Source: August Schleicher, “Eine fabel in indogermanischer ursprache” (1868), his own German translation (public domain), text from de.wikipedia.org (“Indogermanische Fabel”). Square brackets are Schleicher's additions, round brackets his explanations. The best-known test text for languages; Schleicher wrote it in the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European language. What is translated is the sense, not Schleicher's word-for-word German.
Literal: PL = ma, NOT = ne, REQ = vo, QUOTE = re, NEAR = hi, STILL = ku, ALSO = mo, ADV = adverb ending. Compounds with hyphens.
[Ein] schaf, [auf] welchem wolle nicht war (ein geschorenes schaf), sah rosse, das [einen] schweren wagen fahrend, das [eine] große last, das [einen] menschen schnell tragend. [Das] schaf sprach [zu den] rossen: [Das] herz wird beengt [in] mir (es thut mir herzlich leid), sehend [den] menschen [die] rosse treibend. [Die] rosse sprachen: Höre schaf, [das] herz wird beengt [in den] gesehen-habenden (es thut uns herzlich leid, da wir wissen): [der] mensch, [der] herr, macht [die] wolle [der] schafe [zu einem] warmen kleide [für] sich und [den] schafen ist nicht wolle (die schafe aber haben keine wolle mehr, sie werden geschoren; es geht ihnen noch schlechter als den rossen). Dies gehört-habend bog (entwich) [das] schaf [auf das] feld (es machte sich aus dem staube).
[A] sheep, [on] which wool was not (a shorn sheep), saw horses, the one pulling [a] heavy wagon, the one [a] big load, the one carrying [a] man quickly. [The] sheep said [to the] horses: [The] heart is narrowed [in] me (I am heartily sorry), seeing [the] man driving [the] horses. [The] horses said: Listen, sheep, [the] heart is narrowed [in those] having seen (we are heartily sorry, because we know): [the] man, [the] master, makes [the] wool [of the] sheep [into a] warm garment [for] himself, and [the] sheep have no wool (the sheep have no wool any more, they are shorn; they are even worse off than the horses). Having heard this, [the] sheep turned (escaped) [into the] field (it made off).
sheep which have NOT hair-sheep see three horse. horse first pull vehicle-horse heavy, and horse second carry thing heavy big, and horse third carry fast-ADV person
[Ein] schaf, [auf] welchem wolle nicht war (ein geschorenes schaf), sah rosse, das [einen] schweren wagen fahrend, das [eine] große last, das [einen] menschen schnell tragend.
[A] sheep, [on] which wool was not (a shorn sheep), saw horses, the one pulling [a] heavy wagon, the one [a] big load, the one carrying [a] man quickly.
PL horse speak QUOTE REQ sheep hear! QUOTE heart PL I ALSO hurt, because PL I know, that person who same-be owner make clothing warm for he self from hair-sheep. QUOTE and PL sheep have STILL NOT hair-sheep
[Die] rosse sprachen: Höre schaf, [das] herz wird beengt [in den] gesehen-habenden (es thut uns herzlich leid, da wir wissen): [der] mensch, [der] herr, macht [die] wolle [der] schafe [zu einem] warmen kleide [für] sich und [den] schafen ist nicht wolle (die schafe aber haben keine wolle mehr, sie werden geschoren; es geht ihnen noch schlechter als den rossen).
[The] horses said: Listen, sheep, [the] heart is narrowed [in those] having seen (we are heartily sorry, because we know): [the] man, [the] master, makes [the] wool [of the] sheep [into a] warm garment [for] himself, and [the] sheep have no wool (the sheep have no wool any more, they are shorn; they are even worse off than the horses).
Notes (7)
“Listen, sheep!” = vo dorova nore! The request keeps its subject; this turns the address into a sentence (“The sheep shall listen!”).
mo comes after mi: us too.
“The man, the master”: an apposition by simply placing nouns side by side does not work (two nouns merge). So the relative clause mela je lute burara (the man who is the owner).
“Makes the wool into a garment” = makes clothing from wool (ko = origin).
lo luti points to the man, the nearest subject before it.
ku ne = no longer. The sentence starts with su and links up with the previous one.
Schleicher's last explanation (“they are even worse off …”) is left out.