prautes. I n’ savèt nin qu’on scrît è walon dispeûy 1600 à pau près. I n’ savèt nin qu’au 20yinme siéke, dès grands scrîjeûs ont fêt d’ nosse litèrature one grande litèrature. Dji vou ossi bouter al tchèrète avou m’ traducsion d’on grand roman.
Walloon is a regional Romance language from Belgium which is still spoken in Wallonia. It descends from Latin, like French. There is also Picard, Lorrain (or Gaumais) and Champenois. In the whole “Communauté Wallonie-Bru­xelles”, French is the official language but regional languages are regognized and protected since 1991. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland has been translated in Picard Borain by André Capron.   Li walon, c’è-st-one langue réjionâle romane dèl Bèljique, qu’on cause co èl Walonîye. I vint foû dè latin, come li francès. I-gn-a ossi l’ picârd, li lorin (ou gaumès) èt l’ tchamp’nwès. Dins tote li Comunauté Walonîye-Brussèle, c’èst l’ francès li langue oficiéle mins lès langues réjionâles sont r’conoûwes èt garantîyes dispeûy 1991. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland a stî mètu è borégn (dèl famile dau picârd) pa André Capron.
As far as Walloon is concerned, four types can be identified. Western Walloon, Walloon from Charleroi (used by my friend Jean-Luc Fauconnier for his translation of Alice), Eastern Walloon (from Liège), Central Walloon (from Namur) and Southern Walloon (from the region we call “Les Ardennes”).   Po l’ walon, on pout dîre qu’i-gn-a d’ quate sôtes. Li walon dè coûtchant, li ci d’ Châlèrwè qui m’ soçon Jean-Luc Fauconnier a mètu Alice è walon ; li ci dè lèvant, (di Lîdje), li ci dè mitan (di Nameur) èt l’ ci dè sûd´ (ci qu’ nos loumans “lès-Ârdènes”).
This particular Alice is written in Central Walloon as it is spoken in my village, Namêche (district of Andenne). It is already a bit closer to Liège Walloon.   Cite Alice-ci èst scrîte dins l’ walon dè mitan, come on l’ cause dins m’ viladje di Namètche (comune d’Andène). I satche dèdjà one miète après l’ ci d’ Lîdje.
I had to translate the word lizard by lézârd, which does not exist in my Walloon. The corresponding word would have been cwate-pèces (feminine), but a male (and a masculine word) had to be available for all it had to do.   I m’a falu r’mète li mot “lizard” avou “lézârd” qui n’èst nin è nosse walon. Li mot jusse aureut yu stî “(one) cwate-pèces” mins on-z-aveut dandjî d’on maule (èt d’on mot maule) po tot ç’ qu’il aveut à fé.
Like Jean-Luc, I opted for Tortûwe Grogne as the Walloon equivalent of Mock Turtle. The turtle is represented in our book with a head, legs and a calf tail, and the mock turtle soup is calf head’s soup, which evokes our grogne.   Come Jean-Luc, dj’a tchwèzi “Tortûwe Grogne” po r’mète è walon Mock Turtle (li tortûwe dins nosse lîve èst r’prézintéye avou one tièsse, dès pates èt one quèwe di via èt the mock turtle soupe, c’è-st-one sope al tièsse di via, ci qui fêt tûzer à nosse “grogne”).
I did my best to convey the author’s puns. All the book’s poems were transposed with the same number of feet. It has been a tedious job but it brought me a lot of pleasure. There is still a small thing that bothers me. In some places, I would have liked to cut the phrase in smaller bits. It seemed to me that, in order to respect the text as it was written, I couldn’t do it.   Dj’a fêt m’ possibe po rinde lès djeus d’ mots dau scrîjeû. Totes lès powézîyes qu’i-gn-a dins l’ lîve ont stî rindoûwes avou l’ minme nombe di pîds. Ç’a stî on fèl ovradje mins dj’a yu brâmint dè plêji tot l’ fiant. I-gn-a tot l’ minme one pitite saqwè qui m’ chôpîye. À dès places qu’i-gn-a, dj’aureu bin v’lu r’côper l’ frâse à pus p’tits bokèts. I m’a choné qu’ po rèspècter l’ tècse tél qu’il a stî scrît, dji nèl p’leu nin fé.
I write in accordance with the Jules Feller spelling, which is being used in all circles of Walloon writers since the early 20th century.   Dji scrî dins l’ôrtografîye da Jules Feller, li cine di totes lès soces di scrîjeûs walons dispeûy li c’mincemint dè 20yinme siéke.
I would like to thank the two friends who agreed to read over what I wrote and who made wise remarks to me.   Mèrci aus deûs soçons qu’ont bin v’lu r’lîre ci qu’ dj’aveu scrît èt m’ fé saquants bonès r’mârques.
Bernard Louis
Namêche
May 2017
  Bernard Louis
Namètche
mêy 2017

 
HTML Michael Everson, Evertype, 19A Corso Street, Dundee, DD2 1DR, Scotland, 2017-10-10

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