The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #130522   Message #3078919
Posted By: Monique
20-Jan-11 - 05:39 PM
Thread Name: The French 'Voice of the People' set
Subject: RE: The French 'Voice of the People' set
KI POMM' D'AMOUR ?
(Rodrigues Creole) Nursery Rhyme

Ki pomm' d'amour?
Pomm' d'amour rouz
Ki rouz ?
Rouz di san
Ki di san ?
Di san kayé
Ki kayé ?
Kayé devwar
Ki devwar ?
Devwar anglé
Ki anglé ?
Anglé kotis
Ki kotis ?
Kotis zasar
Ki zasar ?
Zasar mang
Ki mang ?
Mang la corde
Ki la corde ?
La corde coco
Ki coco ?
Coco manzé
Ki manzé ?
Manzé coson
Ki coson ?
Coson dan park
Ki park ?
Park di bwa
Ki bwa ?
Di bwa kolofon
Si mo kass sa
Sink cou d' baton
Si mo kass sa
Sink cou d' baton
Si mo kass sa
Sink cou d' baton

RADdO : 06391
WHICH CANDY/TOFFEE APPLE?


Which candy apple? (1)
The red candy apple.
Which red?
The blood red.
Which blood?
The coagulated blood.
Which note book?
The homework notebook.
Which homework?
English homework.
Which English?
The English schottische.
Which subscription?
The achars subscription.
Which achars?
The mango achars.
Which mangoes?
The stringy mangoes.
Which string?
The coco string.
Which coco?
The edible coco?
Which food?
Pigs food.
Which pigs?
Pigs in the park?
Which park?
The wooden park.
Which wood?
The kolofon (2) wood
If I break it,
Five stick blows,
If I break it,
Five stick blows,
If I break it,
Five stick blows.
(1) Candy apples are called in Creole and French "pommes d'amour" (love apples). Btw, cotton candy is "barbe à papa" (daddy's beard)
2) I have no idea of what can "kolofon" wood may be unless it's some variety of pine from which they get "colophane" (rosin, Greek pitch)- Cf. below.

This is the sort of untranslatable rhyme because it's based on how words sound and each line starts by the end of the previous line in the same way you have in English Miss Susie. The structure of Romance languages –and these creoles are French based- allows this sort of chain of words because epithet adjectives can (or must, it depends) be placed after the noun and because they use noun1 + preposition + noun2, while it's done differently in English from a grammatical point of view. Here is the French widest spread rhyme based on this chain of words.
The Spanish equivalent is "Se murió Lola" (Version 1 Se murió Lola, de Lola lo lamento, de mento mentosal, de sal salamar, de mar maletín, de tin tiburón, de ron ron con cu, de cu cubo de agua, de agua aguarráz, de raz rabo de mono, de mono monopolio, de polio policia y de cia se acabó –
Version 2 Se murió Lola, que Lola? lolamento, que mento? Mentosanto, que santo? santo ma, que ma? mata e coco, que coco? coco de agua, que agua? agua rá, que ra? rabo e mono, que mono? monopolio, que polio? policia, que cía? siacabó, que bó? bocachica, que chica? chicago, que cago?)

I found a slightly different one online

ki passer la
marchand dilait
ki dilait
dilait cailler
ki cailler
cahier devoir
ki devoir
devoir anglais
ki anglais
anglais potiche
ki potiche
potiche zassar
ki zassar
zassar mangue
ki mangue
mangue lacorde
ki lacorde
lacorde coco
ki coco
coco manze
ki manze
manze cochon
ki cochon
cochon dan parc
ki parc
parc di bois
ki dibois
dibois collophane
si mo trape li si mo gagne li
si mo gagne li
100 coups baton lor se nenez


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