June 5. Story of the Day: The Bowl of Milk

This English rhyme is a translation of a German rhyme from Friedrich Froebel's Mother Play, arranged by Susan Blow. You can see the German "Mutter und Kose Leider" at Hathi Trust, and the English edition reproduces the lovely illustrations from the German, as you can see from the German text included in the first illustration.

Friedrich Froebel was a pioneering 19th-century German educator. You might not have heard of him before, but you certainly know the word "kindergarten," which is a word he invented. Find out more at Wikipedia.

In terms of classification, I suppose this would have to be a "House That Jack Built" type of story in terms of the form, if not the content: ATU 2035. The House that Jack Built.

Want more? Click here for previous Stories-of-the-Day.

THE RHYME OF THE BOWL OP MILK

(Hathi)

Oh, here is the milk, so sweet and white.
All ready for dear little baby!

This is the mother, who with delight
Poured into the bowl the milk so white.
All ready for dear little baby!

This is the milkmaid, who worked with a will
Her pail with the cow's good milk to fill,
To take to the mother, who with delight
Poured into the bowl the milk so white.
All ready for dear little baby!

This is the cow that gave milk each day
To Molly the milkmaid, who worked with a will
Her pail with the cow's good milk to fill.
To take to the mother, who with delight
Poured into the bowl the milk so white,
All ready for dear little baby!

(Hathi)

This is the dry and sweet-smelling hay
That was fed to the cow that gave milk each day
To Molly, the milkmaid, who worked with a will
Her pail with the cow's good milk to fill.
To take to the mother, who with delight
Poured into the bowl the milk so white.
All ready for dear little baby!

This is the grass — (in the field it grew,
Helped by the sunshine, and rain, and dew) —
The grass that was dried into sweet-smelling hay
And fed to the cow that gave milk each day
To Molly, the milkmaid, who worked with a will
Her pail with the cow's good milk to fill.
To take to the mother, who with delight
Poured into the bowl the milk so white.
All ready for dear little baby!

This is the mower, who worked at the farm.
Swinging the scythe with his strong right arm,
Mowing the fields of grass that grew
Helped by the sunshine, and rain, and dew —
The grass that was dried into sweet-smelling hay.
And fed to the cow that gave milk each day
To Molly, the milkmaid, who worked with a will
Her pail with the cow's good milk to fill.
To take to the mother, who with delight
Poured into the bowl the milk so white.
All ready for dear little baby!

(Hathi)

NOTES

Translated by Emilie Poulsson.


CHAIN: milk - mother - milkmaid - cow - hay - grass - mower