I. The Journey Begins:
We are embarking on a journey: a voyage of exploration, which through words and rhymes, will take us many times around the world to the most fabulous of dreamed places. We will fly over hill and dale, float down rivers and over seas, travel to islands rich with silk, precious gems, and the fragrance of spices. We will soar into space to touch the stars or explore the depths of the heart, where lies every emotion, and all affection, love, and pain. We will delve deep into the crevasses of the mind to find new thoughts and unleash our imaginations. On our travels we will meet poets from all over the world, and from all walks of life: bluebloods or scallywags, saints and sinners, Lords and peasants, adventurers, Sufis, travelers, scientists, mathematicians, and explorers. We will seek any whom has penned a rhyme, and we will learn about their world, their life, their times; and in doing so, perhaps we will discover something about ourselves and our world.
Our journey starts at the very beginning, with a sweet gentle voice singing a lullaby, as tender soft arms gently rock the infant.
Golden slumbers fill your eyes
Smiles awake you when you rise
Sleep pretty darling do not cry
And I will sing a lullaby…..
A lullaby sung in a soothing gentle voice while being held safe in mother's arms, close to her breast, imbibing her sweet fragrance and soft warmth is perhaps the first experience of poetry most people have. The loving tones and gentle rocking motion have a calming effect on the most fractious baby, and lull him / her to sleep. Perhaps a baby, at that moment, connects rhyme with gentleness, love, warmth, comfort, and security… and it is possible that from that moment on, the subconscious continues to connect poetry with those feelings of reassurance. From the moment of the first lullaby, poetry becomes a part of a person's life. For some, it walks part of the way through life until forgotten, while the person engages in other pursuits. For others, it becomes a lifelong friend, imparting hours of pleasure, wonder, knowledge and peace. A much read poem waits like a good friend, to impart solace to the soul when ever needed its beautiful words touching the heart deeply and gently washing away tensions from the mind.
Poetry does bring out all the beauty a language has to offer. With the use of similes, metaphors, puns, alliteration, and other figures of speech, it enriches our mind and imaginations, allowing us to see the normal, everyday things around us in a different and a more beautiful way: a dawn, a sunrise, a sunset, or a mountain side - clouds floating, flowers growing, birds singing. Everything around us, expressed through the words of a poet, becomes not only more beautiful, but more enhanced. What might have been taken for granted for being an everyday occurrence now becomes a special event to be read and enjoyed often. The words of the poet bring new and special meaning to the mind, and show new perspectives to the logic. Words have the wonderful ability to fire the imagination and fill the mind and heart with awe.
Poetry covers many subjects: history, spirituality, religion, mythology, philosophy, and love are just a few of the countless subjects about which poetry is written. We read and enjoy poems describing the beauty of nature, ballads that tell stories of the days of long ago - of courage and treachery, fortitude, love, loyalty - or more recent poems: of the struggles of our times, struggles that have dealt with tragedies of war, repressive regimes, racialism, discrimination, poverty, misery, etc. Many poets have been jailed because of their poetry, which is also a social and political tool that reaches out and touches the mind and hearts of people like nothing else might do. Poems are documents that reveal much about the world and the times in which they were written. Through their vivid descriptions, we can look into the past to see clearly through the windows of our imaginations, the days and people long gone. Reading poetry of early poets not only enriches our language, but our knowledge as well. We learn about the history of their times, the prevalent norms, the accepted attitudes, the lifestyles, the places, the people and much more. Rhymes are also easy to read and remember, and it is little wonder that poems endure for centuries: each word savored, as they are sung or read out loud from parents to children, generation after generation sharing and passing on the delights of these treasured heirlooms to the future.
The first poems we as children are exposed to after the lullabies of infancy, are of course nursery rhymes. A child in bed might glance through an open window at the bright and starry night sky while singing along or listening to the words of 'Twinkle twinkle little star' and his imagination might soar unhampered to the very skies. For almost two hundred years, this poem written in 1806 by Jane Taylor, has spread around the world and filled children's minds with wonder. Not only does it make a child think about stars in a new way but also about the traveler in the dark, traveling to unknown places, guided by the light of a single star:
Then the traveler in the dark
Thanks you for your tiny spark;
He could not see which way to go,
If you did not twinkle so
There is something in this verse that evokes excitement, adventure and a desire to go seeking new places.
There is much more that rhymes impart to a growing child. Learning is made easier when taught in the form of rhymes. Learning the alphabet and numbers with the help of rhymes like 'ABCDEFG, A is for Apple pie, 1 2 3 4 5 once I caught a fish alive’, etc., is an easy and fun experience for children. Likewise, it is fun to learn simple addition and subtraction with number rhymes like 'Five currant buns (or cookies) in a baker's shop, Five little monkeys jumping on a bed one fell off and bumped his head’, etc. The actions performed while reciting the rhymes makes them even more enjoyable. Perhaps in our times, one of the most popular action rhymes is 'Incy wincy spider'. This rhyme has made the creepy crawly spider very popular and, in fact, might even have taken away some of its scary qualities which frightened the very famous Miss Muffet away from her tuffett. It is true that much of how children feel is learned by watching the reactions of adults. A child might develop a fear of something like a roach or spider for no better reason than because the child sees his mother screaming when it appears. The rhymes and actions that go with it might well help to turn that dreaded creature into a likable or even lovable pet.
Nursery rhymes help to teach in other ways. A rhyme like 'Hey diddle diddle', which is so full of impossible scenes, might help make the imagination more bold, giving a sublime message that nothing is impossible or beyond the boundaries of fancy: not jumping cows that fly past the moon, or fiddling felines, or crockery eloping with cutlery. Rhymes like 'Baa baa black sheep' and 'Old MacDonald's' teach children one of the first figures of speech to learn, onomatopoeia: words that sound like their meaning. The pictures in these books also charm the small children with their old world look of children dressed in eighteen century fashions which consist of many ribbons and laces, frills and furbelows, playing in country surroundings, depicted in pretty pastel colours. Some Rhymes, like 'Ding Dong bell, Pussy's in the well’ teach lessons more important, such as the fact that kindness to animals is a good thing.
Many of the nursery rhymes that are much loved and sung today originated a few centuries ago. The origins of nursery rhymes is of itself, an interesting subject, and a much researched one, as well. Many are the theories put forward attempting to explain the birth of a particular rhyme. Most of the researchers disagree, and it is interesting to read the many different points of view. Some seem to think that many rhymes were once a part of much longer songs. In olden days, education was not very widespread and there were not many books available. Also, education was not accessible to the poor, and most children were apprenticed at an early age into one profession or another. Since the working class did not have access to books and could not read or write, most of what they learnt was learned orally. Songs and rhymes therefore, were very popular with them. Happenings of the day could have been, and probably were written as rhymes.
Many of the rhymes, if viewed through this explanation, seem to have historical connotations which are far removed from the pretty innocence that they seem to portray. It was not at all advisable or sensible to openly mock the rulers of the time, and the events were set to words and used fictitious names. If seen under the light of this possibility, many of the rhymes exhibit a degree of sophistication, even though their language is extremely simple. For example, "Georgie Porgie pudding and pie" is said to refer to a nobleman with licentious habits in the court of King Charles II. Though ‘Georgie’ was notorious for his affairs, he was still protected by the King. It was only after many of the Noble husbands demanded that the king remove his protection, that Georgie Porgie was made to pay for his crimes, or perhaps as the rhyme says, "When the boys came out to play, Georgie Porgie ran away".
To seek historical explanations behind the rhymes, researchers usually try to link the known date of the rhyme with a corresponding historical event. Some of these explanations sound plausible while others might be rather far fetched. Though much of it is guess work and conjecture, it is nonetheless an interesting subject to read about and does enhance one's knowledge of English, and sometimes, other histories.
Some of the rhymes reflect the customs of the times, some evil, which wrapped up in the pretty words, goes unnoticed. How many of us, while reading rhymes like ‘See saw Margery Daw’ or ‘Little Bo Peep’, think about the days of workhouses, child labour, and apprenticeships when little children were expected to work or train for a profession, earning a pittance to augment the often meager family income? ‘Little Tommy Tucker’ is another rhyme that illustrates the sad state of affairs for children in days gone by. It is possible that the rhyme is about an orphan because often orphans were reduced to begging (sings for his supper) for their food. ‘How shall he marry without a wife’ could refer to the difficulty a person with almost nothing would have in finding a wife. One such rhyme, 'Little Boy Blue', evokes tenderness as one pictures poor Little Boy Blue, too tired to tend to the cattle or sheep, lying sprawled under a haystack fast asleep. The reader could not agree more with the words, "will you wake him, no not I, for if I do he is sure to cry." Yes, let us leave him there under the halcyon sky, dreaming childish dreams, even though the sheep run wild in the meadow and the cow eats the corn. 'Diddle-Diddle Dumpling My Son John' is another heartwarming little rhyme that conjures up a picture of a plump little boy, tired out after the days play, falling into bed with one shoe on.
Some rhymes though have tragic or sinister connections. The much loved rhymes 'Oranges and lemons' and 'Ring a ring of roses' sung while playing, are two such works. 'Ring a ring of roses' has often been connected to the Great Plague or Black Death which assailed London in 1665. The symptoms included a red rash like a ring and violent sneezing (atishoo atishoo we all fall down) and people carried sweet smelling herbs (posies) in their pockets in the mistaken belief that they would ward off the disease. The death rate of the plague was 60%.
'Oranges and lemons' ends with
These sad words:
Here comes the candle to light you to bed
and here comes a chopper to chop off your head
Chip chop chip chop - the last man's dead
This refers to the time when prisoners on "Death Row" were awaiting their executions. They would be informed by candlelight at midnight the night before the execution. Not all rhymes have such tragic or sad connotations. Some simply bring us a little flavour of the times, as does 'Hot cross buns', which is a small reminder of the many street cries that must have filled the air in London of the olden days. 'Simple Simon', too, gives children a look into days when there were no burgers, pizzas, fries, or the many amusements of today. A country fair would be the place to where many people from miles around would walk to be entertained.
The many Jacks that abound the pages of nursery rhyme land seem to come from many different places. "Jack be nimble Jack be quick" is probably about 'Black Jack', a notorious English pirate who was extremely good at evading the authorities. Though odds are better that it refers to the tradition of candle leaping practiced at country fairs. Some say that the famous 'Jack and Jill' refers to the tragic beheading of King Louis XVI of France and his queen Marie Antoinette. Another yet was Jack Sprat who could eat no fat. This rhyme is said to allude to King Charles I of England. Parliament refused to finance his war on Spain and since this angered him, he dissolved the Parliament. His Queen then imposed a war tax upon the people (His wife could eat no lean). Well, it did not do the Royalty much good, for King Charles I was finally beheaded.
The smartest of the Jacks though was 'Little Jack Horner' and not such a good boy either, as we shall see. Little Jack Horner was a steward to the Bishop of Glastonbury and was entrusted by the Bishop to deliver to King Henry the VIII the title deeds to twelve Manor Houses. In Actuality, the ‘plum’, was Mells, a property situated in France. Naughty Jack Horner stole the deeds of Mells and gave the other eleven to the king. Then, of course, he moved to Mells and once safely there, sat in a corner reflecting upon what a smart boy he had been.
The subject of the origins of rhymes is as vast as is the collection of rhymes. Many hours may be spent happily enjoying the rhymes as well as learning about their backgrounds and histories.
Perhaps, if you have enjoyed this, we shall explore these paths again at a later date.This is the first in what will hopefully be a long list of articles where many poets and there poems will be featured along with background on the times and places.
I. The Journey Begins:
We are embarking on a journey: a voyage of exploration, which through words and rhymes, will take us many times around the world
We are embarking on a journey: a voyage of exploration, which through words and rhymes, will take us many times around the world
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1 - 32 of 32
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When are you going to write the 2nd extract of this?
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Captured
I distinctly remember My eighth grade English teacher wrote a paper at Harvard on Indian nursery rhymes and how they epitomized adult culture. Or something to that nature. Reading this very much reminded me of her. This work, was truly masterful. I thought your analysis of poetry through the mind of a child starting with it's beginnings and progressing down through the ages (literally)was not only astute, and well written, but fascinating. It was mind boggling to learn many of the nursery rhymes I knew by heart as a child have meanings in the real word. Poetry has always seemed to mean more to me them most people my age, and I never really knew why, but I do remember adoring nursery rhymes as a little girl, and so maybe that's where my inclination towards the written verse actually comes from. Incredible. This column had immense educational value and I feel like I've come away from it with not only a sustained interest (fascination really) but with new knowledge about myself. Thank you very much for taking the time to compose this and for inviting people to read it.
Grazia
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This was wonderful. Thank you for an insight into history. I had known that "Ring a ring of roses" was about the black death, but the rest was news to me. Well worth reading. Written by an educated hand with a sense of eloquence. Very well written, I look forward to the next installment.
Lynn xXx
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First let me thank you for the invitation to read this . Then let me stand in awe at this masterpiece which I thoroughly enjoyed . It is extremely interesting how you analised the beginnings of poetry into a childs mind , first coming from lullabyes ,then from nursery rhymes etc ....and how children interprete an adults actions while acting out a nursery rhyme ....how it can create joy or fear in their little minds ( for example your mentionning of " Little Miss Muffet " and how the spider that frightened her away , can instill a fear of insects in little kids
Also extremely interesting was how you explained the meaning of some nursery rhymes as to their origins etc . I could go on and on about all I liked in this , but I would be writing a book , so let me just end in saying ...this is extremely educational , I have learned alot just by this one column and sure hope you will keep this up ....researching and picking apart these old poems , lullabies and rhymes to which games are played could prove to be a lifelong endeavor that has a strong possibility in ending up at Barnes & Noble . I support you 100 % in this 
" Beware the Jabberwock my son !
The jaws that bite , the claws that catch!
Beware the jub-jub bird and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch !"
excerpt from " Jabberwocky " by Lewis Carrol
talk about giving a child nightmares
Reenie
Edited on Apr 12, 1:07 p.m. because 'typos'. -
The poetry has been very strong media in all cultures and languages... I never realised till I read this column that the poets had been sent to prisons for penning their feelings, I guess must be harsh ones... I'm glad you got knowledge of other cultures to enrich the readers with the form of poetry from other languages... it's very true what you’ve said about going around the world and meeting different people and learning some thing new from them... I've learnt a lot from this site simply by reading other poet's poems... thank you very much for writing this column and I hope you'll explore it more... I look forward to reading further on this topic... good luck... all the best...
mina
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very informative
This is a really great column. I've heard lot's of these stories about what the nursery rhymes "mean." I've also heard some of these debunked, but I find all of these explanations thoroughly plausible.
Kid's bedtime stories also contain similar "hidden" meanings. I've heard it said that the wolf in little red riding hood actually represents a pedophile, which is not just a modern problem. Apparently, everything the wolf says is some sort of double entendre in the original french.
I enjoyed this column, and I'd love to see more! Sorry I took so long to reply to it, peace! -
no I am not cutting and pasting information here Albert. first I think up a concept than find the information relevant to that and then weave it into my write. I guess much of that is my own write except where the actual references to nursery rhymes are. that is what makes it an interesting read. I wont be goign chronologically because that would be dull as dishwater and many people have done that kind of research what I am trying to bring here is soem kind of focus on old poetry and how it affects us or what might have been the reasons for the poetry being written this will at times take me into many subjects and I am open to exploration. this is just the first almost an introduction it is in no way the true beginning but where it begins for us. where is poetry introduced into our lives and how does it affect us.
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Your welcome – but to research this sort of information is not too difficult as you can cut and paste from libraries all over the world in just a few minutes using the internet – the only problems is which source to choose, how to edit the mass of information - and then how to use the information once you have it – the subject is endless . . it is going to make a wonderful hobby and lifetimes work for someone.
I would guess that the most important part would be to set up a draft framework for the finished article - split into subjects, chapters, topics, authors and then keep pasting newly found information and fresh writes in the approximate places as you find or create them - this will save a lot of sorting out later as chronology becomes important – I am not sure which word processor or software you are using but some software already has a format for authors and will give different templates and will even automatically produce an index at the back based on the list of words that you feed in - Albert
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Certainly off to an excellent start here. I will be adding a link to this in my greeter message, so hopefully the knowledge of this column and of OP poets, will get more recognition. Thanks for the hard work and effort you put forth. It is muchly appreciated
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I'm not sure but it was somewhere here LOL -
Just as the writing of history began from practical rather than literary motives, so the collection and preservation of Arabic poetry was undertaken by scholars with, at first, little interest in its artistic merit. The linguists and exegetes of Kufa and Basra began collecting this poetry in the eighth century because of the light it threw on unusual expressions and grammatical structures in the Quran and the hadith. Editions and commentaries were prepared of the poems of 'Antarah, Imru al-Qays, and many others, and thus the works of the early poets were preserved for later generations.
The Quran a part, poetry has always been considered the highest expression of literary art among the Arabs. Long before the coming of Islam, Bedouin poets had perfected the forms of panegyric, satire, and elegy. Their poetry obeys strict conventions, both in form and content, which indicates that it must have had a long period of development before it was finally committed to writing by scholars.
The principal form used by the desert poets was the qasidah or ode, a poem of variable length rhyming in the last syllable of each line. The qasidah begins with a description of the abandoned encampment of the poet's beloved and goes on to an account of his anguish at her absence and his consuming love for her. The poet then describes an arduous journey across the desert and ends the qasidah with an appeal to the generosity of his host. Although the subject matter is almost invariable, the language is very complex and of great precision.
In the Hijaz during the first century of Islam, contemporary with the first hadith scholars, a group of poets broke with the past and introduced new forms and subjects. Men like 'Umar ibn Abi Rabi'ah wrote realistic and urbane verse, and a school of poetry which expressed the themes of Platonic love grew up around the poet Jamil ibn Muiammar, better known as Jamil al-'Udhri. The lives and works of these poets of the Umayyad period are preserved in the entertaining tenth-century anthology by Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani, the Book of Songs.
The Umayyad court in Damascus patronized poets and musicians. It was also the scene of the development of the type of Arabic literature called adab. Adab is usually translated as "belles-lettres," which is slightly misleading. This literature, at least in its inception, was created to serve the practical end of educating the growing class of government ministers in the Arabic language, manners and deportment, history, and statecraft. Works in Sanskrit, Pahlavi, Greek, and Syriac began to find their way into Arabic at this time. 'Abd al-Hamid ibn Yahya al-Katib, an Umayyad official, and the creator of this genre, defined its aims as follows: "Cultivate the Arabic language so that you may speak correctly; develop a handsome script which will add luster to your writings; learn the poetry of the Arabs by heart; familiarize yourself with unusual ideas and expressions; read the history of the Arabs and the Persians, and remember their great deeds." 'Abd Allah ibn al-Muqaffa', a contemporary of 'Abd al-Ham id ibn Yahya, translated the history of the ancient kings of Persia into Arabic, as well as Kalilah wa-Dimnah, an Indian book of advice for princes cast in the form of animal fables. His works are the earliest surviving examples of Arabic art prose and are still used as models in schools throughout the Middle East.
By the ninth century, Arabic literature had entered its classical age. The various genres had been defined - adab, history, Quranic exegesis, geography, biography, poetry, satire, and many more. Al-Jahiz was perhaps the greatest stylist of the age, and one of the most original personalities. He wrote more than two hundred books, on every conceivable subject; he was critical, rational, and always amusing. His Book of Animals is the earliest Arabic treatise on zoology and contains very modern-sounding discussions of such things as animal mimetism and biological adaptation. He wrote one of the earliest and best treatises on rhetoric and a large number of amusing essays. By the time of his death at the age of ninety-six he had shown that Arabic prose was capable of handling any subject with ease. The most gifted of al-Jahiz's contemporaries was probably Ibn Qutaybah, also a writer of encyclopedic learning and an excellent stylist. His Book of Knowledge, a history of the world beginning with the creation, is the earliest work of its kind and later had many imitators.
The tenth century witnessed the creation of a new form in Arabic literature, the maqamat. This was the title of a work by al-Hamadhani, called Badi' al-Zaman, "The Wonder of the Age." His Maqamat ("Sessions") is a series of episodes written in rhymed prose concerning the life of Abu al-Fath al-Iskandari, a sort of confidence trickster, who takes on a different personality in each story and always succeeds in bilking his victims. These stories are witty and packed with action, and were immediately popular. Al-Hamadhani was imitated by al-Hariri a hundred years later. Al-Hariri was a linguistic virtuoso, and his Maqamat is filled with obscure words, alliteration, puns, and wild metaphors. He too was extremely popular, and many learned commentaries were written on his Maqamat. This purely Arab form can most closely be compared with the Spanish picaresque novels, which it may have influenced.
Rhymed prose, which had come to be used even in government documents, was employed by Abu al-'Ala al-Ma'arri in his Message of Forgiveness, one of the best known of Arabic prose works. Al-Ma'arri lived in the eleventh century, leading an ascetic life in his native Syrian village. Blind from the age of four, he possessed a prodigious memory and great intellectual curiosity and skepticism. The Message of Forgiveness is cast in the form of a journey to paradise; the narrator there interrogates the scholars and poets of the past regarding their lives and works, receiving surprising and often ironic responses. The book is an extended critique of literature and philology, and represents a high point of classical Arabic culture.
One of the other great figures of late classical literature was the poet al-Mutanabbi, whose skill in handling the complex meters of Arabic poetry was probably unsurpassed. His verbal brilliance has always been admired by Arab critics, although it is difficult for those whose native tongue is not Arabic to appreciate it fully.
The period between the fall of Baghdad to the Mongols in 1258 and the nineteenth century is generally held to be a period of literary as well as political decline for the Arabs. It is true that during these five hundred years Arabic writers were more preoccupied with the preservation of their literary heritage than with the development of new forms and ideas. This is the age of encyclopedias, commentaries, and lexicons. Faced with the massive destruction of books by the invasions of Genghis Khan and Hulagu and later of Tamerlane, scholars compiled digests and abridgments of works that had survived in order to ensure their continued existence. - Albert
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I wonder who you could mean i know Firdowsi took years to write the Shahnameh this is a look into poetry an exploration of poetry which now begun will go who knows where I work on Op so I know just how vast the subject is one person could never cover it what I am trying here is just to bring a few facts to peoples attention and with critiques like your this opens up more facts and it becomes more interesting and interactive. I hope to pique peoples interest in old poetry and provide some insight or perhaps just a different outlook into it nothing so ambitious as conquering the world just imaginations.....
Edited on Apr 08, 8:50 p.m. because ''. -
Hi – I have read through the ‘beginning’ of your ambitious journey – and I must say it is very ambitious indeed - ( The first paragraph sounds very familiar LOL ) In fact the subjects you are pursuing are so diverse and enormous that to do it justice your efforts must begin like a thesis or dissertation and ultimately conclude with a sizable book. . . Nursery rhymes themselves are very complex and cover ancient news reporting – Ring a ring of roses as you mention – ( the plague ) Little Jack Horner (who stole title deeds) on to Pop goes the weasel – which is of course Cockney slang and about pawnshops . . But there are also pure Nursery Rhymes for caring for and education children. . Then off you go into the wonders of poetry – much of which is submerged in the wonderful world of the arts – where the classics and language play a huge part. Much of poetry goes back to the times of Babylon and where poems and lyrics were sang around the camp fires of the camel trains of the spice and silk roads through Arabia on into China – One of the original reasons for rhyming was because it was a memory tool and helped people to remember things at a time when people could not read or write – Most Kings and Chieftains employed composers to write propaganda to sing to the people. One of the most famous poets of Mesopotamia ( cant remember his name ) wrote a poem of daily happenings to record the history at the time – it is over 30,000 verses long and has more than 60,000 matching rhyming lines and took 32 years to complete LOL so you can see your topic has a long way to go if you follow his example – Albert.
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A very strong start. I think anyone reading will want to read more. My only suggestion is to either mention rhymes of other languages or state that you are confining yourself to English.
Superbly written.
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excellent.
I am much in awe after reading this piece, on how much research you have done to be able to write so intelligently on such a wide range of issues about one subject. You write so beautifully that the flow just carries you along the words like a magic carpet ride. Almost disappointed that it has to end. The consolation and the hope is that you will write more to further delight your avid fans, for you must have many. I loved this. It has everything to keep a reader enraptured. Thank you. -
Being from another culture I am not familiar with the nursery rhymes mentioned by you in this article. But is a very creative and professional piece, informative while keeping attention focussed and leaving the reader with a good feeling after reaching the end of it. I know it is not easy to write a column and bearing this in mind I think you did a most excellent job. Thank you for creating and sharing. Your choice of subject and writing style make your works always a pleasure to read, regardless if it is poetry or an article like this one. Take care,
Rage -
Interesting and informative Pari - I have added this link to my greeting message - I think it will be very worthwhile.
Von -
love to see ap members helping to educate each other. have to admit, my powers of concentration are a bit weak of late...so i will want to read this in bits. am bookmarking so i can come back again.
thanks!
~liz -
Nam thanks so much for an indepth critique I would like to see input like that more it makes it more interactive, it is aiming to show a different perspective we seem to take things for granted so a little looking in cannot come amiss. this is the first in what hopefully will be a series. what I would really like are more points of view from the readers.
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In this part:
tender soft arms gently rock the infant.
Golden slumbers fill your eyes
I feel there should be a line between them. You do it in another part with another excerpt, should do the same for this one.
Also in this part
seeking new places.
There is much more that rhymes impart to a growing child. Learning is made easier when
You should make a space between 'seeking new places.' and the next line. Even tho it is only one line, it is still, I feel, one paragraph.
'look into days when there were no burgers, pizzas, fries, or the many amusements of'
'pizza' has been around for quite some time. It dates back to Greece and parts of Italy to 1000 A.D. and originated in China way before then.
So, they had pizza back then. Maybe not the sophisticated slices we have today, but, they had it.
It's a good piece. Sounds like a part of a thesis. I rather read the entirety than parts, to get the full view.
But, it's good.
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Bravo!
Pari this is so interesting, and creatively done. You are such a talented writer, and teacher. From our earliest memories Nursery Rhymes are recalled, some must have struck fear in young ones, such as "Rock-a-bye baby in the tree top/ when the wind blows the cradle will rock/ When the bough breaks the cradle will fall/ And down will come baby cradle and all." Ouch..What baby could sleep after that one?
Although I guess we did back then, I think now it might be politically incorrect, as most things are, even though I never saw a cradle fall from a tree. Great job on your column, I look forward to reading more. Diane
Edited on Apr 07, 2:06 because ''. -
Outstanding!
Thank you for reminding me how it all got started, "Now We Are Six" and "A Child's Garden of Verses". I never did like Nursery Rhymes. I thought they were scary. BUt I loved verses with rhyme and meter that said something precious or beautiful and how my mother did read them to me. This is a wonderful piece. My hat's off to you for enlightening us on the origins of some of the most noted rhymes from childhood. This is a captivating article, to say the least
Applause from this little corner of the world! -
excellent,many hrs. labor here, a must read!
Thank You dear friend for asking me to check your column on poetry out. I am very impressed! You are a very detailed,creative,educational writer. Your talented are many, as you can create a world in one of your poems that sweeps me from my isolated corner of the prairie to your world on the other side of the globe. I had to read this informative,interesting,educational article 3 times. I printed it off for future reference. I was aware of how and why most Mother Goose Rymes came to be. You spent a lot of time on your research and accurate information. My mind was refreshed with knowledge I already knew as well as some that I did not know. I feel you did an outstanding job putting this together and posting for all of us to learn from and experience new aspects of looking at poetry. In my opinion, I think this should be an ongoing syndicated column for teaching and sharing purposes. You kept your piece interesting and informative. I would have contined to read if it had been 50 pages or more! I certainly felt a copy belongs in my information file. (few writings make that file, by the way!)Brilliant job! If, I hadn't seen your IM, I would have missed reading this! What a terrible lose for myself the reader. Clapping out Loud! Bravo!!! p.s.- lots to do this wk. leaving on vacation gone almost a month. will try to use a PC a few times while gone! Thanks so much for sharing this! I can tell you labored many hours over this writing. I think it should be featured! Would be very informative for many of our newer writers. All whom have never had any formal writing experiience or opportunity for classes. God Bless You! Stay safe! -
Well actually you see what you sang is also right because the rhymes changed as they travelled and many rhymes are said differently in America then in england one of them being Pop goes the weasel
the one you sang was the american version -
Excellent! Well worth reading!
Very interesting and informative! One of the things I learned (and there were many) is that I've been saying famous rhymes incorrectly. Rather than "Incy wincy spider", I've always sung the words "Inky dinky spider". Re: "Ring a ring of roses"...when I played this game as a child, we always sang "Ring around the rosey, pocket full of posies; ashes, ashes, we all fall down!" We had no idea our game had anything to do with something as tragic as "The Great Plague"! I thoroughly enjoyed your column and look forward to learning more in the future.
Maureen
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It had never dawned on me that the nursery rhymes helped in
learning skill and creative imaginations. But it all makes
perfect sense and I thouroughly enjoyed the article of your research.
Tamara
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What a fascinating read that was!
I thought the introduction was great, like poetry itself!
I found the information about the origins of the nursery rhymes particularly interesting.
I can see you have done a lot of research for this and it has paid off… a VERY good read! I'm sure you will get a lot of positive feedback from this Pari.
Can't wait for the next one!
~ Louise ..xx
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You know, this is an article that ought to have been syndicated.
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As you know, i think this is an absolutely fantastic article! I think you did a wonderful job with the voice you used and with the information you provided. This is an amazing journey. Very thorough and well developed. It intrigues and piques interest. You should be applauded many times over for the work you put into this piece!
UB
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A marvelous job. Began at what I would liken the beginning to. As we search through poetry journals, or lists of those long dead we can only hope to emulate it is refreshing to be reminded of the origins of what for most of us is our first experience with the pleasures of rhyme. This is well worded and very well laid out. Being familiar with a bit of it I was happy to see the origins of some of those famous Nursery Rhymes included. I think that all too often we forget to learn about things which do have a bearing on this practice we call 'poetry'. There are many wonderful things to be read and explored if one looks to not just the poets but of the origin of poetry itself.. and I thank you for reminding me of that.. I would give this five stars if I could, but one applause shall have to suffice..
Excellent work, I look forward to more.
~~whims
Edited on Apr 06, 4:55 p.m. because ''. -
You really shouldn’t have started with a lullaby – three times I’ve read and each time dozed… Sorry only joking! A heck of a lot of work but well written and constructed!
It felt a little twee at the outset – I wanted to sing a bawdy song… (I’ve got these authority issues – don’t worry about it) And starting with nursery rhymes while chronological to the age of the poet - is rather less so to the poetry; it just felt to me that you had started in the middle rather than the beginning. It also seemed a little England orientated, but perhaps that is just because of the language?
It certainly held my attention as well, and I should very much like to read another!
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What a wonderful and in depth look at the beginnings of poetry...you have created a very educational and eye opening write on our favourite hobby.
it is good to look further than just the immediate words we read on the page of the poetry book.
I congratulate you for this. and look forward to much more..
Ann -
This is very interesting and held my attention from beginning to end. I was especially captivated by the paragraphs about Nursery Rhymes which heavily affected me as a youngster. Got me into trouble too. LOL But that was the beginning of my molding for the literary world. This is very informative, very astue, and a pleasure to read and relate to. I love the poetry within, it enhanced the writing. Your words flowed well, one right after the other. The paragraph about "death row" is very interseting and informative. "Georgie Porgie's" background information is very funny and witty, and who would have guessed had such a history. I love research as well, and it seems that you have done an excellent job of it. Rhymed poetry is my all time favorite, although there is no form that does not enchant me. I believe that the world began in a Word, and those who use them poetically are truly gifted. Words build empires and also tear them down. You have done a splendid job here my friend. Such enlightenment is to be commended. I am looking forward to more, as a reader and partcipant. Keep me abreast of everything. This is GREAT! Thank you so for sharing with me and allowing me to be one of the first to read this outstanding column.
Always With Love,
Renee
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