shearing

Baskalci 1

176 (GK) è kugà gi strižèxte ufcète
So. When did you shear the sheep?

177 (a) ufcìte se strigàd znàči ud girg’òvden znàči kәm šèsti desèti màj
Sheep are shorn around St. George’s day, the sixth or tenth of May.

179 (a) tugàj i srižème
That’s when we shear them.

180 (GK) i kàk stàә tàә rәbòtә
And how does that happen?

183 (a) strìženetu e [laughter] ìmә si tәkìi speciàlni krɤklìzi ili mòže sәs nòžnici
Shearing! Well, there are special shears, or maybe with scissors,

184 (a) nòžnici tìjә štò krujàčeto
Scissors of the sort that tailors …

186 (a) terdzìite što sà i s tәkvìi mòže ә pә ìmә si
… old-time tailors [use], you can do it with those, but there are also

187 (a) i drùgi kɤrklìzi bàš speciàlni zә strìžene si ìmәše tugàj kәrklìzi
other shears. There were these shears specially [made] for shearing back then.

188 (a) sòpneš a ufcàtә znàči sòpneš à sèdneš sì i sì ә
You hobble the sheep, you hobble, sit by it and –

189 (a) às ustrìgvәx pu četìreese tòa dèn nàči kәtu sèdnә
I used to shear forty sheep a day. I would sit down [to it]

190 (a) ut sutrintà du òbet četìrese ke ostrìžem tùkə ə pə
in the early morning, and by noon I’d shear forty of them. But,

191 (a) a pa ìma nèkoj pa pèd dèset òfci ìmә pòveče ne mòže
but there’s some who would [shear] five or ten sheep, and couldn’t do more.

193 (a) kòj kòj kàk ìmә fàtkә bɤ̀rza fàtkә ìmә nèkuj
Each has his own approach, some [do it] quickly –

194 (GK) әhә e kàk se kәžùvә tàә vɤ̀lnә dètu ә strižèš ud ednà ufcà
Uh huh. Now how do you call the wool that you’ve shorn from a single sheep?

195 (a) ustrìženәtә vɤ̀nә
Shorn wool.

197 (a) emì mì ustrìženә vɤ̀lnә znàči vɤ̀lnә ustrìgvә tòlku vɤ̀lnɤ znàči
Well, the shorn wool, that is, wool that’s been shorn, just wool.

198 (GK) ud ednà ufcà kòlku ustrìgvәt
How much do they shear from a single sheep?

199 (a) o ot ednà ufcà zavìsi ufcìte kәkvì sә
From one sheep, well it depends what kind of sheep they are.

201 (a) àku àku ti sә glèdә әku ti si i gledàl ùbәu
If– if you’ve taken good care of them,

202 (a) ud ufcà mòžeš dә nәstrìžeš dә kàžem trì kìlә dvè kìlә
you can get two or three kilos of wool from shearing a sheep

203 (a) nò obiknovènno šìleta tovà ti onovà ti po kilò i polovìna vɤ̀lna i
but from yearlings, this and that, it’s usually a kilo and a half of wool.

204 (GK) sìčkәtә vɤ̀lnә ednàkvә li e dèto jә ustrìgvәš
Is all wool the same, from everywhere that you shear it?

205 (a) tìjә nàš nàšte òfci tugàj i sɤgà sә me̝ronòsəni saà ìma
Our sheep then (and now) are the Merino sort. Now we have

206 (a) znàči krәstòsәni se ә tugàj bèa na nàšte čèrnә vɤ̀lnә i bèlә vɤ̀lnә
crossbreeds. But then ours had both black and white wool.

221 (a) emi tò à emi tò e nà e sìčkәtә sèrava kugà a strižème
Well, well, - Ah, right! All of it is greasy when we shear it.

223 (a) kogà se strižè sìčkә sә kәžùvә tàa nè e pèrena
When it’s [just] shorn one says “This one isn’t washed [yet].”

233 (GK) әmi ə tùka ut korèmo dèto tovà
But down by stomach, the part …

235 (GK) okolo pokraj ìmeto pokraj glavàta kàk se
… around the udder, around the head, how ..

237 (GK) kàk se kažùva tàa vɤ̀lna
how do you call that wool?

238 (a) nè pòtstrik se kažùva tovà znàči ako a si takòva
… those – that’s called skirting. That is, if it’s –

239 (a) dokato nè e tàa okàpva ako ako nì e u ustrìžeš
if you don’t – it falls off if you don’t shear it in time.

240 (a) nә vrème po korèmo ke okàpe tàa vɤ̀lna ponèže kato òdɤt
in time the wool will fall off of the stomach, because when they move around,

241 (a) à tùka is trɤ̀nite is pàproteka kàk òdɤt tò okàpva
when they move around hereabouts among thorns and ferns, it falls off.

242 (a) a pa kòj e tirikàt pәk pò ràno dә si jә isčìni
But someone who’s a clever one will dye it earlier,

243 (a) vìka se tàa vɤ̀lna pòtstrik
[and get] this wool [that] is called

245 (a) i si i pustrìže pu korèmo znàči ka a potsтrìže po opàškata
And you shear it off the stomach, and shear it around the tail,

246 (a) tùka kraj šìjata ke a potstrìže i slet edin mèsec
and here around the neck you’ll shear it. And a month later

247 (a) ke a strìže vèke ke i svàli runòto nàči
you’ll shear [the rest] and remove the fleece.

248 (GK) ami ot ot šìleta ot jàgneta kàk se kәžùva tàa vɤ̀lna
And how do you call the wool you get from lambs and yearlings

249 (GK) dèto gi strìžat
when you shear them?

250 (a) jàrina
“Yarina” (lambswool).

251 (GK) jàrina se kažùva tàa
So that’s called “yarina”.

Graševo

87 (a) əmi təčèli sme emì ìmə i izmìež vɤlnàtə ustrižèš ufcìte
We were weaving. Yes, there is [much work]. You wash the wool – you shear the sheep,

90 (MM) jà dàj s'à kato ja strižèš kɤdè ə vlàčiš kɤdè ja perèš
So OK now. When you shear [the wool], where do you card it? Where do you wash it?

Kozičino 2

1 (b) əm kət ustrižèm ufcèt’ȅ z’èmem ə upɑ̀rim vɛ̀lnətə isč’èpkəme jə
After we shear the sheep, we take and scald the wool. We card it,

Kruševo 3

120 (RA) c è dà a kogà se strìže òfce po kogà
Tsk. Yes. So when do you shear sheep? When –

121 (RA) po koè vrème
What time [of year]?

122 (a) əmi fəf pròl’et se srìž’i kəm pɤ̀rvi màj
Well, in the spring. We shear [them] around Mayday.

124 (a) ut pɤ̀rvi màj s’ètne sə srìž’ət ufc’ètu kəm pɤ̀rvi màj
The sheep are shorn from Mayday on, [starting] around Mayday.

128 (RA) a kàk se strìže
And how do you shear [them]?

129 (a) be kùtni jə
Well, you knock it down!

130 (RA) dəržì
[and] hold [it] –

131 (a) kùtni je vərzì i nugìt’e
You knock it down, and tie its legs

133 (a) dv’ète č’ètirit’e nògi e təkà
Two [that is,] four legs, like this –

135 (a) vərzèš i gi e səkà
You tie them like this –

137 (a) č’ètirite nògi təkà še gi vərz’èš
You tie up all four legs like this …

141 (a) i jə kùtniš’ i t’à še sidì mirnu
And you throw it down and it’ll sit there quietly.

142 (a) i tì səs no s məkàze
And you [do it] with – with shears

143 (RA) səs makàze
With shears.

144 (a) srìž’eš’
… you shear [it].

145 (RA) t’à mìrno li še sedì
Will it sit there quietly?

146 (a) š’e sidì kətu ə vɤ̀rzənə
[Of course] it will, since it’s tied down!

148 (a) kəd’è še mɤ̀rdə
Where’s it going to go?

150 (a) nugìtə sə vɤ̀rzəni
Its legs are tied!

151 (RA) kvò drùgo mòže
What else can it do?!

152 (a) kò š’ə prài vɤ̀rzənkà e i təkà sidì srìž’iš’ jə
What’s it going to do [indeed]. So now, tied up, it sits there, you shear it,

Malevo/Asg 1

100 (a) nə fùrkənə a pək zə strìž’en’e sp’ʌ̀vət ufc’èt’e
With a distaff. As for shearing, they hobble the sheep

101 (a) i tugàvə pòčvəme də striž’èm
and then we begin to shear [them].

102 (VZh) [Защо ги спъвате?]
[Why do you hobble them?]

103 (a) də ne š’ɛ̀vət če ìnəč’e že gi pur’èž’em
So they don’t jerk about, otherwise you’ll cut them.

104 (a) kàktu si e l’ègnələ ufcʌ̀tə kàrəj kàrəj kàrəj s nòžicìne
Once the sheep is lying down then you go at it with the shears

105 (a) i sə ustriž’è
and you shear it.

Pavelsko 2

10 (VZh) [Как стрижете овцете?]
How do you shear sheep ?

11 (a) əmi i žèni i mʌ̀že striž’èm ufc’ète ə
Well, we shear the sheep together, men and women.

12 (a) t’è wòd’ehə səs ufč’ɛ̀re ufc’ène i š’ ìdeme gòr’e nə kəšlʌ̀tə
They go off with the shepherds – the sheep [that is], and we’ll go up to the sheepfold,

13 (a) ìməme si gòr’e ə təkà kətu l’yvàtki ìməš’e kəš’li
We’ve got one up [in the hills]. Up where it’s meadow-like there were sheepfolds

14 (a) ìdeme səs məž’ète ž’èni i striž’ème ədìnən dərdž’ì drùgən striž’è
So we go [together], men and women, and shear [them]. One holds, the other shears

16 (a) əmi sp’ʌ̀vəme gi ufc’ète
Well [of course] we hobble the sheep!

17 (b) a bè piš’ìn š’e jə pustriž’è kur’èmə
You’ll shear the stomach first, you know.

18 (a) fàtəme im fàtəme im jʌ ə ustriž’ème kur’èmət i pòsle im fàtəme
We catch them – we catch them and shear the stomach. And then we grab them by

19 (a) č’ètirite nò̝gi i gi vɤ̀rdzuame s ədnɤ̀ vərzùl’k’ə i i
all four legs and tie them up with a rope, and – and

20 (a) pòčvəm’e də striž’èm i tvà gu vìkəme sp’ʌ̀vəme
begin the shearing. That’s what we call “hobbling” [them],

22 (a) ufc’ète
the sheep.

Repljana 3

59 (RA) a vɤ̀lnata ofcète go strìžat a prolettɤ̀ li lèto kogà
And [to get] wool, when do they shear the sheep? Spring? Summer?

60 (a) proletɤ̀ kat mìne gerg’òvden kat se stòpli vèče
In the spring, right after St. George’s Day, when it's already warm [enough].

62 (a) è tegàj se strìžu
That’s when they shear them.

64 (a) ajde àjde da se da olɤ̀kne na ofcète če gim žèga
Off to the sheep, let’s lighten their load. Because they’re hot.

65 (a) ne mògu u žègutu ofcète s vḷ̀nutu
Sheep can’t take the heat when they [are still covered] in wool.

Srebŭrna 2

1 (RA) a kugàtu ìmaxte ovcè ə strižèš li gi
And when you used to have sheep, did you do the shearing?

2 (c) dà sə srigɤ̀t əmə nə vr’èm:tu ufc’ète vɤ̀lnəta b’è skɤ̀pə b’è
Yes, people shear [them], but in the old days wool brought a good price, you know!

42 (RA) a pa ednò vrème kàk ə kàk bèše kɤ̀k ə
What was it like in the olden days? How did you, um,

43 (RA) strìžeš ə ovcàta i kəkvò pràviš səs vɤ̀lnata
shear a sheep, and what did you do with the wool?

53 (c) sridžèš jə tɤ̀s ufcɤ̀ vərìš udɤ̀ i zəlìvəš ut’ɤ̀vəš
You shear this sheep, you boil water and pour it [into pots], you go

Stalevo 1

12 (GK) tɤ̀j znàči vɤ̀lnata kato ja ustrižète tì si strìgala òfci
OK. So [to get] the wool when you shear – you’ve sheared sheep, [right]?

13 (a) n sàm tvà ne sɤ̀m srìgələ òfce
No, I haven’t. I haven’t sheared sheep.

14 (GK) òfci ne sì strìgala
You haven’t sheared sheep.

15 (a) òfci ne sɤ̀m strigḁl̥ḁ
Sheep, no, I haven’t –

Šumnatica 3

209 (b) əm mòžeš də gu ustrìžeš džuràpe də si nəpràiš
You can shear [the sheep] and make socks,

216 (b) č’e zèmeš ə še ustrìžeš ufcàtə še gu izmìeš
You take the sheep and shear it, and you wash –

Sveta Petka 1

1 (MM) bàbo Eminè jà da mi kàžeš kato pòčneš i ostrižèš vɤ̀lnata
Granny Emine – tell me now, when you begin to shear the wool [from the sheep]

Pages

CSVWord Document
Subscribe to shearing

Text copyright © 2011-2016 Ronelle Alexander and Vladimir Zhobov. Texts and other parts of the website may be copied only for non-commercial, research, or educational purposes, provided the source of the material is cited accordingly. Cited material may not include the entire website or substantial portions thereof.
Comments and questions may be addressed to bdlt@berkeley.edu.

Recommended Model for Citations

Bulgarian Dialectology as Living Tradition [2016] (http://www.bulgariandialectology.org, visited on 1 March 2016)
Babjak 1: 13-15. In: Bulgarian Dialectology as Living Tradition [2016] (http://www.bulgariandialectology.org, visited on 1 March 2016)

by Dr. Radut