Can Someone Help with 2 Danish or Swedish Nursery Rhymes? We Have a Recording of Them!
Lori wrote:
Dear Mama Lisa,
I am so excited to find this website because I have been searching for many years to find out about two Danish or Swedish nursery rhymes (you can listen to them by clicking the link). My mother’s beloved grandfather, Lars Christensen, used to bounce her on his knee and recite these rhymes. She then passed them on to me…and neither one of us know what they mean. Lars’ parents were both from Denmark: His father from the Brenderup, Odense, area and his mother from Lynge, Juteland area. So we think the rhymes may be Danish and probably date from the early 1800’s. However, Lars’ wife’s parents were from Sweden: Her father from Vallby, Kirkedinge area and her mother from Sallerup, Malmohus area. So there is a possibility that they are Swedish.
They might be so distorted coming from the mouth of an old Danish man through the memory of a small American girl and passed on to another generation, but I am hopeful that someone may recognize them.
My dear mother’s 80th birthday is coming up and I would love to surprise her with a written version or reading of the original, an English interpretation, or any information about any one of these two nursery rhymes. No matter how silly, they are very important to us because they are a link to our sacred, and loved ancestral roots.
Thank you so much,
Lori
If anyone can help out Lori, please let us know in the comments below.
Thanks!
Mama Lisa
PS We know the first rhyme is a version of Ride ride ranke, and Lori checked the versions posted on the blog in the past, but couldn’t find it there.
July 19th, 2009 at 1:44 pm
the second rhyme is entirely unrecognizeable for me (a Dane), however judging from the general rythm and the tickling bit at the end it could be a Swedish language adaptation of “Lille Trille” which goes something like:
Lille Trille Laa Paa Hylde,
Lille Trille Faldt Ned
Ingen man i dette land,
Lille Trille hjaelpe kan
(Little Trille(name but also means to roll over) lay on shelf, little Trille fell down, no man in this land, can help little Trille.)