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Song Parodies -> "BabelTalky"
Original Song Title:
"Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky"
Original Performer:
Donovan
Parody Song Title:
"BabelTalky"
Parody Written by:
Giorgio Coniglio's Grandson (ed.); various authors
The Lyrics
This submission represents a compilation rather than an 'original' work. Many authors have attempted with varying success to translate Lewis Carroll's poem "Jabberwocky" into other languages. You can easily, for example, access a website which shows various translations into 29 languages, but the website appears to have been inactive since 1998. In 1971, Donovan recorded a version of Lewis Carroll's classic poem set to music. I am unaware whether anyone has also attempted to sing these translated versions, but I offer this possibility here. The verses were chosen from what appear to be to be the most singable examples. Other interesting renderings, including Latin, Choctaw, Esperanto and Klingon were omitted.
(ANGLO-SAXON - Lewis Carroll, 1855)
'Twas bryllyg, and ye slythy toves
Did gyre and gymble in ye wabe.
All mimsy were ye borogoves,
And ye mome raths outgrabe.
(GERMAN - Robert Scott)
"Bewahre doch vor Jammerwoch!
Die Zähne knirschen, Krallen kratzen!
Bewahr' vor JubJub-Vogel, vor
Frumiösen Banderschnatchen.
(ITALIAN - Adriana Crespi)
Afferò quello la sua vorpi da lama
A lungo il manson nemico cercò
Cosí sostò presso l'albero Touton
E riflettendo alquanto dimorò.
(FRENCH - Frank Warrin)
Pendant qu'il pense, tout uffusé,
Le Jaseroque, à l'oeil flambant,
Vient sifflant par le bois tullegeais,
Et burbule en venant.
(JAPANESE - Tim Matheson)
Ichi, ni! Ichi, ni! mattaku kanzen ni
Sakisakiken wa kusukusu waratta
Shanoshi nokoshi kubi wo mochi
Ikiyouyou to koke kaetta
(HEBREW - Ahaton Amir)
"Af ketalto, et hapiton?
Achabkecha, yaldi hatzach!
Ho yom-tzilha! Yabah! yabah!"
B'chedvato patzach.
(PORTUGUESE - Augusto de Campos)
Era briluz. as lesmolisas touvas
roldavam e reviam nos gramilvos:
Estavam mimsicais as pintalouvas,
E os mommiratos davam grilvos.
(RUSSIAN - E. Orlova and O. Demurova)
Varkalos'. Khivikie shor'ki
Pyryalis' po nave,
I khryukotali zelyuki
Kak myumziki v move.
(SPANISH - E. Alvarez-Buylla)
Era el briño, y los logrosos
Giraban y mangaban en al panal:
Tan debrable los bogrosos,
Y aún los rantopos salgabran.
(ARABIC - W. Al-Mahdi)
Jarâdhilu l-wâbi dhuhâ
Tadarbahat tadarbuhâ
Mufarfirun tanahnaha
Wa tâ'iru l-burburi fahâ.
(CLASSIC - Lewis Carroll, 1871)
'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe.
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
'Twas bryllyg, and ye slythy toves
Did gyre and gymble in ye wabe.
All mimsy were ye borogoves,
And ye mome raths outgrabe.
(GERMAN - Robert Scott)
"Bewahre doch vor Jammerwoch!
Die Zähne knirschen, Krallen kratzen!
Bewahr' vor JubJub-Vogel, vor
Frumiösen Banderschnatchen.
(ITALIAN - Adriana Crespi)
Afferò quello la sua vorpi da lama
A lungo il manson nemico cercò
Cosí sostò presso l'albero Touton
E riflettendo alquanto dimorò.
(FRENCH - Frank Warrin)
Pendant qu'il pense, tout uffusé,
Le Jaseroque, à l'oeil flambant,
Vient sifflant par le bois tullegeais,
Et burbule en venant.
(JAPANESE - Tim Matheson)
Ichi, ni! Ichi, ni! mattaku kanzen ni
Sakisakiken wa kusukusu waratta
Shanoshi nokoshi kubi wo mochi
Ikiyouyou to koke kaetta
(HEBREW - Ahaton Amir)
"Af ketalto, et hapiton?
Achabkecha, yaldi hatzach!
Ho yom-tzilha! Yabah! yabah!"
B'chedvato patzach.
(PORTUGUESE - Augusto de Campos)
Era briluz. as lesmolisas touvas
roldavam e reviam nos gramilvos:
Estavam mimsicais as pintalouvas,
E os mommiratos davam grilvos.
(RUSSIAN - E. Orlova and O. Demurova)
Varkalos'. Khivikie shor'ki
Pyryalis' po nave,
I khryukotali zelyuki
Kak myumziki v move.
(SPANISH - E. Alvarez-Buylla)
Era el briño, y los logrosos
Giraban y mangaban en al panal:
Tan debrable los bogrosos,
Y aún los rantopos salgabran.
(ARABIC - W. Al-Mahdi)
Jarâdhilu l-wâbi dhuhâ
Tadarbahat tadarbuhâ
Mufarfirun tanahnaha
Wa tâ'iru l-burburi fahâ.
(CLASSIC - Lewis Carroll, 1871)
'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe.
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
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| 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
User Comments
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This is a lot of fun. I am interested in the Klingon and hip-hop rap versions. Though this is not a bona fide parody, I give it 5s.
What, no: Nadsat, Furbish, Dovahzul, Ewokese, Lapine, Romulan, Dothraki, Elvish, Gargish, Na'vi, or Simlish??? Oh well, 5s!
Bedaurinde vi ne inkluzis la Esperanta eldono. Eble la proksiman fojon?
Thanks for favorable comments. The enduring appeal of the original mock-legend lies in its judicious blend of musical neologisms into a backdrop of comprehensible language. The neologisms include plausible archaisms (manxome, slithey) and winking concoctions (Jub-jub), which might be difficult to reproduce in a language not spoken by earthlings. But why don't you give it an uffish try?
The author of the parody has authorized comments, and wants YOUR feedback.
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