November 1. Story of the Day: Oh! come out, nanny-goat!

This comes from an old booklet by George Alexander Kohut: Some Passover rhymes and their parallels.

This is an example of ATU 2030. The Old Woman and her Pig.

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


OH! COME OUT, NANNY GOAT




Oh! come out, nanny-goat,
Oh! come out of that cabbage field!
We must go and fetch the wolf!

The wolf won't eat nanny-goat,
Nanny-goat won't come out of the cabbage field.

Oh! come out, nanny-goat,
Oh! come out of that cabbage field!
We must go and fetch the dog!

The dog won't bite the wolf,
The wolf won't eat nanny-goat,
Nanny-goat won't come out of the cabbage field.

Oh! come out, nanny-goat,
Oh! come out of that cabbage field!
We must go and fetch the stick!

The stick won't beat the dog,
The dog won't bite the wolf,
The wolf won't eat nanny-goat,
Nanny-goat won't come out of the cabbage field.

Oh! come out, nanny-goat,
Oh! come out of that cabbage field!
We must go and fetch the farmer!

The farmer takes the stick,
The stick beats the dog,
The dog bites the wolf,
The wolf eats the nanny-goat.


NOTES

There are a number of parallels to Had Gadya in Oriental and Occidental folklore. Perhaps the most striking one is the old French ballad, published in the periodical Romania, in 1872, by the late Gaston Paris, entitled "Le Chanson du Chevreau" reprinted in A. Sabatier's "Chansons hebraico-provencales," in 1874, which is held to be the prototype of our legend by certain folklorists. Besides this ancient analogue, there are two more modern nursery rhymes, still quite popular in France, one of which we herewith reproduce in English translation.

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