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Archive for the 'English' Category
Contents
Posts
Tapent, tapent, petites mains – Clap, Clap, Little Hands – A French Pat-a-cake Song with a YouTube Video
Friday, November 20th, 2009We were just noticing how Pat-a-cake songs seem to be universal. Perhaps they help teach children to use their hands…
Tapent, tapent, petites mains
Tourne, tourne, joli moulin,
Nage, nage, gentil poisson
Vole, vole papillonClap, clap, little hands,
Turn, turn, pretty mill,
Swim, swim, nice fish,
Fly, fly, butterfly!Feel free to share a Pat-a-cake song from your country in the comments below or by emailing me.
Cheers!
Mama Lisa
Does Anyone Know a Song with the Line, “The Ship Sailed for the White Cliffs of Dover”?
Tuesday, November 17th, 2009Dan wrote,
I went to school in Chilton (England) when I was six (1972), in California now, and my class sang this song, but that is the only line I can recall, I even recall the melody…
“And when the journey was all over /
The ship sailed for the /
White Cliffs of Dover.”Anybody? Was it maybe a song about a ship with two cats and the crew were all mice, and when they got home all that was left were two fat cats?
Dan
If anyone can help Dan, please let us know in the comments below.
Thanks!
Lisa
Can Anyone Help with a Korean Kids Song?
Sunday, November 15th, 2009Curtis wrote asking about a Korean kids song…
Have you ever heard of a Korean song that school girls sing as they clap hands that goes like this:
Pong dong pong dong
dolel (stone) donjiora (throw)…Thanks, Curtis
If anyone can help with this song, please email me or comment below.
Thanks!
Mama Lisa
Frere Jacques – Brother John with an MP3 Recording in French and English
Saturday, November 14th, 2009Here’s a nice recording of Frère Jacques in both French and English by Ezwa.
Here are the lyrics of the French and English versions of Frère Jacques. The version on the mp3 recording mixes these lyrics…
Frère Jacques,
Frère Jacques,
Dormez-vous?
Dormez-vous?
Sonnez les matines.
Sonnez les matines.
Ding, ding, dong.
Ding, ding, dong.Are you sleeping?
Are you sleeping?
Brother John,
Brother John?
Morning bells are ringing.
Morning bells are ringing.
Ding, dong, ding.
Ding, dong, ding.Enjoy!
Mama Lisa
A Short Poem about the Life of a Child, based on a Persian Verse
Friday, November 13th, 2009This is a short, four lined poem that encompasses a child’s life from birth till death. It seems sad, yet it’s really a wish for a happy life full of people who care for the child…
The Babe
On parent knees, a naked new-born child,
Weeping thou sat’st while all around thee smiled:
So live, that, sinking to thy life’s last sleep,
Calm thou may’st smile, while all around thee weep.William Jones (1746-1794)
William Jones was a Persian scholar and linguist. He translated this poem from a Persian poem by an unknown author. This poem is sometimes called “The Babe”, sometimes “On Parent Knees”, and sometimes “Epigram”. An Epigram is a short, witty poem. It can also mean a paradoxical statement.
If anyone knows the original Persian version, please send me a copy at lisa@mamalisa.com and I’ll add it to this post.
Thanks!
Lisa
A Rain Rhyme that Involves Baking a Cake
Thursday, November 12th, 2009Here’s a rain rhyme from Northumberland that reminds us that rainy weather is a good opportunity to stay indoors and cook!
Rain, rain, go away,
And come again another day,
When I brew and when I bake,
I’ll give you a little cake.Stay dry!
Mama Lisa
PS You can tell it’s raining where I am and that I’m considering baking something yummy!
Dragon fly! – A Rhyme about a Dragonfly, Boys and Fish
Monday, November 9th, 2009
Dragon fly! Dragon fly!
Dragon fly! dragon fly! fly about the brook,
Sting all the bad boys who for the fish look;
But let the good boys catch all they can,
And then take them home to be fried in a pan,
With nice bread and butter they shall sup up their fish,
While all the little naughty boys shall only lick the dish.This rhyme can be found in Rhymes Old and New collected by M.E.S. Wright, (1900).
Cool Cuban Kids Song – Tiene Pinochito – Little Pinocchio
Saturday, November 7th, 2009Jeanette wrote to us looking for the lyrics to a Cuban lullaby and I think we can help with this one! Here’s her letter, followed by the song she’s looking for…
Lisa,
There is a nursery rhyme or song that my grandmother used to sing to me (she has been dead about 8 years now) that I can only remember a few lines to… it could be a Cuban nursery song, I’m not really sure… I am dying to find the lyrics to the entire song, I now sing the parts that I can remember to my daughter and wish i could remember it.
It goes something like this…
Quien es me morena que habre su boca, en ella le caben dos mil calabasas un saco de higo y otro de pasas.
I hope you can help me locate this
Thank you so much!!
Jeanette Duque
Here’s a similar version we found in Spanish, with an English translation by Monique Palomares of Mamá Lisa’s World en español…
Original Spanish Lyrics
Tiene Pinochito
Tiene Pinochito
tan pequeña boca
que en ella le caben
cien platos de sopa
trescientos pepinos
y mil calabazas
un saco de higos
y otro de pasas
a la pobre niña
le entró la viruela
calentura mala
y dolor de muelas
el médico le receta
sardinas a la parrilla
a ver si le engordan
esas pantorrillas.Which means in English:
Little Pinocchio has
such a little mouth
that into it fits
a hundred plates of soup,
three hundreds cucumbers
and a thousand pumpkins,
a bag full of figs
and another one of raisins.
He caught the smallpox,
a bad fever
and his back tooth aches.
The doctor prescribes him
grilled sardines
to see if his calves
get bigger.This is a jump rope song.
Monique said regarding the original question, “Jeanette’s grandma’s version must have been : ‘¿Quién es mi morena que habre su boca, en ella le caben dos mil calabazas un saco de higos y otro de pasas…?.’ The ‘quién es mi morena que…’ means ‘who is my little brown girl who opens her mouth, into it fits, etc.’ It could have been a version created by her grandma to fit the situation. Perhaps she could sing it to us to help us figure it out…”
Thanks to Monique for providing the English translation and for helping with this song!
Mama Lisa
Jeringonza – A Spanish Word Game Like Pig Latin, with Portuguese and Italian Versions
Thursday, November 5th, 2009Jeringonza is played in Spain and throughout Latin America. It’s also found in Portuguese speaking Brazil and even in Italy. It’s a secret language for kids – just like the English word game Pig Latin.
(I’m going to make all the changes to the words in bold below to help you learn how to create the secret languages.)
In Pig Latin, you create a secret language – that adults don’t understand unless they played the games themselves. You do it by taking the first letter off the beginning of each word and add it to the end of the word. Then put “ay” after that. So, the word “tomorrow” becomes “omorrow-tay“. If the first two letters of the word are two consonants making one sound, (like “st”, “sp”, “tr”, etc.) both letters get moved to the end of the word. Thus, “star” becomes “ar-stay“.
There are different ways to play Jeringonza depending on the country. The most common way is to add a “P” after each vowel in a word, and then after the “P” you repeat the vowel again. So “Chile” would become “Chi-pi-le-pe“.
In Puerto Rico, you add “chi” before each syllable of the word. So the word “gato” (cat) becomes chi-ga-chi-to. Say it out loud. It’s very rhythmic!
In Brazil, the game is called Língua do Pê (P language). It’s rules are like the “P” rules for Spanish above – you add a “P” after each vowel in a word, and then after the “P” you repeat the vowel again. So “carro” (car) becomes “car-pa-ro-po“.
In Italy, the game is called Alfabeto Farfallino (Farfallino Alphabet) – because you add “F” to words making them sound like the word “farfallino”. Actually, the rules are again like the “P” rules for Spanish above – but with an “F” instead: The most common way is to add a “F” after each vowel in a word, and then after the “F” you repeat the vowel again. So, “luna” becomes “lu-fu-na-fa“.
Have fun having secret conversations!
Please, feel free to share your word games with us in the comments below.
Cheers!
Mama Lisa
“You’re Not Supposed to Say That!” – Mama Lisa’s Thanksgiving Silliness
Monday, November 2nd, 2009Here’s a Thanksgiving poem I wrote in honor of turkeys all over the U.S. in autumn. It’s geared towards older kids.
You can click on the mp3 below to hear my husband and me recite it…
You’re Not Supposed to Say That!
“Cock-a-doodle-doo!” said the turkey.
“What?!” went the rooster.
“Cock-a-doodle-doo!”
“You’re not supposed to say
“Cock-a-doodle-doo!”
Said the rooster.
“Oh yes I am!”
Said the turkey.
“No you’re not!”
Said the rooster.
“What am I supposed to say?”
Asked the turkey.
The rooster replied,
“Gobble, gobble, gobble!”
“BOOM”
Went the farmer’s gun
And the rooster fell down dead.
“Don’t tell me what I’m
Supposed to say!”
Said the turkey,
“Cock-a-doodle-doo!”Many thanks to my husband, Jason Pomerantz, for playing the part of the Turkey (hee, hee, hee)!
Hope you enjoyed the show!
Mama Lisa
Walt Whitman’s Woods and his Poem "Miracles"
Thursday, October 29th, 2009
We took a walk today in Walt Whitman’s woods in West Hills, on Long Island, east of New York City. I highly recommend taking an autumnal hike or stroll if you can. Then you may feel the truth in Whitman’s line, "As to me I know of nothing else but miracles". There’s much beauty out there. Here are some photos I took in Walt’s woods, followed by his poem "Miracles", and then recordings of two people reading the poem.
Miracles
by Walt WhitmanWhy, who makes much of a miracle?
As to me I know of nothing else but miracles,
Whether I walk the streets of Manhattan,
Or dart my sight over the roofs of houses toward the sky,
Or wade with naked feet along the beach just in the edge of the water,
Or stand under trees in the woods,
Or talk by day with any one I love, or sleep in the bed at night with any one I love,
Or sit at table at dinner with the rest,
Or look at strangers opposite me riding in the car,
Or watch honey-bees busy around the hive of a summer forenoon,
Or animals feeding in the fields,
Or birds, or the wonderfulness of insects in the air,
Or the wonderfulness of the sundown, or of stars shining so quiet and bright,
Or the exquisite delicate thin curve of the new moon in spring;
These with the rest, one and all, are to me miracles,
The whole referring, yet each distinct and in its place.To me every hour of the light and dark is a miracle,
Every cubic inch of space is a miracle,
Every square yard of the surface of the earth is spread with the same,
Every foot of the interior swarms with the same.
To me the sea is a continual miracle,
The fishes that swim-the rocks-the motion of the waves-the ships with men in them,
What stranger miracles are there?*****
Ghost of John – Halloween Song with MP3 Recording
Monday, October 26th, 2009My daughter and her friends Marisa and Melisa taught me this Halloween song, which seems to be traditional American. It’s called Ghost of John. Below are the lyrics and two renditions, one by Marisa and one by Melisa, plus a drawing by Melisa.
But first, here’s Marisa announcing it with a Halloween song about Halloween songs…
Halloween is coming soon,
One, Two Three,
If you want a spooky song,
Call on me.Here’s the Ghost of John song…
MP3 of Ghost of John by Marisa
MP3 of Ghost of John by Melisa
Ghost of John
Have you seen the Ghost of John?
Long white bones and the rest all gone,
Ooh, ooh!
Wouldn’t it be chilly with no skin on?While the girls would sing the song they would all stand in the mirror, looking for the ghost of John. Of course, someone would see part of the ghost… like his ear, in the mirror. Then they would all scream. Finally, they ended the game because they were freaking each other out. I guess that’s what Halloween is all about… ghosts!
Many thanks to Marisa and Melisa for singing Ghost of John for us and to Melisa for the drawing!
Mama Lisa
A Good Morning Song Featuring African Languages with an MP3
Monday, October 26th, 2009I woke up this morning with a cup of coffee and by listening to “Good Morning to You” in English, French and some African languages on my computer. What a wonderful way to wake up!
The recording was done by recording a phone call over the internet. Thanks to Nyango Melissa for calling and singing this morning! She made my day! Now you can enjoy her singing too! Just click the mp3 link below and read along with the lyrics. Enjoy!
Good Morning to You
(In English, French, Hausa, Mbonge & Swahili)Good morning to you,
Good morning to you,
In English, I speak
In English, I speak
Good morning to you,
Good morning to you,
In English, in English I speak.Bonjour Mesdames,
Bonjour Messieurs,
En français, je parle
En français, je parle
Bonjour mesdames, bonjour messieurs
In French, in French I speak.Salam alekum
Alekum sala
In Hausa, I speak
In Hausa, I speak
Salam alekum
alekum sala
In Hausa, in Hausa I speak.O-we-li-ni-e
O we li ni e
In Mbonge, I speak
In Mbonge, I speak
O we li ni e
O we li ni e
In Mbonge, in Mbonge I speak.Hujambo bwana,
Hujambo bibi
In Swahili, I speak
In Swahili, I speak
Hujambo bwana
Hujambo bibi
In Swahili, in Swahili I speak!It’s the 2nd time we were able to easily use this technology of recording a phone call. If anyone else would like to sing a traditional (non-copyrighted) song for us, or recite a rhyme, please email me at lisa@mamalisa.com for directions.
Nyango has sent us many songs from Cameroon over the past couple of years. It’s great for everyone to finally hear her voice! She recorded 6 songs today. You can find them on the Cameroon Pages at the link just above. They’re the ones with the MP3’s.
Many thanks to Nyango Melissa Nambangi of the Minnesota African Women’s Association for contributing and singing these songs for us!
Mama Lisa
*****
Minnesota African Women’s Association has products available that were stitched by their sewing group. They’re available for purchase online at Etsy. They have beautiful pillows, dolls dressed in traditional and contemporary African fashions, tote bags, hats and more!
Laughing is Contagious – A Song from Cameroon with an MP3 Recording
Sunday, October 25th, 2009Nyango M. Nambangi sent us this Cameroonian song from Africa. What’s even better is that we have a recording to go with it!
Nyango wrote: “Here’s a song our mother taught us and her Middle School students. The tune is very British, in my opinion, but I have not been able to find the lyrics or tune or any reference to it anywhere. The end actually gets the listeners laughing!”
MP3 Recording of Laughing is Contagious
Laughing is Contagious
Ha, ha, ha!
Laughing is contagious.
Ha, ha, ha!
And sometimes advantageous.
Ha, ha, ha!
And very careful be
And laugh with caution now.
Ha, ha!Ha, ha, ha!
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha
Ha, ha, ha!
ha, ha, ha, ha, ha
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha
Ha, ha ha!This recording is extra special to us because it was done by recording a phone call! It’s the first time we were able to easily use this technology of having someone call and recording them. Also, Nyango have sent us many songs from Cameroon over the past couple of years. It’s great for everyone to finally hear her voice!
If anyone would like to sing a traditional (non-copyrighted) song for us, please email me at lisa@mamalisa.com for directions.
Many thanks to Nyango M. Nambangi of the Minnesota African Women’s Association for contributing and singing this song for us!
Mama Lisa
*****
Minnesota African Women’s Association has products available that were stitched by their sewing group. They’re available for purchase online at Etsy. They have beautiful pillows, dolls dressed in traditional and contemporary African fashions, tote bags, hats and more!
There was an Old Woman All Skin and Bones – A Hallowe’en Song and Video
Saturday, October 24th, 2009I’ve posted several versions of this great Halloween song in the past… It’s called There Was an Old Woman All Skin and Bones.
Here’s yet another version below from Matt Vaughan and his friend Pam. They explain how to make it spookier for Halloween!
Here are the chords from Matt…
Am – Dm Am / Am Dm Am – ://There was an old woman all skin and bones
Ooo oo-oo-oooo
She lived down by the old graveyard
Ooo oo-oo-oooo
One night she thought she’d take a walk
Ooo oo-oo-oooo
She walked down by the old graveyard
Ooo oo-oo-oooo
She saw the bones a-laying around
Ooo oo-oo-oooo
She went to the closet to get a broom
Ooo oo-oo-oooo
She opened the door and…
BOO!Have a spooky-fun Halloween!
Mama Lisa
Can Anyone Help with a Greek Translation of Palamakia (Clap)?
Saturday, October 24th, 2009We received a Greek kids clapping song called Palamakia that we could use a little help with. Below is the Greek text, a transliteration and a rough translation. We’d like to know if the English translation is okay or if it needs to be changed at all…
Greek Text
Παλαμάκια
Παλαμάκια παίξετε
κι ο μπαμπάς του έρχεται
και του φέρνει κάτι τι
κουλουράκια στο χαρτίΠαλαμάκια παίξετε
κι η μανούλα έρχεται
να το πάρει αγκαλιά
το μικρούλι της παιδιά.Παλαμάκια, παλαμάκια
παίζουν όλα τα παιδάκια
Παλαμάκια και χορό
νταχ ντιρντι και
νταχ ντιρντοTransliteration
Palamakia
Palamakia Peksete
Kai o babas tou erhete
Kai tou ferni kati ti
Koulourakia sto hartiPalamakia Peksete
Kai i manoula erhete
Kai ta perni agalia
Ta mikroulia tis pethiaPalamakia Palamakia
Pezoun ola ta pethakia
Palamakia kai horo
Tihdidi kai TihdidoRough English Translation by Penelope Karagouni (with some editing by me)
Clap
Clap your hands
His dad is coming
To bring him something,
Cookies in a paper-wrapper.Clap your hands
Mommy is coming
To get the little one
To hug the children!Clap, clap,
All the children clap
Clapping and dancing
Dah didrdi and dah dirdo.**Dah didrdi and dah dirdo’ are sounds only with no meaning.
You can hear part of the rhyme in the 2nd part of the YouTube Video below…
If anyone can help with the translation, or let us know if it’s okay, please let me know in the comments below or by emailing me.
Thanks!
Mama Lisa
Grandma’s Sayings
Monday, October 19th, 2009Oscar Teliz told me his grandmother used to say in Spanish, “No hay mal que dure cien anos, ni cuerpo que lo soporte” which is an obscure saying meaning, “No bad occurrence will last forever, and if it did, you wouldn’t be able to stand it anyway.”
My grandma always said, “What will be, will be.” In other words, “Don’t worry about it! The future will take care of itself.”
Feel free to share your grandmother’s sayings or words of wisdom with us in the comments below!
Mama Lisa
Birthday Chant and Jump Rope Rhyme – Apples, Peaches, Pears and Plums
Wednesday, October 14th, 2009My daughter and her friend Marisa taught me this birthday rhyme in the car the other day. They chant this in class to talk about birthdays and months of the year.
Apples, Peaches, Pears and Plums
Apples, Peaches, Pears and Plums,
Tell me when your birthday comes?January, February, March, April,
May, June, July, August, September,
October, November, December?Some people only chant the first 2 lines and then another person will answer with their birthday.
This is also a jump rope rhyme. Two kids hold a long jump rope and swing it around in a circle. They chant the rhyme. You jump in on your birthday month. Then the girls start counting 1, 2, 3, etc. until they reach the number of the day you were born on. Then you jump out.
The other way to play the jump rope game is to skip the numbers. You still jump “in” when your birthday month is called. The other kids then repeat the rhyme and you jump “out” when you hear your birthday month the second time around.
Enjoy!
Mama Lisa
Robert Frost’s Proverb: “Good fences make good neighbors.”
Friday, September 18th, 2009The proverb “Good fences make good neighbors” has been around for a couple of centuries in different forms. One place it can be found is in Poor Richard’s Almanack by Benjamin Franklin. His version is: “Love your neighbor; yet don’t pull down your hedge.”
It’s interesting that the specific wording of the proverb, “Good fences make good neighbors” is fairly modern. It comes from Robert Frost’s poem Mending Wall from 1914. The poem centers around this concept and questions whether it’s true or not. Here’s the poem…
Mending Wall
Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,
That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it
And spills the upper boulders in the sun,
And makes gaps even two can pass abreast.
The work of hunters is another thing:
I have come after them and made repair
Where they have left not one stone on a stone,
But they would have the rabbit out of hiding,
To please the yelping dogs. The gaps I mean,
No one has seen them made or heard them made,
But at spring mending-time we find them there.
I let my neighbor know beyond the hill;
And on a day we meet to walk the line
And set the wall between us once again.
We keep the wall between us as we go.
To each the boulders that have fallen to each.
And some are loaves and some so nearly balls
We have to use a spell to make them balance:
‘Stay where you are until our backs are turned!’
We wear our fingers rough with handling them.
Oh, just another kind of outdoor game,
One on a side. It comes to little more:
There where it is we do not need the wall:
He is all pine and I am apple orchard.
My apple trees will never get across
And eat the cones under his pines, I tell him.
He only says, “Good fences make good neighbors”.
Spring is the mischief in me, and I wonder
If I could put a notion in his head:
“Why do they make good neighbors? Isn’t it
Where there are cows? But here there are no cows.
Before I built a wall I’d ask to know
What I was walling in or walling out,
And to whom I was like to give offense.
Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,
That wants it down.” I could say “Elves” to him,
But it’s not elves exactly, and I’d rather
He said it for himself. I see him there,
Bringing a stone grasped firmly by the top
In each hand, like an old-stone savage armed.
He moves in darkness as it seems to me,
Not of woods only and the shade of trees.
He will not go behind his father’s saying,
And he likes having thought of it so well
He says again, “Good fences make good neighbors.”Listen to an MP3 of Mending Wall as read by Alan Davis-Drake for LibriVox
Listen to a different MP3 of Mending Wall as read by Teresa Montgomery for Librivox
The narrator of the poem is annoyed by his neighbor’s insistence that there has to be a fence between them. If only his neighbor would get beyond his father’s beliefs – originating in an old proverb – and reconsider his thinking.
What’s ironic is that Frost coined the new wording of a proverb: “Good fences make good neighbors”, while questioning the very wisdom behind it!
Modern Poetry Around the World
Wednesday, September 16th, 2009Cross Cultural Poetics has podcasts featuring modern poets from different countries around the world.
The first podcast features Egyptian poets Mohamed Metwalli and Maged Zaher and Chinese poet Zhang Er. They compare Chinese and Arabic poetry to English poetry.
Zhang Er points out that Chinese poetry has no tense – so it has an eternal feeling to it. It has no plurals, no articles and no pronouns. Whereas English poetry is more static – it’s set in time.
Maged Zaher points out that the spoken Arabic language is different from the written language. He said the written Arabic language is more ornamental and rhetorical and that made his poetry more sentimental. To be free of this he writes his poetry in English.
Mohamed Metwalli said he writes in Arabic because that’s the language he dreams in. He speaks English and studied English literature growing up, so there is an influence of it on his poetry. He writes in a modern Arabic form that’s influenced by English.
You can listen to the 1st podcast here.
________
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