Comparative Studies in Nursery Rhymes Part 9

He broke my box and spilt my snuff I think my story is long enough-- 'Taint you, 'taint you, and 'taint you, but 'tis you.

(1894, I, p. 111.)

In the collection of Nursery Songs by Rusher stands the following rhyme:--

I had a little dog and they called him Buff, I sent him to a shop to buy me snuff, But he lost the bag and spilt the stuff; I sent him no more but gave him a cuff, For coming from the mart without any snuff.

"Bufe" as a word for a dog occurs as far back as 1567.[42]

[42] Murray's Dictionary: _Bufe_.

CHAPTER IX

CUSTOM RHYMES

The comparison of our short nursery rhymes with those current in other countries, next engages our attention. Halliwell has remarked that some of our rhymes are chanted by the children of Germany and Scandinavia, which to him strikingly exhibited the great antiquity and remote origin of these rhymes. The observation which he made with regard to the countries of Northern Europe, applies to the countries of Central and Southern Europe also. Scholarly collections of rhymes have been published during recent years in Scandinavia, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and referring to special parts of these countries, which give us a fair insight into their nursery lore. (Cf., p. 212). The comparison of these collections with ours yields surprising results. Often the same thought is expressed in the same form of verse. Frequently the same proper name reappears in the same connection. In many cases rhymes, that seem senseless taken by themselves, acquire a definite meaning when taken in conjunction with their foreign parallels. Judging from what we know of nursery rhymes and their appearance in print, the thought of a direct translation of rhymes in the bulk cannot be entertained. We are therefore left to infer, either that rhymes were carried from one country to another at a time when they were still meaningful, or else that they originated in different countries as the outcome of the same stratum of thought.

The sorting of nursery rhymes according to the number of their foreign parallels, yields an additional criterion as to the relative antiquity of certain rhymes. For those rhymes that embody the more primitive conceptions are those that are spread over the wider geographical area.

The above inquiry has shown that pieces such as _Mother Hubbard_ and _Three Blind Mice_ are relatively new, and that all the rhymes formed on the model of _Little Miss m.u.f.fet_ go back to the _Cushion Dance_ and to the game of _Sally Waters_. Rhymes of this kind are entirely without foreign parallels. On the other hand, calls, such as those addressed to the ladybird and the snail, and riddle-rhymes, such as that on _Humpty Dumpty_, have numerous and close parallels half across Europe.

The ladybird is the representative among ourselves of a large cla.s.s of insects which were a.s.sociated with the movement of the sun from the earliest times. The a.s.sociation goes back to the _kheper_ or chafer of ancient Egypt, which has the habit of rolling along the ball that contains its eggs. This ball was identified as the orb of the sun, and the _kheper_ was esteemed as the beneficent power that helped to keep it moving.

A like importance attached to the chafers that had the power of flying, especially to the ladybird (_Coccinella septem punctata_). In India the insect was called _Indragopas_, that is "protected by Indra." The story is told how this insect flew too near the sun, singed its wings, and fell back to the earth.[43]

[43] De Gubernatis, _Zoological Mythology_, 1872, II, p. 209.

In Greece the same idea was embodied in the myth of Ikaros, the son of Daedalus, who flew too near the sun with the wings he had made for himself, and, falling into the sea, was drowned. Already the ancient Greeks were puzzled by this myth, which found its reasonable explanation in describing Ikaros as the inventor of sails. He was the first to attach sails to a boat, and sailing westwards, he was borne out to sea and perished.

Among ourselves the ladybird is always addressed in connection with its power of flight. It is mostly told to return to its house or home, which is in danger of being destroyed by fire, and warned of the ruin threatening its children if it fails to fly. But some rhymes address it on matters of divination, and one urges it to bring down blessings from heaven.

The rhyme addressed to the ladybird first appears in the nursery collection of 1744, where it stands as follows:--

1. Ladybird, ladybird, fly away home, Your house is on fire, your children will burn.

Many variations of the rhyme are current in different parts of the country, which may be tabulated as follows:--

2. Lady cow, lady cow, fly away home, Your house is on fire, your children all roam. (1892, p. 326.)

3. Ladycow, Ladycow, fly and be gone, Your house is on fire, and your children at home.

(Hallamshire, 1892, p. 326.)

4. Gowdenbug, gowdenbug, fly away home, Yahr house is bahnt dun, and your children all gone.

(Suffolk, _N. & Q._, IV., 55.)

5. Ladybird, ladybird, eigh thy way home, Thy house is on fire, thy children all roam, Except little Nan, who sits in her pan Weaving gold laces as fast as she can.

(Lancashire, 1892, p. 326.)

6. Ladybird, ladybird, fly away home, Your house is on fire, your children at home.

They're all burnt but one, and that's little Ann, And she has crept under the warming pan. (Rusher's Series.)

7. Ladycow, ladycow, fly thy way home, Thy house is on fire, thy children all gone; All but one, that ligs under a stone, Ply thee home, ladycow, ere it be gone. (1842, p. 204.)

8. Ladycow, Ladycow, fly away home, Thy house is on fire, thy children all gone; All but one, and he is Tum, And he lies under the grindelstone.

(Shropshire, 1892, p. 327.)

9. Dowdy cow, dowdy cow, ride away hame, Thy house is burnt, and thy bairns are ta'en; And if thou means to save thy bairns, Take thy wings and fly away.

(N. Riding, Yorks., 1892, p. 327.)

10. Lady, lady landers, fly away to Flanders.

(Chambers, 1842, p. 43.)

11. Fly, ladybird, fly!

North, south, east, or west, Fly to the pretty girl that I love best. (1849, p. 5.)

12. King, king Golloway, up your wings and fly away, Over land and over sea; tell me where my love can be.

(Kincardineshire, 1870, p. 201.)

13. Ladycow, ladycow, fly from my hand, Tell me where my true love stands, Up hill and down hill and by the sea-sand. (1892, p. 119.)

14. Bishop, Bishop, Barnabee, tell me when my wedding will be.

If it be to-morrow day, Ope your wings and fly away. (Suss.e.x, 1892, p. 119.)

15. Bishop, bishop, barnabee, tell me when my wedding will be.

Fly to the east, fly to the west, Fly to them that I love best. (_N. & Q._, I., p. 132.)

16. Burnie bee, burnie bee, say when will your wedding be.

If it be to-morrow day, Take your wings and fly away. (Norfolk, 1849, p. 3.)

17. Bless you, bless you, bonnie bee, say when will your wedding be.

If it be to-morrow day, Take your wings and fly away. (M., p. 253, foot-note.)

18. G.o.d A'mighty's colly cow, fly up to heaven; Carry up ten pound, and bring down eleven.

(Hampshire, 1892, p. 327.)

19. This ladyfly I take from the gra.s.s, Whose spotted back might scarlet red surpa.s.s.

Fly ladybird, north, south, or east or west, Fly where the man is found that I love best.