The Romany Rye: A sequel to "Lavengro"Borrow, George
General
The Romany Rye: A sequel to "Lavengro"
Borrow, George
Adventure stories; England -- Fiction; Romanies -- Fiction
“Why, a scamp, brother, raised above his proper place, who takes every
opportunity of giving himself fine airs. About a week ago, my people and
myself camped on a green by a plantation in the neighbourhood of a great
house. In the evening we were making merry, the girls were dancing,
while Piramus was playing on the fiddle a tune of his own composing, to
which he has given his own name, Piramus of Rome, and which is much
celebrated amongst our people, and from which I have been told that one
of the grand gorgio composers, who once heard it, has taken several
hints. So, as we were making merry, a great many grand people, lords and
ladies, I believe, came from the great house, and looked on, as the girls
danced to the tune of Piramus of Rome, and seemed much pleased; and when
the girls had left off dancing, and Piramus playing, the ladies wanted to
have their fortunes told; so I bade Mikailia Chikno, who can tell a
fortune when she pleases better than any one else, tell them a fortune,
and she, being in a good mind, told them a fortune which pleased them
very much. So, after they had heard their fortunes, one of them asked if
any of our women could sing; and I told them several could, more
particularly Leviathan—you know Leviathan, she is not here now, but some
miles distant; she is our best singer, Ursula coming next. So the lady
said she should like to hear Leviathan sing, whereupon Leviathan sang the
Gudlo pesham, and Piramus played the tune of the same name, which as you
know, means the honeycomb, the song and the tune being well entitled to
the name, being wonderfully sweet. Well, everybody present seemed mighty
well pleased with the song and music, with the exception of one person, a
carroty-haired Scotch body; how he came there I don’t know, but there he
was; and, coming forward, he began in Scotch as broad as a barn-door to
find fault with the music and the song, saying, that he had never heard
viler stuff than either. Well, brother, out of consideration for the
civil gentry with whom the fellow had come, I held my peace for a long
time, and in order to get the subject changed, I said to Mikailia in
Romany, you have told the ladies their fortunes, now tell the gentlemen
theirs, quick, quick,—pen lende dukkerin. Well, brother, the Scotchman,
I suppose, thinking I was speaking ill of him, fell into a greater
passion than before, and catching hold of the word dukkerin—‘Dukkerin,’
said he, ‘what’s dukkerin?’ ‘Dukkerin,’ said I, ‘is fortune, a man or
woman’s destiny; don’t you like the word?’ ‘Word! d’ye ca’ that a word?
a bonnie word,’ said he. ‘Perhaps you’ll tell us what it is in Scotch,’
said I, ‘in order that we may improve our language by a Scotch word; a
pal of mine has told me that we have taken a great many words from
foreign lingos.’ ‘Why, then, if that be the case, fellow, I will tell
you; it is e’en “spaeing,”’ said he very seriously. ‘Well, then,’ said
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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