"De Fox en de Crow"

A Gullah Story

This story was recorded in South Carolina about 1923 by the writer Ambrose Gonzales, and published in his collection With Aesop along the Black Border. the Gullah language at that time was "deeper" or more conservative than that generally spoken today. The excerpts that appear below are reproduced in the spelling system devised by Gonzales, while the Krio translations are in a system developed by the Sierra Leonean writer Thomas Decker. If universal linguistic symbols (IPA) were used, the Gullah and Krio texts would appear even more similar

De Fox en de Crow
"Tengky fuh de meat, tittuh"

Gullah:

Den, Fox staat fuh talk. E say to eself, e say,
Dish yuh crow duh ooman, enty? Ef a kin suade
um fuh talk, him haffa op'n e mout, enty?
En ef e op'n e mout, enty de meat fuh drap out?

Fox call to de Crow: "Mawnin tittuh," e say.
"Uh so glad you tief da meat fum de buckruh,
cause him bin fuh trow-um-way pan de dog...
E mek me bex fuh see man do shishuh ting lukkah dat."

Crow nebbuh crack e teet! All-time Fox duh talk,
Crow mout shet tight pan de meat,
en e yez cock fuh lissin.

Sierra Leone Krio:

Den, Fohx stat foh tohk. I sey to insef, i sey,
"Dis Kro ya na umen, enti? If a kin pasweyed
am foh tohk, i get foh opin in moht, enti?
En if i opin in moht, enti di mit go fohdohm?"

Fohx kohl di Kro: "Mohnin titi," i sey.
A so gladi you tif da mit frohm di weytman,
bikohs i bin foh trowey am to di dohg...
I meyk a vex foh si man du tin leke dat."

Kro nohba opin in tit! Ohl di tem Fohx dey tohk,
Kro moht set tait pan di mit,
en in yeys kak foh lisin.

English: