September 27. Story of the Day: The house that Jack built.

Here is the version from The Nursery Rhyme Book edited by Andrew Lang.

This is ATU 2035. The House that Jack Built. See also Roud 20584.

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

THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT

This is the house that Jack built.

This is the malt
That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the rat,
That ate the malt,
That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the cat,
That kill'd the rat,
That ate the malt,
That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the dog,
That worried the cat,
That kill'd the rat,
That ate the malt,
That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the cow with the crumpled horn,
That toss'd the dog,
That worried the cat,
That kill'd the rat,
That ate the malt,
That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the maiden all forlorn,
That milk'd the cow with the crumpled horn,
That tossed the dog,
That worried the cat,
That kill'd the rat,
That ate the malt,
[251]That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the man all tatter'd and torn,
That kissed the maiden all forlorn,
That milk'd the cow with the crumpled horn,
That tossed the dog,
That worried the cat,
That kill'd the rat,
That ate the malt,
That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the priest all shaven and shorn,
That married the man all tatter'd and torn,
That kiss'd the maiden all forlorn,
That milk'd the cow with the crumpled horn,
That tossed the dog,
That worried the cat,
That kill'd the rat,
That ate the malt,
That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the cock that crow'd in the morn,
That waked the priest all shaven and shorn,
That married the man all tatter'd and torn,
That kiss'd the maiden all forlorn,
That milk'd the cow with the crumpled horn,
That tossed the dog,
That worried the cat,
That kill'd the rat,
That ate the malt,
That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the farmer sowing his corn,
That kept the cock that crow'd in the morn,
That waked the priest all shaven and shorn,
That married the man all tatter'd and torn,
That kissed the maiden all forlorn,
That milk'd the cow with the crumpled horn,
That tossed the dog,
That worried the cat,
That kill'd the rat,
That ate the malt,
That lay in the house that Jack built.

(illustration by R. Caldecott)

August 6. Story of the Day: The Cock that Crowed

This is another item from The McCloskey Primer by Margaret Orvis McCloskey, with illustrations by Charles Copeland. The story is an English translation of a modern Greek song; I found the Greek text online and included that at the bottom of this post.

Since this is just a recitation of items without a reversal at the end, I think that means this would be classified as ATU 2035. The House that Jack Built.

And for more stories, click here for previous Stories-of-the-Day.

THE COCK THAT CROWED
IN THE MORN

There was an old man,
And he had a cock,
That crowed in the morn
And awoke the old man.

But there came a cat
And ate the cock,
That crowed in the morn
And awoke the old man.

And there came a fox
And ate the cat,
That ate the cock,
That crowed in the morn
And awoke the old man.

And there came a wolf
And ate the fox,
That ate the cat,
That ate the cock,
That crowed in the morn
And awoke the old man.

And there came a lion
And ate the wolf,
That ate the fox,
That ate the cat,
That ate the cock,
That crowed in the morn
And awoke the old man.

And there came a river
And drowned the lion,
That ate the wolf,
That ate the fox,
That ate the cat,
That ate the cock,
That crowed in the morn
And awoke the old man.


NOTES

This Greek song and its Hebrew counterpart are mentioned in Dr. Wiener's "Essay on Modern Hebrew in its Relation to Modern Greek," American Folklore Journal, Vol. II, p. 320, as an illustration of the marked similarity of construction in the two languages.

~   ~   ~

McCloskey is reproducing the English translation from Garnett's Greek Folk Poesy, and that book led me to the Greek text in Passow's Carmina popularia.

Ἦταν ἕνας γέρος
Κ᾿ εἶχεν ἕνα πετεινὸ,
Ποῦ λάλει καὶ ξύπνα τὸ μαῦρο τὸ γέρο.

Ἦλθε μία γάτα
Κ᾿ ἔφαγε τὸν πετεινὸ,
Ποῦ λάλει καὶ ξύπνα τὸ μαῦρο τὸ γέρο.

Κ᾿ ἦλθε μία ἀλωποῦ
Κ᾿ ἔφαγε τὴν γάτα,
Ποὔφαγε τὸν πετεινὸ,
Ποῦ λάλει καὶ ξύπνα τὸ μαῦρο τὸ γέρο.

Κ᾿ ἦλθε ἕνας λύκος,
Κ᾿ ἔφαγε τὴν ἀλωποῦν,
Ποὔφαγε τὴν γάτα,
Ποὔφαγε τὸν πετεινὸ,
Ποῦ λάλει καὶ ξύπνα τὸ μαῦρο τὸ γέρο.

Κ᾿ ἦλθε ἕνας λέων,
Κ᾿ ἔφαγε τὸν λύκον,
Ποὔφαγε τὴν ἀλωποῦν,
Ποὔφαγε τὴν γάτα,
Ποὔφαγε τὸν πετεινὸ,
Ποῦ λάλει καὶ ξύπνα τὸ μαῦρο τὸ γέρο.

Κ᾿ ἦλθε ἕνας ποταμὸς,
Πῆρε τὸν λέοντα,
Ποὔφαγε τὸν λύκον,
Ποὔφαγε τὴν ἀλωποῦν,
Ποὔφαγε τὴν γάτα,
Ποὔφαγε τὸν πετεινὸ,
Ποῦ λάλει καὶ ξύπνα τὸ μαῦρο τὸ γέρο.

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

McCloskey. What shall we have?

From The McCloskey Primer by Margaret Orvis McCloskey, with illustrations by Charles Copeland. This is an English translation of a French song.

Since this is just a recitation of items without a reversal at the end, I think that means this would be classified as TMI Z44 The house that Jack built = ATU 2035.

WHAT SHALL WE HAVE?

We will have — what shall we have?
We will have a wee old man,
Who shall keep our little garden,
Where the roses gayly grow.

We will have — what shall we have?
We will have a fine big donkey,
For our wee old man to ride on,
Who shall keep our little garden,
Where the roses gayly grow.

We will have — what shall we have?
We will have a little wasp,
That shall sting the fine big donkey,
That shall throw the wee old man,
Who shall keep our little garden,
Where the roses gayly grow.

We will have — what shall we have?
We will have a little cock,
That shall eat the little wasp,
That shall sting the fine big donkey,
That shall throw the wee old man,
Who shall keep our little garden,
Where the roses gayly grow.

We will have — what shall we have?
We will have a little fox,
That shall eat the little cock,
That shall eat the little wasp,
That shall sting the fine big donkey,
That shall throw the wee old man,
Who shall keep our little garden,
Where the roses gayly grow.

We will have — what shall we have?
We will have a clever dog,
That shall kill the little fox,
That shall eat the little cock,
That shall eat the little wasp,
That shall sting the fine big donkey,
That shall throw the wee old man,
Who shall keep our little garden,
Where the roses gayly grow.

We will have — what shall we have?
We will have a little stick,
That shall beat the little dog,
That shall kill the little fox,
That shall eat the little cock,
That shall eat the little wasp,
That shall sting the fine big donkey,
That shall throw the wee old man,
Who shall keep our little garden,
Where the roses gayly grow.

We will have — what shall we have?
We will have an oven wide,
That shall burn the little stick,
That shall beat the little dog,
That shall kill the little fox,
That shall eat the little cock,
That shall eat the little wasp,
That shall sting the fine big donkey,
That shall throw the wee old man,
Who shall keep our little garden,
Where the roses gayly grow.

We will have — what shall we have?
We will have a river swift,
That shall quench the oven's fire,
That shall burn the little stick,
That shall beat the little dog,
That shall kill the little fox,
That shall eat the little cock,
That shall eat the little wasp,
That shall sting the fine big donkey,
That shall throw the wee old man,
Who shall keep our little garden,
Where the roses gayly grow.

~   ~   ~

The English is from Garnett's Greek Poesy,  and from the reference there I have transcribed the Greek from Passow's Carmina Popularia.

Νἄχαμε, τί νἄχαμε;
Νἄχαμ' ἕνα γέροντα,
Νὰ μᾶς φυλάῃ τὸν κῆπον
Μὲ τὰ τριαντὰφυλλα.

Νἄχαμε, τί νἄχαμε;
Νἄχαμ' ἕνα γαίδαρον,
Νὰ καβαλκεύ' ὁ γέρος,
Ποῦ μᾶς φυλάῃ τὸν κῆπον
Μὲ τὰ τριαντὰφυλλα.

Νἄχαμε, τί νἄχαμε;
Νἄχαμ' ἕνα τάβανον,
Νὰ τσίμβησε τὸν γαίδαρον,
Νὰ κρήμνισε τὸν γέροντα,
Ποῦ μᾶς φυλάῃ τὸν κῆπον
Μὲ τὰ τριαντὰφυλλα.

Νἄχαμε, τί νἄχαμε;
Νἄχαμ' ἕνα πετεινὸν,
Νἄτρωγε τὸν τάβανον,
Ποῦ τσίμβησε τὸν γαίδαρον,
Ποῦ κρήμνισε τὸν γέροντα,
Ποῦ μᾶς φυλάῃ τὸν κῆπον
Μὲ τὰ τριαντὰφυλλα.

Νἄχαμε, τί νἄχαμε;
Νἄχαμ' ἕναν ἄλπαρον
Νἄτρωγε τὸν πετεινὸν,
Ποὔφαγε τὸν τάβανον,
Ποῦ τσίμβησε τὸν γαίδαρον,
Ποῦ κρήμνισε τὸν γέροντα,
Ποῦ μᾶς φυλάῃ τὸν κῆπον
Μὲ τὰ τριαντὰφυλλα.

Νἄχαμε, τί νἄχαμε;
Νἄχαμ' ἕνα σκύλον,
Νἄτρωγε τὸν ἄλπαρον
Κι ὁ ἄλπαρος τὸν πετεινὸν
Κι ὁ πετεινὸς τὸν τάβανον,
Ποῦ τσίμβησε τὸν γαίδαρον,
Ποῦ κρήμνισε τὸν γέροντα,
Ποῦ μᾶς φυλάῃ τὸν κῆπον
Μὲ τὰ τριαντὰφυλλα.

Νἄχαμε, τί νἄχαμε;
Νἄχαμ' ἕνα ξύλον,
Νὰ δέρμανε τὸν σκύλον,
Ποὔφαγε τὸν ἄλπαρον
Κι ὁ ἄλπαρος τὸν πετεινὸν
Κι ὁ πετεινὸς τὸν τάβανον,
Ποῦ τσίμβησε τὸν γαίδαρον,
Ποῦ κρήμνισε τὸν γέροντα,
Ποῦ μᾶς φυλάῃ τὸν κῆπον
Μὲ τὰ τριαντὰφυλλα.

Νἄχαμε, τί νἄχαμε;
Νἄχαμ' ἕνα φοῦρνο,
Νὰ καίγαμε τὸ ξύλον,
Ποὔδειρε τὸν σκύλον,
Ποὔφαγε τὸν ἄλπαρον
Κι ὁ ἄλπαρος τὸν πετεινὸν
Κι ὁ πετεινὸς τὸν τάβανον,
Ποῦ τσίμβησε τὸν γαίδαρον,
Ποῦ κρήμνισε τὸν γέροντα,
Ποῦ μᾶς φυλάῃ τὸν κῆπον
Μὲ τὰ τριαντὰφυλλα.

Νἄχαμε, τί νἄχαμε;
Νἄχαμ' ἕνα ποταμὸν,
Νἄσβενε τὸν φοῦρνο,
Ποὔκαψε τὸ ξύλον,
Ποὔδειρε τὸν σκύλον,
Ποὔφαγε τὸν ἄλπαρον
Κι ὁ ἄλπαρος τὸν πετεινὸν
Κι ὁ πετεινὸς τὸν τάβανον,
Ποῦ τσίμβησε τὸν γαίδαρον,
Ποῦ κρήμνισε τὸν γέροντα,
Ποῦ μᾶς φυλάῃ τὸν κῆπον
Μὲ τὰ τριαντὰφυλλα.

ATU 2035. The House that Jack Built

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At this site:
Lang. This is the house that Jack built
McCloskey. The Cock that Crowed in the Morn
McCloskey. What shall we have?
Blow. The Bowl of Milk
(more to come!)

---

Z44 [ATU 2035] The house that Jack built. Final formula: this is the farmer that sowed the corn that fed the cock that crowed in the morn, that waked the priest all shaven and shorn, that married the man all tattered and torn, that kissed the maiden all forlorn, that milked the cow with a crumpled horn, that tossed the dog, that worried the cat, that caught the rat, that ate the malt that lay in the house that Jack built.

additional information:

Wikipedia: This Is the House That Jack Built

Ashliman: The House That Jack Built 2035 [includes notes]

Africa: Fang: Nassau 245 ff. No. 11 [Chain of Circumstances online]
Africa: Zulu: Callaway 38 [part of longer story online]

Z44.1 The house the old man was to build. The woman for which he is to build the house has some beans for him. The goat eats these up. Cumulative search. Final formula: Smith give me my iron, iron which belongs to the man, man who ate up my fish, fish which belong to the sea . .  sea shirt washerwoman soap woman wood press grease herder cheeseframe figtree horn goat beans.

Parsons [online at Hathi / original]
JAFL XXV 29,
JAFL XXVII 222,
JAFL XXXIII (1920) 40-43 No. 3,
Memoirs = MAFLS XV (1) 207 n. 1.