# Wilt gy daer van wesen gedient



## van_Niets

A long time ago a friend of mine from Gent once took some photos at Universiteit Gent. There are two particular ones that have Dutch words engraved on buildings. I've since lost contact, and have stopped learning Dutch for awhile. I've tried translating it myself, but most of the words seem older than what are found in my woordenboek. Does anyone know some of these older/hard to find words? Some of them even seem German.

From photo 1: Wilt gy daer van wesen gedient komt maer hier binnen lieven vrient.


From photo 2: Toeback en snuyf is nu gemeyn in den gaud boom tmagasyn.


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## van_Niets

Unfortunately the images didn't attach. Sorry.


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## Sjonger

I´m not sure, but I think that the two engravings belong together in reverse order, and that in your second engraving it should be in den goud boom is tmagasyn. Then it makes sense as a commercial :

Tobacco and snuff are now common.
In de 'gaud boom' (name of the house) is the store. 

If you want to be really served, 
just come in here dear friend

See for an image and the text: http://www.belgiumview.com/belgiumview/tl1/view0005455.php4


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## YellowOnline

Although Sjonger translated, he forgot to mention that it is (Middle) Dutch indeed (18th century)  He already translated it nicely, but for those is interested: a word for word translation to contemporary Dutch, German and English, so you can easily compare. The sometimes strange constructions are a result of that.

(Middle Dutch) _toeback en snuyf is nu gemeyn / in den gaud boom is tmagasyn / wilt gy daer van wesen gedient / komt maer hier binnen lieven vrient_
(Dutch) _tabak en snuif is nu gemeen [+/- 'gewoon'] / "in de gouden boom" is 't magazijn ['winkel'] / wil jij daarvan zijn bediend/ kom maar hier binnen lieve vriend_
(German) _Tabak und Schnupf[-tabak] ist jetzt gemein / "in der goldene Baum" ist das Magazin / willst du davon sein bedient / kommt hier herein lieber Freund_
(English) _tobacco and snuff is now common / "in the golden tree" is the store / want you that from being served / come but here inside dear friend_

I must say that I'm not happy about the translation of "gedient wesen": there's a connotation of satisfaction that gets lost even in modern Dutch. That's perhaps why some native speakers (surely in Flanders) still use the archaic expression ("ergens van gediend zijn"). I'm not sure how 'alive' this still is in the Netherlands though. Perhaps a Dutchman could clear that up for me.


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## Sjonger

'Gediend zijn van' komt vooral voor in negatieve zin: ergens niet van gediend zijn = ergens geen prijs op stellen.


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## van_Niets

The engravings were on a building at an old university, so I just assumed they were academic in nature. Thinking about it, I'm sure some old buildings at universities in Europe have had a wide variety of uses.

Sjonger, the photos I have are close-ups from the same building in the link you provided. And the way you translate is very fluid, thank you!

YellowOnline, thanks for the different translations! It's good to see where the language has evolved. The little differences like gemeyn/gemeen/gemein/common really help me feel how alive this branch of languages are.

Many thanks to both of you! Dank u wel!


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## NewtonCircus

van_Niets said:


> The engravings were on a building at an old university, so I just assumed they were academic in nature. Thinking about it, I'm sure some old buildings at universities in Europe have had a wide variety of uses.


The house is a lingerie shop in one of the main shopping lanes in Ghent. Apart from _toeback en __snuff_ the wordings are in fact still applicable .


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## YellowOnline

NewtonCircus said:


> The house is a lingerie shop in one of the main shopping lanes in Ghent. Apart from _toeback en __snuff_ the wordings are in fact still applicable .



Well, this is off-topic of course, but just a little bit of background  doesn't hurt. In any case: it's not really near (one of) the university  building(s). The closest would be in the Voldersstraat. This is indeed nowadays a lingerie shop in the Langemunt  - one of the older shopping streets . I used to live there around the corner (Patershol). Currently, de Veldstraat is the main shopping street: also an old street, but as far as I know it only got its current shopping function at the end of the 19th century.

PS. The Ghent University was only founded in 1817 during the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. The building with the text pre-dates it about half a century.


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