Hey diddle diddle
\n\tthe cat and the fiddle
\n\tthe cow jumped over the moon
\n\tthe little dog laughed,
\n\tto see such fun
\n\tand the dish ran away with the spoon.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\tAnd we complain about a lot of modern poetry\u2014or music lyrics\u2014not making sense.<\/p>\n
\tOver the years, many different theories have been put forward as explanations for the poem, ranging from the suggestion that it refers to the various constellations of the night sky, to an anti-clerical expression brought on by priests encouraging people to work harder. J.R.R. Tolkien, besides writing The Lord of The Rings<\/em> trilogy, was a literature professor at Oxford. He wrote a make-believe origin of the poem into the first book of that trilogy.<\/p>\n \tOlder versions of the rhyme have \u201csport\u201d instead of \u201cfun.\u201d And the earliest version of the poem shows up in a book by John Newbery which was printed in London in the late eighteenth century (perhaps as early as 1765) called Mother Goose\u2019s Melody<\/em>, while a reference in Thomas Preston\u2019s 1569 work with the very cumbersome title, A lamentable tragedy mixed ful of pleasant mirth, conteyning the the life of Cambises King of Percia<\/em>, may make reference to the rhyme.<\/p>\n \tSeveral of the old nursery rhymes that most of us know were first collected in Tommy Thumb\u2019s Song Book<\/em> and a sequel, Tommy Thumb\u2019s Pretty Song Book<\/em>. It is thought that both were published before 1744. But the bulk of the old nursery rhymes didn\u2019t appear until Newbery\u2019s Mother Goose\u2019s Melody<\/em> came out. It was later reprinted in the United States about 1833. For most of these children\u2019s poems we have no idea who first authored them or why. But there are a handful for whom the authors and origins are known. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star<\/em> combines an eighteenth century French tune with a poem by Jane Taylor, an English writer. Jane Taylor composed the words in 1806 when she was 23 years old (she died of cancer at the age of 40). Mary Had a Little Lamb<\/em> was written by Sarah Josepha Hale in 1830. She lived in Boston, Massachusetts. <\/p>\n \tOf the other familiar nursery rhymes, not only do we not know their origins, we do not have a clue about what hidden meaning might lie behind their silly words. Consistently, all the familiar rhymes first appeared in print during the eighteenth century. Not knowing why they were written or where they came from has not stopped scholars from suggesting serious origins for what are mostly nonsense rhymes. Without any evidence whatsoever. <\/p>\n Thus, Humpty Dumpty<\/em> has been identified with Richard III of England. Little Jack Horner<\/em> has been linked with the dissolution of the monasteries. Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary<\/em> has been identified with Mary, Queen of Scots. Mary, being Catholic, was viewed with suspicion by her Scottish subjects and by Elizabeth I of England leading eventually to her imprisonment and execution. And Ring Around the Rosies<\/em> has been explained as having something to do with the Black Death. And even though it predates the French Revolution, some have tried to identify the poem, Jack and Jill<\/em> with the French King and Queen, Louis XVI and Marie \u201clet them eat cake\u201d Antoinette\u2014both of whom had an unfortunate meeting with the guillotine.<\/p>\n \tIn reality, it is likely that our nursery rhymes are no more than what they appear to be: nonsense ditties made to amuse children. Chances are, they lack any political or religious significance.<\/p>\n \tMeanwhile, my daughter let the doctor examine her ears. Afterward, he prescribed ear drops on top the antibiotics. <\/p>\n \t\u201cYou know, I liked Humpty Dumpty<\/em> a lot,\u201d she commented as we left the doctor\u2019s office. \u201cDo you remember when I covered you with blankets and I took a picture of it?\u201d<\/p>\n \t\u201cVaguely.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\u201cI had a little stuffed Humpty Dumpty<\/em> and I put it next to your head before I took the picture.\u201d She got a wistful look. When we got home, she started looking for the photo and finally found it. It was just as she remembered it, Humpty Dumpty<\/em> and all.<\/p>\n About a week before her thirteenth birthday, I took my middle daughter to see her pediatrician. She had a sore throat and an ear infection. As we sat in the examination room awaiting the doctor\u2019s arrival, my daughter happened to … Continue reading ![](\"https:\/\/nettelhorst.com\/blog1\/wp-content\/plugins\/send-to-kindle\/media\/white-15.png\")
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