Wat sol y doon med en flinke klap cinten? Ik weyt et wel. Godallemachtig, dår kün y al skyre såken med doon! Ik sol my heyle tyd gangs gån med undersök når volksvortellingen, olde språken, mytology, religioon, en ouk andre lüde dårum vortellen in skrivt en språke – oh wacht, dat düg ik my now al lange.
Süms wünsken wy uns al wat, mor eyglyks hebben wy al lange, dat wat wy wünsket. Wy binnen oft mor eaven wys med wat wy hebben, bevör wy wat anders, wat meyr, willen. Et is beater, uns dat wat ofter an to denken. Et givt al wat såken dee ik hebben wil – en huuske up et land, neet in de stad, leevst in et nourden van Nedderland of Düütskland. Mor toglyks heb ik al wat skyrs – unmönig skyre arbeid, en leev dearntee, goie family en vründen – et kin al minder.
Wy kyken oft wyd vurd um uns geluk to vinden. Dat is neet altyd nöydig. Oft kin eyn vinden, wat eyn nöydig is, jüüst stuv under de eygen nöse. Sou skrivt de Dao De Jing, eyn van de wichtigste teksten uut et daoismus, in et 47. kapittel:
“Sunder de dör uut to gån,
Kin eyn de heyle wearld kennen.
Sunder uut et råm to kyken,
Kin eyn de weg van de himmel seen.
De wyder eyn geit, de minder eyn weyt.
“Düs de wyse:
Weyt sunder to gån,
Kin sunder to seen,
Måk klår sunder to doon.”
Når Dao De Jing, öäversetting döär Bartho Kriek (2010), s. 59
Dit is wat eyn ouk en bült in nye spirituelle kringen höyrt: wåre kenntnis is neet to vinden wyd vurd, mor in dyn eygen seel. Vortrouw neet up autöritäten buten dy um, mor up wat dyn eygen gevöl dy vorteld. Neet dat ik weyt of dat ouk wår is, mor en bült lüde hev hyr glööv an – et is en populär idea.
Et idea is ouk to vinden in volksvortellings med ATU-nummer 1645 De Skat Tohuus. Disse vortelling is benåm bekind uut Grönn en Ostfreeskland vöär de sassiske ümråden; ouk in westerlauwersk Freeskland (in Nedderland) givt et en bült varianten. Hyr givt et en nymoudske versioon uut Twente in Nedderland. Leas mål wyder:
De dreum van de kiepenkearl
“Weij schrieft ‘t joar 1820. Engelbert leaven met ziene vrouwe Grada en de kindere in ‘t Munsterland. Zee hadden armood want hee was völs te eerlijk um ‘n good marskramer te wean. De gansen dag leep’e langs ‘s herenweage met de mande op de rugge um zeddeuke, goaren en band te verkopen. Dat joar was der nen strengen winter. Ton ‘t endelijke ging deuien, worden dat zo ne zogge, dat’e neet vot kon. Weage en akkers lagen vol dikke modder, woar iej depe in wegzakken. De blagen greuiden hard en hadden nieje klompen en klere neudig. Grada zei um: ‘Engelbert, hoo mo’w d’r toch met an?’ ‘At de reagen minder wordt, goa’k noar Amsterdam!’ ‘Watte? He’j slietage an ‘t benul?’ ‘Na, dat za’k ow vertellen. Vannacht dreumen ik iets wonderbaarlijks. Ne stemme as van een engel verzoch miej doar noar de Niejmarkt te goan en te wachten op goeie berichten.’ Grada geleuven der niks van, moar leet um uut-endelijke wal goan um van ‘t gedram af te wean.
“Engelbert leep vanuut Pruussen ovver de Romienendiek op Zutphen an en zo wieter. De Niejmarkt had’e vlot evonnen. Hee kek good um zich hen noar de leu, de schepe en de pakhuze. Gin mense zag um stoan. Hee deed der neet too. Ton ‘t donker worden en’e meu was, ging’e an de kante van de markt liggen sloapen. De volgenden dag wachten’e weer, moar ‘t bracht um niks. Hee kocht zich brood, keaze en bier. Zo gingen de dage hen, töt zien geld op was. Nou mo’k vlot terugge, dacht’e, kearden zich umme en zag een winkelier ankommen den um zei: ‘Ik vroage miej al dage af wa’j hier doot. Iej bedelt neet en iej praot neet.’ Engelbert mos effen noadenken, moar vertellen toch ovver zien dreum.
“De Amsterdammer begon hard te lachen. ‘Wat bun iej toch een naffelkuken. Iej komt van wiedweg um hier allene moar te goan stoan? Ik zeg ow, ok ikke hebbe edreumd da’k mot afreizen. In Burlo achter de kastanjeboom van een kiepenkearl mo’k noar een goldschat graven. Ik prieze miej gelukkig da’k neet zo’nen gek bun as iej, want dan zo’k metene vort motten. Ik wette joo neet ens of dat Burlogat wal besteet.’
“Engelbert zei de man merakels vlot goeiendag en maken dat’e op huus an kwam. Grada was bliej: ‘t was eur verjeurdag. Engelbert pakken de schuppe en ging drekt an ‘t öazen. Doar sloog’e op ne holten kiste. ‘t Deksel ging der af en töt bovenan zagen ze zilver en gold met heupe. ‘Potverdikkemiejhale, dee stemme was profetisch! Wiej maakt dit allemoale te gelde. Moar eerst, Grada, hange ik ow dizzen mooien zilveren halsketten umme.’ Hee gaf eur nen dikken smok, den had ze met eur geduld wal verdeend. Ton pas vertellen’e wat’e beleafd hadde. Ze bouwden zich een good huus, woar ‘t dak neet lekken en de deuren en ramen gin tocht deurleten. En ze leafden doar nog lange tevreane en gelukkig.”
Ina Brethouwer, “De dreum van de kiepenkearl” in en Noe Verdan! (2020), s. 61-62
De wåre skat is stuv by huus to vinden, mor süms moot eyn eaven vurd um dat to (be)grypen.
What would you do with a lot of money? I do. By Jove, one can do so many great things with it! I would spend all my time on folkloric research, old langugages, mythology, religion, and also communicate this to other people in speech and writing – oh wait, I’ve been doing that all along.
Sometimes we wish for many things, but these are all things that we already have. We are often only temporarily satisfied with what we have, before we crave something new, something more. It is good to remind ourselves of that. There are many things that I would like – a house on the countryside, not in the city, preferably in the north of the Netherlands or Germany. But at the same time I have some wonderful things – a great occupation, a sweet darling, good family and friends – it could all be worse.
We often look far away for our happiness. That is not always necessary. One can often find what one needs directly under our own noses. This is how the Dao De Jing, one of the main texts of Daiosm, describes it in the 47th chapter:
“Without going outside,
you may know the whole world.
Without looking out through the window,
you may see the path of heaven.
The farther you go, the less you know.
“Thus the sage:
He knows without going,
He knows how to without seeing,
He works without doing.”
Retranslation of Dao De Jing, translated by Bartho Kriek (2010), p. 59
This is also what one hears in a lot of new spiritual circles: true knowledge is not found far away, but in your own soul. Don’t trust authorities outside of yourself, but only what your own feelings tell you. Not that I know whether this is true, but a lot of people believe this – it is a popular idea.
This idea is also found in folktales with ATU-number 1645 The Treasure at Home. This sotry is mainly known from Groningen and Ostfriesland when considering the Saxon areas; also on Fryslân east of the Lauwers river (in the Netherlands) one finds a lot of variants. Here I present you a recent version from Twente in the Netherlands. Read along:
The dream of the Peddler
“It is the year 1820. Engelbert lives with his wife Grada and the children in the Munsterland area. They were poor, since he was way too honest to be a good peddler. All day he walked along the main roads, his basket on his back, selling handkerchiefs, thread, and bandages. That year a harsh winter hit the land. When the thaw finally set in, everything became so soggy that he couldn’t leave the house. Roads and pastures were covered by thick mud, in which one sank deep. The children grew fast and needed new clogs and clothes. Grada told him: ‘Engelbert, how are we supposed to manage all this?’ ‘When the rain calms down, I’ll go to Amsterdam!’ ‘What? Are you stupid?’ ‘Well, let me tell you. Last night I dreamt something wonderful. A voice like an angel’s requested me to go to the Nieuwe Markt and wait on good tidings.’ Grada didn’t believe any of it, but eventually let him go in order to stop his nagging.
“Engelbert walked from Prussia [Germany] across the Romeinendijk towards Zutphen and then onwards. He found the Nieuwe Markt quickly. He looked around him at the people, the ships, and the warehouses. No one even gave him a second glance. He didn’t matter. When it became dark and Engelbert became tired, he laid to to sleep at the edge of the marketplace. The next day he continued waiting, but to no avail. He bought bread, cheese, and beer for himself. Now I should go back home, he thought. He turned around, and saw a shopowner approaching him, who asked him: ‘I’ve been wondering for days what you’ve been doing here. You don’t beg and you don’t talk.’ Engelbert had to think for a bit, but still decided to tell him about his dream.
“The Amsterdam guy started laughing loudly. ‘You’re such a fool. You’ve come all this way to just stand there? I’m telling you, I’ve also dreamt that I should travel. In Burlo behind the chestnut tree of a peddler I should dig for a golden treasure. I’m happy to say that I’m not as crazy as you, since then I would’ve had to depart shortly. I don’t even know whether that knack of the wood Burlo even exists.’
“Engelbertink bid the man miraculously quickly farewell, and rapidly made his way home. Grada was glad: it was her birthday. Engelbert took a shovel and started digging for treasure. He hit a wooden chest. The lid went off, and the chest was filled to the brim with silver and gold. ‘Well I’ll be damned, that voice was prophetic! Let’s turn this all into money. But first, Grada, I’ll give this beautiful silver necklace to you.’ He kissed her passionately, which she deserved after being so patient with him. Only then he told her what had happened. They built a good house, of which the roof didn’t leak and the doors and windows were isolated properly. And they lived there happily ever after.”
Ina Brethouwer, “De dreum van de kiepenkearl” in en Noe Verdan! (2020), p. 61-62
The true treasure is found close to home, but sometimes one has to depart briefly to get it.
Saxon Sagas 