It’s kushtier for a tacho Rom to be mullered by a Rommany pal than to be nashered by the Gorgios.

TRANSLATION.

On a day a hedgehog met a bird in the field, and the bird told him, “Do not go around by the right hand, or the hunters’ horses will trample you dead in the dirt; and if you go around by the left hand, there’s a Gipsy tent, and the Gipsies will eat you.”  Said the hedgehog, “I’d rather go with the Gipsies, and be eaten by folk that like me, than be trampled on by people that despise (literally, look black upon) me.”

It is better for a real Gipsy to be killed by a Gipsy brother than to be hung by Gorgios.

GUDLO III.  A STORY OF A FORTUNE-TELLER.

Yeckorus a tano Gorgio chivved apre a shubo an’ jalled to a puri Rommany dye to get dukkered.  And she pookered lester, “Tute’ll rummorben a Fair Man with kauli yakkas.”  Then the raklo delled laki yeck shukkori an’ penned, “If this shukkori was as boro as the hockaben tute pukkered mandy, tute might porder sar the bongo tem with rupp.”  But, hatch a wongish!—­maybe in a divvus, maybe in a curricus, maybe a dood, maybe a besh, maybe waver divvus, he rummorbend a rakli by the nav of Fair Man, and her yakkas were as kaulo as miri juva’s.

There’s always dui rikk to a dukkerben.

TRANSLATION.

Once a little Gorgio put on a woman’s gown and went to an old Gipsy mother to have his fortune told.  And she told him, “You’ll marry a Fair Man with black eyes.”  Then the young man gave her a sixpence and said, “If this sixpence were as big as the lie you told me, you could fill all hell with silver.”  But, stop a bit! after a while—­maybe in a week, maybe a month, maybe in a year, maybe the other day—­he married a girl by the name of Fair Man, and her eyes were as black as my sweetheart’s.

There are always two sides to a prediction.

GUDLO IV.  HOW THE ROYSTON ROOK DECEIVED THE ROOKS AND PIGEONS.

‘Pre yeck divvus a Royston rookus jalled mongin the kaulo chiriclos, an’ they putched (pootschered) him, “Where did tute chore tiro pauno chukko?” And yuv pookered, “Mandy chored it from a biksherro of a pigeon.”  Then he jalled a-men the pigeons an’ penned, “Sarishan, pals?” And they putched lesti, “Where did tute lel akovo kauli rokamyas te byascros?” And yuv penned, “Mandy chored ’em from those wafri mushis the rookuses.”

Pash-ratis pen their kokeros for Gorgios mongin Gorgios, and for Rommany mongin Rommany chals.

TRANSLATION.

On a day a Royston rook {206} went among the crows (black birds), and they asked him, “Where did you steal your white coat?” And he told (them), “I stole it from a fool of a pigeon.”  Then he went among the pigeons and said, “How are you, brothers?” And they asked him, “Where did you get those black trousers and sleeves?” And he said, “I stole ’em from those wretches the rooks.”