October 27. Story of the Day: Sneezes

This story comes from The Nursery Rhymes of England by James Orchard Halliwell.

It is an example of ATU 2012 Days of the Week.

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

SNEEZES

If you sneeze on Monday, you sneeze for danger;
Sneeze on a Tuesday, kiss a stranger;
Sneeze on a Wednesday, sneeze for a letter;
Sneeze on a Thursday, something better;
Sneeze on a Friday, sneeze for sorrow;
Sneeze on a Saturday, see your sweetheart to-morrow.

Compare the variations in Northall's English Folk-Rhymes; there is a version from Lancashire which includes Sunday:

Sneeze on a Sunday, your safety seek:
The devil will have you the whole of the week.

(Little Sammy Sneeze)

Halliwell. Washing

From The Nursery Rhymes of England by James Orchard Halliwell. For variations, see Northall's English Folk-Rhymes. For Scottish, see Chambers' Popular Rhymes of Scotland.

This would be an example of ATU 2012 Days of the Week.

WASHING

They that wash on Monday

Have all the week to dry;

They that wash on Tuesday

Are not so much awry;

They that wash on Wednesday

Are not so much to blame;

They that wash on Thursday,

Wash for shame;

They that wash on Friday,

Wash in need;

And they that wash on Saturday,

Oh! they're sluts indeed.

(Washerwomen by D. R. Knight)

Halliwell. The key of the king's garden.

From The Nursery Rhymes of England by James Orchard Halliwell, with illustrations by W. B. Scott.

For a longer version, played as a game, see Godey's Lady's Book below.

This is Roud 20175.

THE KEY OF THE KING'S GARDEN

I sell you the key of the king's garden.

I sell you the string that ties the key of the king's garden.

I sell you the rat that gnawed the string that ties the key of the king's garden.

I sell you the cat that caught the rat that gnawed the string that ties the key of the king's garden.

I sell you the dog that bit the cat that caught the rat that gnawed the string that ties the key of the king's garden.

~  ~  ~

Here is a game version from Godey's Lady's Book, Vol. 80 (1870; online at Google Books).

The players seat themselves in a circle, and the one best acquainted with the game commences. Every player making a mistake must pay a forfeit.

I sell you the key of the king's garden.

I sell you the string that holds the key of the king's garden.

I sell you the nail where hangs the string that holds the key of the king's garden.

I sell you the beam in which is the nail where hangs the string that holds the key of the king's garden.

I sell you the rat that gnawed the beam in which is the nail where hangs the string that holds the key of the king's garden.

I sell you the cat that killed the rat that gnawed the beam in which is the nail where hangs the string that holds the key of the king's garden.

I sell you the dog that worried the cat that killed the rat that gnawed the beam in which is the nail where hangs the string that holds the key of the king's garden.

I sell you the stick that beat the dog that worried the cat that killed the rat that gnawed the beam in which is the nail where hangs the string that holds the key of the king's garden.

I sell you the fire that burnt the stick that beat the dog that worried the cat that killed the rat that gnawed the beam in which is the nail where hangs the string that holds the key of the king's garden.

I sell you the water that put out the fire that burnt the stick that beat the dog that worried the cat that killed the rat that gnawed the beam in which is the nail where hangs the string that holds the key of king's garden.

I sell you the pail that brought the water that put out the fire that burnt the stick that beat the dog that worried the cat that killed the rat that gnawed the beam in which is the nail where hangs the string that holds the key of king's garden.

I sell you the well that filled the pail that brought the water that quenched the fire that burnt the stick that beat the dog that worried the cat that killed the rat that gnawed the beam in which is the nail where hangs the string that holds the key of king's garden.

(gate to Kew Gardens)

Halliwell. I saw a peacock

From The Nursery Rhymes of England by James Orchard Halliwell, with illustrations by W. B. Scott.

This is Roud 19790.

The trick here is not to be fooled by the line endings. Halliwell provides a clue at the top re: the commas.

I SAW A PEACOCK

[Mind your punctuation!]

I saw a peacock with a fiery tail,
I saw a blazing comet drop down hail,
I saw a cloud wrapped with ivy round,
I saw an oak creep upon the ground,
I saw a pismire swallow up a whale,
I saw the sea brimful of ale,
I saw a Venice glass full fifteen feet deep,
I saw a well full of men's tears that weep,
I saw red eyes all of a flaming fire,
I saw a house bigger than the moon and higher,
I saw the sun at twelve o'clock at night,
I saw the man that saw this wondrous sight.

(peacock feather)

Halliwell. Old Dame

From The Nursery Rhymes of England by James Orchard Halliwell, with illustrations by W. B. Scott.

This is Roud 19196.

THE OLD DAME

One child, called the Old Dame, sits on the floor, and the rest, joining hands, form a circle round her, and dancing, sing the following lines:

Children. To Beccles! to Beccles!
To buy a bunch of nettles!
Pray, old Dame, what's o'clock?

Dame. One, going for two.

Children. To Beccles! to Beccles!
To buy a bunch of nettles!
Pray, old Dame, what's o'clock?

Dame. Two, going for three.

And so on till she reaches, "Eleven going for twelve."

After this the following questions are asked, with the replies.—

Children. Where have you been?
Dame. To the wood.
Children. What for?
Dame. To pick up sticks.
Children. What for?
Dame. To light my fire.
Children, What for?
Dame. To boil my kettle.
Children. What for?
Dame. To cook some of your chickens.

The children then all run away as fast as they can, and the Old Dame tries to catch one of them. Whoever is caught is the next to personate the Dame.

(road to Beccles from Aldeby)

Halliwell. One old Oxford ox opening oysters

From The Nursery Rhymes of England by James Orchard Halliwell, with illustrations by W. B. Scott.

This is Roud 20007.

(Amazon)

ONE OLD OXFORD OX

One old Oxford ox opening oysters;
Two tee-totums totally tired of trying to trot to Tadbury;
Three tall tigers tippling tenpenny tea;
Four fat friars fanning fainting flies;
Five frippy Frenchmen foolishly fishing for flies;
Six sportsmen shooting snipes;
Seven Severn salmons swallowing shrimps;
Eight Englishmen eagerly examining Europe;
Nine nimble noblemen nibbling nonpareils;
Ten tinkers tinkling upon ten tin tinderboxes with ten tenpenny tacks;
Eleven elephants elegantly equipt;
Twelve typographical topographers typically translating types.

Halliwell. Billy Pod and Edrin Drum

From The Nursery Rhymes of England by James Orchard Halliwell, with illustrations by W. B. Scott.

This is Roud 2571.

BILLY POD AND EDRIN DRUM

There was a man in our toone, in our toone, in our toone,
There was a man in our toone, and his name was Billy Pod;
   And he played upon an old razor, an old razor, an old razor,
   And he played upon an old razor, with my fiddle fiddle fe fum fo.

And his hat it was made of the good roast beef, the good roast beef, the good roast beef,
And his hat it was made of the good roast beef, and his name was Billy Pod;
   And he played upon an old razor, an old razor, an old razor,
   And he played upon an old razor, with my fiddle fiddle fe fum fo.

And his coat it was made of the good fat tripe, the good fat tripe, the good fat tripe,
And his coat it was made of the good fat tripe, and his name was Billy Pod;
   And he played upon an old razor, an old razor, an old razor,
   And he played upon an old razor, with my fiddle fiddle fe fum fo.

And his breeks were made of the bawbie baps, the bawbie baps, the bawbie baps,
And his breeks were made of the bawbie baps, and his name was Billy Pod;
   And he played upon an old razor, an old razor, an old razor,
   And he played upon an old razor, with my fiddle fiddle fe fum fo.

And there was a man in tither toone, in tither toone, in tither toone,
And there was a man in tither toone, and his name was Edrin Drum;
   And he played upon an old laadle, an old laadle, an old laadle,
   And he played upon an old laadle, with my fiddle fiddle fe fum fo.

And he eat up all the good roast beef, the good roast beef, the good roast beef,
And he eat up all the good roast beef, and his name was Edrin Drum;
   And he played upon an old laadle, an old laadle, an old laadle,
   And he played upon an old laadle, with my fiddle fiddle fe fum fo.

And he eat up all the good fat tripe, the good fat tripe, the good fat tripe,
And he eat up all the good fat tripe, and his name was Edrin Drum;
   And he played upon an old laadle, an old laadle, an old laadle,
   And he played upon an old laadle, with my fiddle fiddle fe fum fo.

And he eat up all the bawbie baps, the bawbie baps, the bawbie baps,
And he eat up all the bawbie baps, and his name was Edrin Drum;
   And he played upon an old laadle, an old laadle, an old laadle,
   And he played upon an old laadle, with my fiddle fiddle fe fum fo.

(maxpixel)

Halliwell. Little Tom Dogget

From The Nursery Rhymes of England by James Orchard Halliwell.

This is Roud 6914.

LITTLE TOM DOGGET

(W. Gannon)

Little Tom Dogget,
What dost thou mean,
To kill thy poor Colly
Now she's so lean?
    Sing, oh poor Colly,
    Colly, my cow,
    For Colly will give me
    No more milk now.

I had better have kept her,
'Till fatter she had been,
For now, I confess,
She's a little too lean.
    Sing, oh poor Colly,
    Colly, my cow,
    For Colly will give me
    No more milk now.

First in comes the tanner
With his sword by his side,
And he bids me five shillings
For my poor cow's hide.
    Sing, oh poor Colly,
    Colly, my cow,
    For Colly will give me
    No more milk now.

Then in comes the tallow-chandler,
Whose brains were but shallow,
And he bids me two-and-sixpence
For my cow's tallow.
    Sing, oh poor Colly,
    Colly, my cow,
    For Colly will give me
    No more milk now.

Then in comes the huntsman
So early in the morn,
He bids me a penny
For my cow's horn.
    Sing, oh poor Colly,
    Colly, my cow,
    For Colly will give me
    No more milk now.

Then in comes the tripe-woman,
So fine and so neat,
She bids me three half-pence
For my cow's feet.
    Sing, oh poor Colly,
    Colly, my cow,
    For Colly will give me
    No more milk now.

Then in comes the butcher,
That nimble-tongu'd youth,
Who said she was carrion,
But he spoke not the truth.
    Sing, oh poor Colly,
    Colly, my cow,
    For Colly will give me
    No more milk now.

The skin of my cowly
Was softer than silk,
And three times a-day
My poor cow would give milk.
    Sing, oh poor Colly,
    Colly, my cow,
    For Colly will give me
    No more milk now.

She every year
A fine calf did me bring,
Which fetcht me a pound,
For it came in the spring.
    Sing, oh poor Colly,
    Colly, my cow,
    For Colly will give me
    No more milk now.

But now I have kill'd her,
I can't her recall;
I will sell my poor Colly,
Hide, horns, and all.
    Sing, oh poor Colly,
    Colly, my cow,
    For Colly will give me
    No more milk now.

The butcher shall have her,
Though he gives but a pound,
And he knows in his heart
That my Colly was sound.
    Sing, oh poor Colly,
    Colly, my cow,
    For Colly will give me
    No more milk now.

And when he has bought her
Let him sell all together,
The flesh for to eat,
And the hide for leather.
    Sing, oh poor Colly,
    Colly, my cow,
    For Colly will give me
    No more milk now.


NOTES

A different version of the above, commencing, My Billy Aroms, is current in the nurseries of Cornwall. One verse runs as follows:

In comes the horner,
Who roguery scorns,
And gives me three farthings
For poor cowly's horns.

This is better than our reading, and it concludes thus:

There's an end to my cowly,
Now she's dead and gone;
For the loss of my cowly,
I sob and I mourn.

Halliwell. All the Birds of the Air

From The Nursery Rhymes of England by James Orchard Halliwell.

This is Roud 19528.

ALL THE BIRDS OF THE AIR

When I was a little girl, about seven years old,
I hadn't got a petticoat, to cover me from the cold;
So I went into Darlington, that pretty little town,
And there I bought a petticoat, a cloak, and a gown.
I went into the woods and built me a kirk,
And all the birds of the air, they helped me to work;
The hawk with his long claws pulled down the stone,
The dove, with her rough bill, brought me them home;
The parrot was the clergyman, the peacock was the clerk,
The bullfinch play'd the organ, and we made merry work.

(Blanche Fisher Wright)

Halliwell. A for the ape

From The Nursery Rhymes of England by James Orchard Halliwell.

This is Roud 20972.

A FOR THE APE

(Charles Folkard)

A for the ape, that we saw at the fair;
B for a blockhead, who ne'er shall go there;
C for a collyflower, white as a curd;
D for a duck, a very good bird;
E for an egg, good in pudding or pies;
F for a farmer, rich, honest, and wise;
G for a gentleman, void of all care;
H for the hound, that ran down the hare;
I for an Indian, sooty and dark;
K for the keeper, that look'd to the park;
L for a lark, that soar'd in the air;
M for a mole, that ne'er could get there;
N for Sir Nobody, ever in fault;
O for an otter, that ne'er could be caught;
P for a pudding, stuck full of plums;
Q was for quartering it, see here he comes;
R for a rook, that croak'd in the trees;
S for a sailor, that plough'd the deep seas;
T for a top, that doth prettily spin;
V for a virgin of delicate mien;
W for wealth, in gold, silver, and pence;
X for old Xenophon, noted for sense;
Y for a yew, which for ever is green;
Z for the zebra, that belongs to the queen.

Halliwell. A, B, C, and D

From The Nursery Rhymes of England by James Orchard Halliwell.

This is Roud 22176.

A, B, C, AND D

A, B, C, and D,
Pray, playmates, agree,
E, F, and G,
Well so it shall be.
J, K, and L,
In peace we will dwell
M, N, and O,
To play let us go.
P, Q, R, and S,
Love may we possess,
W, X, and Y,
Will not quarrel or die.
Z, and amperse-and,
Go to school at command.

(18th-century sampler)