Le Petit Prince/The Little Prince (1943) by Antoine De Saint-Exupéry is one of my favourite book. Translated into Mauritian Creole by Dev Virahsawmy, it is called Zistwar Ti-Prens (2006).
Reading Zistwar Ti-Prens was quite difficult. As I cannot read or write in Creole, I needed other versions of the book for reference. I have notes all over the book to help me read smoothly.
In chapter 9, the little prince is getting ready to leave his planet and say goodbye to his flower:
Fler la chomtayt.
But she did not answer him.
Mais elle ne lui repondit pas.
Chom-tayt is a word that has so many layers... Chom-bo means to hold on. It's a French naval term used to let passengers know to hold on/tiens bon. To be quiet, you can hold on to your tongue, so you can Chom-tayt. Even more confusing when I try to explain it!
