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My Tweets
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Contents
Posts
Can Someone Help with a German Lap Rhyme?
Wednesday, October 28th, 2009Gloria wrote to me:
Hi, my grandma (born in Eisleben in 1875, emigrating to the Midwest in 1902, married her second husband (my grandfather) in St. Paul, lived most of her life in Wisconsin with her third husband), recited a rhyme when dandling a baby on her extended foot, either with legs crossed at the hips (or just straight out, but the dad’s were best at that). The rest of the family did it for every baby/little child, including myself. We never saw it in print, and we only have the phonetic sound from listening to it. Phonetically, it went something like what follows. I would dearly love to know exactly what it meant, although it is obvious based on what happened to the child:
Grandma (and all the rest of us who had children) would cross her legs at her hips, sit the baby on her upper ankle, hold the baby’s two hands in hers, and bounce the baby lightly up and down, until the end of the rhyme, when she would let the child fall back, laughing, and then lift the child back up, and begin again!
Scheckle, scheckle, reiderlein,
Ven die kinder kleinerschein
Reiden zie auf steckerlein,Ven zie greis auf verten
Reiden zie auferten
Zen zie verten,
Klip, Klop, Klip Klop
Reiden zi (then something like a scary word or sounds)“Boom stehl leckta!” really loud!
The adult lets the child fall back, usually grinning happily. (Sometimes a baby didn’t like it but others wanted you to pull them up onto your ankle and do it again! Some kids got a little dizzy if you did this action too fast! But mostly they loved it. I don’t remember their doing it with me, but I am certain they did, that’s where the phonetic sound and rhythm of the lines as I remember them come in, as well as my mother’s saying it to me when I was older and wanted her to tell me what it was, but it would always have been a phonetic memory, since she never really learned much German except what was common… the words you aren’t supposed to say!) This was done several times, until either one’s leg was tired, or the child needed a rest. I just used the phonetic version when I treated my kids as babies to the fun game, but for some reason I never asked my grandma. I was told that it meant something like, “When a child is little it rides on a stick horse, but when it tries to ride a real horse, he will go faster and fall off.” Have you ever heard this? I possibly have some of the phonetics wrongly remembered, but the rhythm and sounds and actions are still in my brain.
Thanks for any help you can give. I do like your website, I found it by way of BING. I think it is very interesting as to the German, lots of Germans settled in America. My father’s ancestors may have come from Austria, as well as Germany, but came to Wisconsin in the 1840’s, met and married, learned English, so they never spoke German at all when we knew them. A grandson, age 12, who has been learning German, took to it immediately, and loves it, as well as Norwegian, so there must be an inherited acclimation to the sound of a language.
Sincerely,
Gloria Koeser Laundrie
Thanks for sharing your song with us Gloria! If anyone can help with the German version and/or an English translation, please let us know in the comments below.
Cheers!
Mama Lisa
Does Anyone Know a Short Poem or Rhyme about Spring?
Wednesday, May 20th, 2009Rebeca Garcia Mendoza wrote
Hi! I’m a Spanish girl who is preparing resources to teach English to Spanish children. I’m looking for rhymes about seasons and I have a problem. I cannot find a short one of Spring.
If anybody knows one, please, tell me!
Thanks.If anyone can help out Rebeca, please let us know in the comments below.
Thanks!
Mama Lisa
PS FYI I did find this nursery rhyme riddle about all the seasons:
In Spring I look gay,
Decked in comely array,
In Summer more clothing I wear;
When colder it grows,
I fling off my clothes,
And in Winter quite naked appear.Scroll down for the answer..
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
A tree!
In April’s Sweet Month: A Nursery Rhyme
Sunday, April 5th, 2009Here’s a sweet little nursery rhyme about April, that can be found in The Only True Mother Goose Melodies (c. 1843)…
In April’s Sweet Month
Nursery RhymeIn April’s sweet month,
When the leaves ‘gin* to spring,
Little lambs skip like fairies
And birds build and sing.*begin
Enjoy the delights of Springtime!
Mama Lisa
Broken Rhymes
Wednesday, March 25th, 2009Kids love this stuff. Come to think of it, so do I!
BROKEN RHYMES.
Scold, cold, old.
Skate, Kate, ate.
Brink, rink, ink.
Trice, rice, ice.
Crash, rash, ash.
Sledge, ledge, edge.It’s from 1880… Harper’s Young People, March 9, 1880
.If you, your kids, grandkids or students think of any others, feel free to share them in the comments below!
Enjoy!
Mama Lisa
One, Two, Buckle My Shoe: How High Can You Do?
Thursday, November 6th, 2008
In my last blog post, I gave a couple of variations of One, Two, Buckle My Shoe that go up to the number twenty. It’s rare that this rhyme goes past that. When it does, it seems to be to play it as a ball bouncing game… how high can you go bouncing the ball?
This whole search for different variations of the One, Two, Buckle My Shoe rhyme, was all inspired by an email I received from Fran. She wrote…
Lisa, We used to do this rhyme up to 40 when we were kids. Have you ever heard the second part? I am trying to find the parts I can’t remember. Thanks, Fran
As I mentioned in my last post, most people know One, Two, Buckle My Shoe up to 10. Some people know it up to 20. Most people don’t know it past that. I myself had a hard time finding versions beyond 20. After some research, the highest I was able to find was 30. Given Fran’s email, there seems to be a version of this rhyme that goes up to forty. Do you know any versions that go that high?
Below are the different versions I found that go higher than twenty…
First are two versions that go up to twenty-four. They’re from Southern California Jump-Rope Rhymes: A Study in Variants by Ray B. Browne (Western Folklore, Jan. 1955). The first one was “Given as a ball bouncing game”…
One, two,
Buckle my shoe.
Three, Four,
Open the door.
Five, Six,
Pick up sticks.
Seven, Eight,
Lay them straight.
Nine, Ten,
A big fat Hen.Eleven, twelve,
Mind your self (or, roast ‘er well).
Thirteen, fourteen, maids are sporting.
Fifteen, sixteen, maids are kissing.
Seventeen, eighteen, maids are waiting.
Nineteen, twenty, maids are plenty.
Twenty-one, twenty-two,
If you love me as I love you
My knife can cut our love in two.
Twenty-three, twenty-four,
Mary at the kitchen door
Eating apples by the score.
One, two, three, four.[Original Source: Nebraska: Sue Hall, "That Spring Perennial-Rope Jumping!" Recreation, XXXIV (March, 1941), 713-716. (verbal changes only, 11. 1-2)]
Here’s a variation Brown gave on the second verse:
Eleven, twelve, in the well.
Thirteen, fourteen, boys are courting.
Fifteen, sixteen, maids in the kitchen.
Seventeen, eighteen, maids in waiting.
Nineteen, twenty, my plate is empty
(and sometimes ends,…
Twenty-four, Mary’s at the cottage door
Eating grapes upon a plate,
Five, six, seven, eight.)[Original Source: Paul G. Brewster, "Rope-Skipping, Counting-out, and other Rhymes of Children," SFQ, III (1939), 173-185. (verbal changes only, 11. 1-2)]
Western Folklore by California Folklore Society (1954) has the ending simply as:
Twenty-one, twenty-two,
If you love me as I love you
My knife can cut our love in two.The book 10,000 reasons for everything; How to win; Why you lost; Folklore supporting our best superstitions (1998), by William Carroll, has the ending as:
Twenty-one, twenty-two,
That will do.Beverly Flanigan, from the American Dialect Society, posted this: “I only know the 4-and-20 rhyme as the ending of ‘One, two, buckle my shoe’ which we chanted while trying to bounce a ball non-stop without grasping it or losing it (I can still do it!)”…
One, two, buckle my shoe
Three, four, shut the door
Five, six, pick up sticks
Seven, eight, lay them straight
Nine, ten, a big fat hen
Eleven, twelve, dig and delve
Thirteen, fourteen, maids a-courting
Fifteen, sixteen, maids a-kissing
Seventeen, eighteen, maids a-waiting
Nineteen, twenty, the larder is empty
Twenty-one, twenty-two, my old shoe,
Dressed in blue, died last night at half-past two,
Twenty-three, twenty-four, last night at half-past four,
Twenty-four burglars came up to my door;
I opened the door and let them in;
I knocked them down with a rolling pin!Finally, here’s an incomplete version of the rhyme that goes up to thirty. It’s from The Counting-out Rhymes of Children by Henry Carrington Bolton (1888). Bolton wrote that it was “Used in Wrentham Mass as early as 1780″…
One, two, buckle my shoe
Three, four, open the door
Five six, pick up sticks
Seven, eight, lay them straight
Nine, ten, kill a fat hen
Eleven, twelve, bake it well
Thirteen, fourteen, go a courtin’
Fifteen, sixteen, go to milkin’
Seventeen, eighteen, do the bakin’
Nineteen, twenty, the mill is empty
Twenty-one, charge the gun
Twenty-two, the partridge flew
Twenty-three, she lit on a tree
Twenty-four, she lit down lower
Twenty-five*,
Twenty-six*,
Twenty-seven*,
Twenty-eight*,
Twenty-nine the game is mine,
Thirty make a kerchy.*Asterisks denote portions forgotten by the aged contributor.
If anyone knows of any other versions of One, Two, Buckle My Shoe that go higher than twenty, please let us know about it in the comments below.
Thanks!
Mama Lisa
Illustration from “National Rhymes of the Nursery” (circa 1895), illustrated by Gordon Browne (with a little graphical editing by Lisa Yannucci).
Halloween Rhymes for Divination (or How to Predict Your Future Love!)
Friday, October 24th, 2008I recently read “Games for Hallow-e’en” by Mary F. Blain (1912). In her book, Blain tells how to throw a Halloween Party. Though you must keep in mind that it’s from the perspective of almost a century ago. I like her description of Halloween:
Hallow-e’en or Hallow-Even is the last night of October, being the eve or vigil of All-Hallow’s or All Saint’s Day, and no holiday in all the year is so informal or so marked by fun both for grown-ups as well as children as this one. On this night there should be nothing but laughter, fun and mystery. It is the night when Fairies dance, Ghosts, Witches, Devils and mischief-making Elves wander around. It is the night when all sorts of charms and spells are invoked for prying into the future by all young folks and sometimes by folks who are not young.
At the end of Blaine’s description, she mentioned “the night when all sorts of charms and spells are invoked for prying into the future”. She was talking about how people felt that Halloween was an especially good time for divination – predicting the future. Kids especially played games where they could predict their future spouses’ names or occupations. This seems like a fun idea for kids, so I pulled out of Blaine’s book the games that specifically relate to predicting future loves and/or those that have rhymes or chants involved. Here they are, quoted directly from the book:
LOVER’S TEST
A maid and youth each places a chestnut to roast on fire, side by
side. If one hisses and steams, it indicates a fretful temper in owner
of chestnut; if both chestnuts equally misbehave it augurs strife. If
one or both pop away, it means separation; but if both burn to ashes
tranquilly side by side, a long life of undisturbed happiness will be
lot of owners.These portentous omens are fitly defined in the following lines:
“These glowing nuts are emblems true
Of what in human life we view;
The ill-matched couple fret and fume,
And thus in strife themselves consume;
Or from each other wildly start,
And with a noise forever part.
But see the happy, happy pair,
Of genuine love and truth sincere;
With mutual fondness while they burn,
Still to each other kindly turn;
And as the vital sparks decay,
Together gently sink away;
Till life’s fierce trials being past,
Their mingled ashes rest at last.”PERPLEXING HUNT
In this game the seeker for a prize is guided from place to place by
doggerels (verses) as the following, and is started on his hunt with this rhyme:“Perhaps you’ll find it in the air;
If not, look underneath your chair.”Beneath his chair he finds the following:
“No, you will not find it here;
Search the clock and have no fear.”Under the clock he finds:
“You will have to try once more;
Look behind the parlor door.”Tied to the door-knob he discovers:
“If it’s not out in the stable
Seek beneath the kitchen table.”Under the kitchen table he finds another
note, which reads:“If your quest remains uncertain,
You will find it ‘neath a curtain.”And here his quest is rewarded by finding the prize.
APPLE SEEDS
Apple seeds act as charms on Hallowe’en. Stick one on each eyelid and
name one “Home” and the other “Travel.” If seed named travel stays on
longer, you will go on a journey before year expires. If “Home” clings
better, you will remain home. Again, take all the apple seeds, place
them on back of outspread left hand and with loosely clenched right
hand strike palm of left. This will cause some, if not all, of seeds
to fall. Those left on hand show number of letters you will receive
the coming fortnight. Should all seeds drop, you must wait patiently
for your mail.Put twelve apple seeds carefully one side while you cut twelve slips
of blank paper exactly alike, and on one side of each write name of
friend. Turn them all over with blanks uppermost and mix them so that
you will not know which is which; then, holding seeds in your left
hand; repeat:“One I love,
Two I love,
Three I love I say;
Four I love with all my heart
Five I cast away.
Six he loves,
Seven she loves,
Eight they both love;
Nine he comes,
Ten he tarries,
Eleven he courts and
Twelve he marries.”Stop at each line to place a seed on a paper, and turn slip over to
discover name of one you love or cast away. Continue matching apple
seeds with papers as you count, until all twelve seeds and twelve
papers are used.KISMET
Take half as many apples as guests, tie two long strings, one red and
one yellow, to each apple.Place them in one large or several small baskets or receptacles on a
table. The girls choose the red and the boys the yellow strings and at
a signal they carefully pull the strings and follow them up until each
finds his or her mate holding the string of the opposite color,
attached to the same apple. The apples are then to be divided between
each couple and the seeds in each half, counted as follows:One–I love thee.
Two–he (she) loves me.
Three–Wedded we will be.
Four–he (she) loves me dearly.
Five–he (she) loves me nearly.
Six–a friend forever.
Seven–we must sever.
Eight–we met too late.
Nine–why hesitate.
Ten–he (she) is my chosen mate.AROUND THE WALNUT TREE
Of all Hallow-e’en spells and charms associated with nuts, the
following is one of the oldest: If a young man or woman goes at
midnight on Hallow-e’en to a walnut tree and walks around three times,
crying out each time, “Let him (her) that is to be my true love bring
me some walnuts,” future wife or husband will be seen in tree
gathering nuts.GAME OF FATE
Guests take part, seated in a circle. Three Fates are chosen, one of
whom whispers to each person in turn name of his (her) future
sweetheart. Second Fate follows, whispering to each where he (she)
will next meet his (her) sweetheart; as, “You will meet on a load of
hay,” or, “at a picnic,” or, “at church,” or, “on the river,” etc. The
third Fate reveals the future; as, “You will marry him (her) next
Christmas,” or, “You will be separated many years by a quarrel, but
will finally marry,” or, “Neither of you will ever marry,” etc. Each
guest must remember what is said by the Fates; then each in turn
repeats aloud what has been told him (her). For example, “My future
sweetheart’s name is Obednego; I shall meet him next Wednesday on the
Moonlight Excursion, and we shall be married in a week.”WHERE DWELLS MY LOVER?
Steal out unobserved at midnight; plucking a small lock of hair from
your head, cast it to breeze. Whatever direction it is blown is
believed to be location of future matrimonial partner.“I pluck this lock of hair off my head
To tell whence comes the one I shall wed.
Fly, silken hair, fly all the world around
Until you reach the spot where my true love is found.”ROSE TEST
Take two roses with long stems. Name one for yourself and one for your
lover. Go to your room without speaking to any one; kneel beside bed;
twine stems of roses together, and repeat following lines, gazing
intently on lover’s rose:“Twine, twine, and intertwine,
Let my love be wholly thine.
If his heart be kind and true,
Deeper grow his rose’s hue.”If your swain is faithful, color of rose will grow darker.
THE MIRROR
Walk backward several feet out of doors in moonlight with mirror in
your hand, or within doors with candle in one hand and mirror in
the other, repeating following rhyme, and face of your future
companion will appear in glass:“Round and round, O stars so fair!
Ye travel and search out everywhere;
I pray you, sweet stars, now show to me
This night who my future husband (wife) shall be.”NOTE FROM MAMA LISA – I’M NOT RECOMMENDING THAT CHILDREN PLAY THIS NEXT GAME! IT’S JUST INTERESTING TO READ ABOUT FROM AN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE…
JUMPING LIGHTED CANDLE
Place a lighted candle in middle of floor, not too securely placed;
each one jumps over it. Whoever succeeds in clearing candle is
guaranteed a happy year, free of trouble or anxiety. He who knocks
candle over will have a twelve-month of woe.[Another Note from Mama Lisa: This sounds like what's being described in the rhyme Jack Be Nimble.]
APPLE-SEED TEST
Cut an apple open and pick out seeds from core. If only two seeds are
found, they portend early marriage; three, legacy; four, great wealth;
five, a sea voyage; six, great fame as orator or singer; seven,
possession of any gift most desired.If you’re interested, you can read the whole book that these rhymes are from. It’s online at: Games for Hallow-e’en.
Enjoy predicting your future on Halloween! It’s all in good fun!
Mama Lisa
Horse Trotting Rhymes to Play with Older Kids
Sunday, July 27th, 2008In my previous blog post I mentioned some English rhymes which can be played with children sitting on adults’ laps, with either babies or older kids.
This time, I’d like to discuss another genre of lap rhymes called Horse Trotting Rhymes.
Horse Trotting Rhymes are usually done with older kids. You wouldn’t want to play these babies since you don’t want to jiggle their heads.
When singing these songs you move your legs up and down with the child on your knees as if they’re riding a horse. Older kids love these rhymes.
Ride a Cock-horse to Banbury Cross is one of the best-known English Horse Trotting Rhymes…
Ride a Cock-horse to Banbury Cross
Ride a cock-horse* to Banbury Cross,
To see a fine lady upon a white horse;
Rings on her fingers and bells on her toes,
And she shall have music wherever she goes.*A cock-horse is anything a kid rides on and pretends is a horse (i.e. someone’s lap, a rocking horse or a wooden stick with a wooden horses head).
Trot, Trot, Trot to Boston is another well-known Horse Trotting Rhyme. Below I’ve listed some of the variations of the rhyme…
Trot, Trot, Trot to Boston
Trot, trot, trot to Boston
(Gently bounce the child on your knees)Trot, trot, trot to Lynn.
(Gently bounce again)Watch out Little One/Girl/Boy/or kids’ name
(Gently bounce knees again)Or you’ll fall in/You’re going to fall in!/or Cause you might fall in!
(Open knees/Gently bring child down between knees and then lift back up)Variation:
Trot, trot to Boston
Trot, trot to Maine
Trot, trot
And home, home again.Or:
Trot, trot, to Boston;
Trot, trot, to Lynn;
Trot, trot, to Salem;
Home, home again.When singing this next song you move your legs up and down with the child on your knees. With each verse you move your legs a little higher…
This Is the Way the Ladies Ride
This is the way the ladies ride,
Tri, tre, tre, tree,
Tri, tre, tre, tree!
This is the way the ladies ride,
Tri, tre, tre, tre, tri-tre-tre-tree!This is the way the gentlemen ride,
Gallop-a-trot,
Gallop-a-trot!
This is the way the gentlemen ride,
Gallop-a-gallop-a-trot!This is the way the farmers ride,
Hobbledy-hoy,
Hobbledy-hoy!
This is the way the farmers ride,
Hobbledy-hobbledy-hoy!Here’s a similar one…
Here Goes My Lord
Here goes my lord
A trot, a trot, a trot, a trot,
Here goes my lady
A canter, a canter, a canter, a canter!Here goes my young master
Jockey-hitch*, jockey-hitch, jockey-hitch, jockey-hitch!
Here goes my young miss
An amble, an amble, an amble, an amble!The footman lags behind to tipple** ale and wine,
And goes gallop, a gallop, a gallop, to make up his time.*To jockey is to ride a horse like in a race as if you’re a jockey. To hitch is to raise with a jerk. So I believe jockey-hitch describes riding a horse quickly, yet, fitfully up and down.
**To drinkHere’s one more…
Little Shon a Morgan
Little Shon a Morgan
Shentleman of Wales,
Came riding on a nanny-goat,
Selling of pigs’ tails.Chicky, cuckoo, my little duck,
See-saw, sickna downy;
Gallop a trot, trot, trot,
And hey for Dublin a towny!If you would like to share any more Horse Trotting Rhymes with us, feel free to tell us about them in the comments below.
The illustration comes from The National Nursery Book.
Enjoy and have fun!
Mama Lisa
Lap Rhymes to Play with Babies
Thursday, July 24th, 2008I received a letter from Hungary from Mrs. Török looking for English rhymes to play with children sitting on laps. She wrote that she’s looking for “British, American or Canadian short riddles or rhymes which we don’t have to sing but they can be played while the children are sitting on the mothers’ legs. These rhymes would be played with babies.”
This Little Piggy is probably the most well-known rhyme that people do with babies in the English speaking world.
This Little Piggy
This little piggy went to market,
This little piggy stayed at home,
This little piggy ate roast beef,
This little piggy had none.
And this little piggy went…
“Wee wee wee wee wee”
All the way home…As you say each line you wiggle each of the baby’s toes, starting with the big toe and wiggling each toe until you’ve done all five. On the last two lines you tickle the child up the leg – as if the “piggy” is running home.
Round and Round the Garden is especially popular in England…
Round and Round the Garden (also known as Teddy Bear)
Round and round the garden…
(Run your index finger around child’s palm.)
Like a teddy bear.One step, two step…
(Walk your fingers up the child’s arm.)Tickle you under there!
(Tickle under armpit!)Open, Shut Them is popular in the US…
Open, Shut Them
Open, shut them.
Open, shut them.
Give a little clap, clap, clap.Open, shut them
Open, shut them.
Put them in your lap, lap, lap.Creep them, creep them,
Creep them, creep them,
Right up to your chin, chin, chin.Open wide your little mouth,
But do not let them in.Open and close your hands when you sing “Open, shut them” and then follow the words to the song and make the corresponding hand movements while you sing. On “do not let them in” hide your hands behind your back.
Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes is popular around the world. Children point to each body part as they are listed. Older kids usually point by themselves. On babies, you can help them touch each part with their hands…
Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes
Head and shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes,
Head and shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes,
And eyes and ears and mouth and nose,
Head and shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes.How Big is Baby
This is a simple game where you say “How big is (Child’s name)?” Then in a high voice you answer, “So big!” while gently putting the baby’s arms up in the air.
Little kids love that one.
Here’s one to recite while gentle tapping the bottom of the baby’s feet…
Shoe a Little Horse
Shoe a little horse,
Shoe a little mare,
But let the little colt go
Bare, bare, bare.Here’s one to say while gently touching the different parts of the baby’s face…
Brow brinky
Brow brinky,
Eye winky,
Chin choppy,
Nose noppy,
Cheek cherry,
Mouth merry.With the above rhyme you can touch the baby’s hand to your face while you wiggle your brows, wink your eyes, move your jaw up and down, wriggle your nose, blow out your cheeks and smile.
While saying the following rhyme you can help the child make the associated motions…
Two Little Hands Go Clap, Clap, Clap
Two little hands go clap, clap, clap,
Two little feet go tap, tap, tap,
Two little legs kick high, high, high,
Two little lips go kiss, kiss, kiss,
Two little arms go hug, hug, hug,
Two little arms wave bye, bye, bye.If anyone would like to add any lap rhymes in the comments below, we’d love to learn more!
Enjoy and have fun!
Mama Lisa
UPDATE: Check out my next post for Horse Trotting Rhymes to Play with Older Kids!
Poems, Songs and Rhymes about Cleanliness and Washing Up
Wednesday, May 28th, 2008Kishan emailed me requesting a poem about cleanliness.
Here are some rhymes and poems I found that are generally about cleanliness, keeping clean or washing up…
First, here’s a traditional nursery rhyme that mentions having a clean face:
The Clock
There’s a neat little clock,
In the schoolroom it stands,
And it points to the time
With its two little hands.And may we, like the clock,
Keep a face clean and bright,
With hands ever ready
To do what is right.This next rhyme is about washing feet:
Marguerite
Marguerite, go wash your feet;
The board of health is ‘cross the street.Here’s a song you can sing when washing up or brushing teeth:
This is the Way We Wash our Hands
(To the tune of Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush)This is the way we wash our hands
Wash our hands, wash our hands,
This is the way we wash our hands
In the afternoon (or “To keep us very healthy”)(You can continue with washing other body parts or substitute the line “This is the way we brush our teeth”.)
Here’s a song about washing away germs:
GERMS!
Wash your face and hands with soap,
Wash them every day!
Keeping clean by using soap
Will help keep germs awayFinally, below you’ll find an old poem called Cleanliness by Charles and Mary Lamb from around 1874. First I’ve given a shortened version that I found and after that you’ll find the full, longer version of it:
Cleanliness
All-endearing cleanliness,
Virtue next to godliness,
Easiest, cheapest, needfull’st duty,
To the body health and beauty;
Who that’s human would refuse it,
When a little water does it?Here’s the longer version:
Cleanliness
Come, my little Robert, near-
Fie! what filthy hands are here!
Who, that e’er could understand
The rare structure of a hand,
With its branching fingers fine,
Work itself of hands divine,
Strong, yet delicately knit,
For ten thousand uses fit,
Overlaid with so clear skin
You may see the blood within,-
Who this hand would choose to cover
With a crust of dirt all over,
Till it look’d in hue and shape
Like the forefoot of an ape!
Man or boy that works or plays
In the fields or the highways,
May, without offence or hurt,
From the soil contract a dirt
Which the next clear spring or river
Washes out and out for ever-
But to cherish stains impure,
Soil deliberate to endure,
On the skin to fix a stain
Till it works into the grain,
Argues a degenerate mind,
Sordid, slothful, ill-inclined,
Wanting in that self-respect
Which does virtue best protect.
All-endearing cleanliness,
Virtue next to godliness,
Easiest, cheapest, needfull’st duty,
To the body health and beauty;
Who that’s human would refuse it,
When a little water does it?If you know of any songs, rhymes, poems, or sayings about cleanliness or washing up, please let us know about them in the comments below.
Thanks!
Mama Lisa
Lent Season and Pancakes
Tuesday, February 19th, 2008Guest Blogger, Ed Gawlinski, has been involved in many cultural organizations throughout his life.
The season of Lent has started. Lent is a season during which Christians prepare for Easter. The English custom is to start Lent by having pancakes on Shrove Tuesday (the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday). A children’s rhyme goes with this…
Pancakes and fritters,
Say the bells of Saint Peter’s.Or
Hark I hear the pancake bell
And fritters make a gallant smell.One of the Lenten disciplines is to avoid foods made with fat, which is the reason for the English custom of using up your fat by making pancakes the day before Lent starts. The Polish custom is to make Pączki, a type of donut.
At these links below you can find some recipes for Pączki:
Recipe for Paczki
Another Recipe for Paczki
One more Recipe for Pączki
Old Sayings and Rhymes from the 1940’s
Wednesday, July 25th, 2007I love to hear the different ways people spoke in the past. It’s similar to how I enjoy hearing different languages. You can imagine life in another time or place.
Quite a while back, Arlene Charest wrote me with some rhymes and sayings she remembered from growing up in the 1940’s. I felt these are important to try to preserve. Here are a couple, along with what Arlene had to say about the times…
I know so many rhymes and sayings from 1940 and during the war when we could roller skate down the center of a no longer busy street (no gas, no rubber, no young men), holding hands and singing, “Coming in on a wing on a prayer…”. We did a lot of ball bouncing:
One Two Three a Nation,
I observed my confirmation,
On the day of decoration,
One Two Three a Nation.The other one was:
“A” my name is Arlene,
My husband’s name is Alfred,
We live in Albany
And we eat Apples, and so on through the alphabet.My grandmother had an old victrola with the wind up handle and, “It’s a long way to Tiperarie; it’s a long way to go; it’s a long way to Tiperarie, to the sweetest girl I know…” and of course, “There’ll be blue birds over the white cliffs of Dover” which everybody old knows. -Arlene
Arlene mentioned other sayings in an earlier email:
“Go up to your kind policeman; he’ll tell you just where to go.”
-From NYC school system, to keep children from getting frightened if they got lost, around 1940.
Also, my husband remembers his uncle singing a rhyme:
“Sitting on a curbstone chewing Pepsin gum….
Go on you big fat lobster, said the little bum.”
And that brings me to expressions like “Eh Gads and Saints Preserve Us and For Heaven’s Sake” – nobody, boy or girl ever swore that I can recall, but there were many funny exclamations like these.There were wonderful rope jumping rhymes and I am trying to bring them back to mind – if I had a word or two, I know it would come. Maybe one of your readers knows part of a phrase and I could then remember.
Just tickling our memories. -Arlene
If anyone would like to share any rhymes or songs from the 1930’s and ’40’s to help Arlene remember, please feel free to comment below or email me.
Lisa
The Nursery Rhyme called “A Wise Old Owl”
Monday, June 11th, 2007Marty wrote me looking for the nursery rhyme called “A Wise Old Owl”. I enjoyed rediscovering this rhyme so much, I wanted to share it with all of you:
A Wise Old Owl
A wise old owl lived in an oak;
The more he saw the less he spoke;
The less he spoke the more he heard.
Why can’t we all be like that wise old bird?-Lisa
Swan – A Mother Goose Nursery Rhyme
Wednesday, April 11th, 2007The illustration below is from The Real Mother Goose which was illustrated by Blanche Fisher Wright and published in 1916. The whole book is available to download for free from Project Gutenberg. Just click the link on the book title to download it. I’ll be posting much of it on my Nursery Rhyme site over time – with French and Spanish translations. I’ll also post some here from time to time – along with some other public domain rhymes.
SWAN
Swan, swan, over the sea;
Swim, swan, swim!
Swan, swan, back again;
Well swum, swan!
Christmas Nursery Song
Wednesday, December 20th, 2006Here’s a nice little traditional rhyme for you…
Little Robin Redbreast
Sat upon a tree,
I wish you a merry Christmas
It’s a greeting from me.With apples to eat,
Nuts to crack,
I wish you a merry Christmas
With a big rat-a-tat.-Lisa
Occitan Christmas Custom
Thursday, December 14th, 2006Hugues Bernet is a teacher in a school in France where the Occitan language and culture are taught. (Occitan is a language spoken in parts of southern France, Spain and Italy. It was the language of the troubadours.)
Hugues wrote to me about a custom they follow in his school at Christmastime. It involves a recitation in Occitan. Here’s what he wrote:
Here is a small Occitan custom that’s practiced at Christmastime. I don’t know it’s date or precise origin (the term “cachafuoc” for “Yule log” comes from the Cévennes mountains in south central France). Nonetheless, in the school where I work, we organize a little party for Christmas where we recapture this custom.
During this party the gifts are given out to all the people there. That’s the “soca” (a log) that brings the gifts. Two people (the youngest and the oldest of the group) carry the log into the room and say a ritual phrase in Occitan:
Bota fuòc, cachafuòc,
que nos alegre,
que nos fague la jòia d’èstre aquíi l’an que ven,
e se sèm pas mai,
que siaguem pas mens!English Translation:
Light up, Yule log,
Delight us,
Give us the joy to be here next year,
And if we aren’t more numerous,
Let us not be less!Many thanks to Hugues for sharing this nice saying and custom with us!
-Lisa
The Origins of Some Scandinavian Toe Naming Rhymes
Wednesday, December 13th, 2006Julie and Beth wrote looking for the origins of two Scandinavian rhymes that are played with little kids while touching their toes. We’re wondering if anyone’s ever heard of these rhymes and perhaps knows what country they’re from and/or anything else about their origins. Here’s what Julie wrote:
I have been searching for the origin of a nursery rhyme that my friend said to her kids. The child has his/her shoes off and starting with the little toe, she names the toes:
Little Pea (little toe)
Peter Lou (next toe)
Oosey Nossey (next toe)
Toosey tossey (next toe)
And a Great Big Oppososso (big toe)I am not sure of the spelling. However, the University of Wisconsin Children’s Library assures me that this toe rhyme has Scandinavian roots. They said: Scandinavia is known for naming toe rhymes.
Please help me, I have been searching the origin of this toe playing game for years with my friend’s blessing. My friend is Scandinavian and she doesn’t remember where she heard this toe playing game. I assume that she heard it as a child.
Julie
Beth Bookschlepper wrote in looking for the origin of a similar rhyme:
I know this as…
Little Pea,
Penny Rou,
Judy Whistle,
Mary Tossle,
And Big Tom Bumble.I am also interested in its origins.
If anyone can help, or would like to share other similar rhymes, please comment below.
Thanks!
Lisa
“A Bunny”, a Fingerplay Rhyme
Saturday, April 15th, 2006A Bunny is a fingerplay you can do at Easter time or throughout the year. Here are the words…
A Bunny
Once there was a bunny.
(Make a fist with your left hand and extend two fingers for ears)And a green, green cabbage head…
(Make a fist with your right hand)“I think I’ll have some breakfast,” the little bunny said.
(Move bunny toward cabbage head)So he nibbled and he nibbled.
(Wiggle fingers on left hand)Then he turned around to say,
“I think this is the time I should be hopping on my way!”
(Make hopping movements with left hand)Enjoy saying this rhyme to your little bunnies!
Lisa
“Easter Rabbits”, a Counting Rhyme
Thursday, April 13th, 2006Here’s a fingerplay about rabbits for Easter…
Easter Rabbits
Five little Easter rabbits
(Hold up all 5 fingers )
Sitting by the door,
One hopped away,
And then there were four.
(Bend down one finger)Refrain
Hop, hop, hop, hop,
(Clap each time you say hop)
See how they run!
Hop, hop, hop, hop,
(Clap each time you say hop)
They think it is great fun!Four little Easter rabbits
(Hold up four fingers)
Under a tree,
One hopped away,
And then there were three.
(Bend down one finger)Refrain
Three little Easter rabbits
(Hold up three fingers )
Looking at you,
One hopped away,
And then there were two.
(Bend down one finger )Refrain
Two little Easter rabbits
(Hold up two fingers)
Resting in the sun,
One hopped away,
And there was one.
(Bend down one finger)Refrain
One little Easter rabbit
(Hold up only one finger)
Left all alone,
He hopped away,
And then there were none.
(Hide hand behind your back)Refrain
Hop, hop, hop, hop!
(Clap each time you say hop)
All gone away!
Hop, hop, hop, hop!
(Clap each time you say hop)
They’ll come back some day.This rhyme can be used throughout the year, if you take out the word “Easter”.
But now it’s Easter time, so let’s leave it in!
Happy Easter!
Lisa
A Daffodil Ditty
Thursday, March 30th, 2006Yesterday I saw the first daffodils of the season. It made me think of an old English rhyme, which goes…
Daffy-down-dilly is new come to town,
With a yellow petticoat and a green gown.An alternative version is…
Daffy-down-dilly is new come to town,
With a petticoat green, and a bright yellow gown,
And her white blossoms are peeping around.Seeing daffy-down-dilly used for daffodil, made me curious about the word. I looked it up in the Oxford English Dictionary and found all of these variants of daffodil…
Affodil
Daff
Daffy
Daffadilly
Daffodilly
Daffydowndilly
Daffadowndilly
Daffodowndilly
DaffadoondillyThen there’s also the word daffying, that dates back to 1871, which means to gather daffodils.
Whatever you’re doing this season, I hope you get to see some lovely daffy-down-dillies. It’s a wonderful sign that it’s springtime!
Lisa
Nursery Rhymes and Proverbs about March
Friday, March 17th, 2006March brings breezes loud and shrill,
To stir the dancing daffodil.March comes in like a lion
And goes out like a lamb.Sometimes it’s reversed…
March comes in like a lamb
And goes out like a lion.A March sun sticks
Like a lock of wool.There’s an old belief that if March is dry and dusty, there will be a better crop…
A bushel of March dust is worth a King’s ransom.
A fair March is worth a king’s ransom.
A dry March and a wet May
Fill barns and bays with corn and hay.A peck of March dust and a shower in May
Makes the corn green and the fields gay.March water is worse
Than a stain in cloath*.*That seems to be an obsolete spelling of cloth.
Here are happy ones to consider when you’re stuck inside because of the coming Spring rain…
March winds and April showers
Bring forth May flowers.And…
In beginning or in end
March its gifts will send.Be joyful, it’s almost Spring!
Lisa
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