Transcribed from the 1905 John Murray edition by David Price, email [email protected]
“Can you rokra Romany? Can you play the bosh? Can you jal adrey the staripen? Can you chin the cost?”
“Can you speak the Roman tongue? Can you play the fiddle? Can you eat the prison-loaf? Can you cut and whittle?”
WORD-BOOK OF THE ROMANY OR, ENGLISH GYPSY LANGUAGE WITH SPECIMENS OF GYPSY POETRY, AND AN ACCOUNT OF CERTAIN GYPSYRIES OR PLACES INHABITED BY THEM, AND OF VARIOUS THINGS RELATING TO GYPSY LIFE IN ENGLAND
LONDON JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET, W. 1905
PRINTED BY HAZELL, WATSON AND VINEY, LD., LONDON AND AYLESBURY.
THE Author of the present work wishes to state that the Vocabulary, which forms part of it, has existed in manuscript for many years. It is one of several vocabularies of various dialects of the Gypsy tongue, made by him in different countries. The most considerable—that of the dialect of the Zincali or Rumijelies (Romany Chals) of Spain—was published in the year 1841. Amongst those which remain unpublished is one of the Transylvanian Gypsy, made principally at Kolosvār in the year 1844.
PAGE THE ENGLISH GYPSY LANGUAGE 3 ROMANO LAVO-LIL: WORD-BOOK OF THE ROMANY 15 RHYMED LIST OF GYPSY VERBS 71 BETIE ROKRAPENES: LITTLE SAYINGS 76 COTORRES OF MI-DIBBLE’S LIL CHIV’D ADREY ROMANES: PIECES OF 85 SCRIPTURE CAST INTO ROMANY THE LORD’S PRAYER IN THE GYPSY DIALECT OF TRANSYLVANIA 92 LIL OF ROMANO JINNYPEN: BOOK OF THE WISDOM OF THE EGYPTIANS 96 ROMANE NAVIOR OF TEMES AND GAVIOR: GYPSY NAMES OF COUNTRIES 112 AND TOWNS THOMAS ROSSAR-MESCRO, OR THOMAS HERNE 118 KOKKODUS ARTARUS 129 MANG, PRALA: BEG ON, BROTHER 132 ENGLISH GYPSY SONGS:— WELLING KATTANEY: THE GYPSY MEETING 132 LELLING CAPPI: MAKING A FORTUNE 136 THE DUI CHALOR: THE TWO GYPSIES 138 MIRO ROMANY CHI: MY ROMAN LASS 142 AVA, CHI: YES, MY GIRL 146 THE TEMESKOE RYE: THE YOUTHFUL EARL 146 CAMO-GILLIE: LOVE-SONG 148 TUGNIS AMANDE: WOE IS ME 150 THE RYE AND THE RAWNE: THE SQUIRE AND LADY 152 ROMANY SUTTUR GILLIE: GYPSY LULLABY 154 SHARRAFI KRALYISSA: OUR BLESSED QUEEN 156 PLASTRA LESTI: RUN FOR IT! 156 FOREIGN GYPSY SONGS:— THE ROMANY SONGSTRESS 161 L’ERAJAI: THE FRAIR 162 MALBRUN: MALBROUK 164 THE ENGLISH GYPSIES:— TUGNEY BESHOR: SORROWFUL YEARS 172 THEIR HISTORY 174 GYPSY NAMES 185 FORTUNE-TELLING 197 THE HUKNI 201 CAURING 202 METROPOLITAN GYPSYRIES:— WANDSWORTH 207 THE POTTERIES 228 THE MOUNT 235 RYLEY BOSVIL 241 KIRK YETHOLM 253