Mary mary quite contrary
I know how your garden grows
Just how could you do what you do
Then stare at a beautiful rose?
Mary Mary its quite scary
I've seen your painful device.
Your silver bell put me through hell
And I had to have it twice!
Mary Mary I am wary
Of you're horrible reign
Your cockleshells and silver bells
Have me in a lot of pain
Mary mary I will not tarry
If you'd like to give me the maid
For I am near dead, and as I just said
In your garden I'd like to be laid
Mary mary quite contrary
My last breath will not be a moan
When you cut off my head, and I am at last dead
I will never leave you alone
Mary mary quite contrary
While you sit in your garden at night
There I will stand with my head in my hand
Wont that be quite the sight?
Author notes
Okay, I obviously used mary mary quite contrary, which the real lyrics to are:
Mary Mary quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
With silver bells and cockle shells
And pretty maids all in a row.
The inspiration for this nursery rhyme and poem is Mary Tudor of England. The maid was a form of guillotine, short for maiden. The cockleshells and silver bells were also torture devices.
I liked this one, because the nursery rhyme, if not understood, could sound totally innocent... and the rhythm (like most nursery rhymes) is very cute, and was very fun to write to...
I still have to follow the rules and say Dancing Rabbits Make Great Stews.
A contest entry
- Wicked Nursery Rhymes - What Really Happened? by Wilted Rose Bush.
500 points, ended August 11, 2008, 16 entries
Silver trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - Twisted Nursery Rhymes by Dmonik.
1750 points, ended August 30, 2008, 23 entries
Gold trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - D - A - R - K by skilter.
877 points, ended September 13, 101 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Comments
1 - 22 of 22
-
ah wow, i love finding out that nursery rhymes aren't as completely assinine as they first appear. There are a few things in here which seem a bit forced or just too open (for example: "your silver bells and cockleshells have me in a lot of pain") A lot of pain seems like a bit of an understatement
I love the idea though. The original nursery finally makes sense, too. Thanks for the interesting write. -
very nicely written, thank you for entering
-
This is my favorite...
I love the darkness accompanied by the bright page with the sunshine faces. You took great pains to paint a wicked and dark picture and then slap it on a page like this. You are amazing and your rhyme and rhythm are beautiful and make me happy while at the same time the story behind the poem is horrifying me. And did I mention the background.... and the fact that I can see myself standing there with my head in my hand? Wow, and a history lessen to boot.
-
A couple of things on this, first off I love your reworking of the piece.
The references in which you allude to torture devices is while correct, it is also a bit misleading. Mary of Scotland was quite disliked by the populace in general because she spent much of her youth in the royal court in France. The references were to her retinue of "ladies in waiting" and her extravagent taste in jewelry. She also was a member of the house of Stewart. Due to the practice of blue blood inbreeding, She had a greater claim to the throne than the Tudor's did. She was indeed tortured to the point of confessing her sin of treason so she could be done away with.
A well done twist...
-
-
thank you for clearing that up. I found that information on google, and it didn't say anything about Mary of Scotland in the article. I'll have to edit that.
-
-
I'm not sure how I missed this trophy winning piece. I like what you've done, and in particular I enjoyed the author notes which were very educational and informative (I knew of Mary Tudor, but never realized the song references.)
Congrats on the well deserved trophies for this piece.
-
This IS one of the best poems ...I've read in a long time congrats on the silver& gold and thank you for all the gory info in the authors notes I've been obsessed with the Tudors ever since I was little...not like fan obsessed like people do with celebs, but more of a gore- I want to know what happened what really happened kinda thing.
I'm sort of the history buff in my family tho..and I love learning the gore of it all..
so there! -
-
I have those kind of obsessions. I'm pretty into history too, especially certain time periods and places. I really love learning about history in Britain, Ireland, Wales, and places like that, specifically britain, and the medeival (did I spell that right) period as well. I love the creepy stuff especially.
Thanks for the comment though!
-
-
congrats on your Gold a well deserved write
Judie
-
wow. That is freakish. And twisted. But really really cool. Do you know what the "cockle shells" are? Best of luck in the contest!
-
-
Sort of. *grins evilly*
-
-
Great flow and imagination here and a very good piece for the contest, i wish you luck
-
Thank you for entering
-
Very Well Done
I love this! this was a very long well done poem and it is not suprising you won silver in another contest. any ways really love your fluid like fluidity through out this poem as your words just go from one to the other smoothly and your depth and flow through out the poem rocked too. any ways excellent work with this and keep up the good work and good luck with the contest =)
-
Thanks for your entry. I shall read thoroughly upon judging.
-
Very Very Good.
I really liked this one. It had great flow, a great pattern and some great rhyming like any good nursery rhyme should I like the research you did to make this even better.
Its a very well written piece with exactly what I was looking for.
Well done and good luck in the contest.
-
Wow, now THIS is a haunting and mystical little poem, but at the same time, it's very cool. I like it! It's funny what you learn when you take the time to actually break down a nursery rhyme. A lot of them have double meanings, and the innocence of them in the present tries to cover the darker overtones of the past. Great job with this!
-
Oh my gosh. I love this poem. I liked how you even explained in your authors notes about the origin of this poem, it was interesting to read. Who knew it was based off of a actual person. Thanks for allowing me to view this poem. I loved reading this.
-
Great poem! and i absolutely LOVE that you know the true story about the origin of this poem,because i always talk about it,but noone ever knows the truth about it. So thank you. Good work!
-
OH MY!!! I love this, you've really created such a dark, twisted piece of rhyme here, very, very clever! Made me laugh a bit. Only one typo I picked out - at the start of your third stanza "Mary Mary I am wary" - I think "wary" should be "weary"? just a thought...either way, this is truly superb!
Well written, thanks for sharing, and all the best in the contest,
Luck. -
-
I dont think weary would rhyme there. I meant wary as in kind of shying back from the danger she poses... I dont know though, everyone has their interpretation. Thank you very much for the comment!
-
-
Nicely done. It is a frightening tale as you have retold it. Alot of the original fairy tales and nursery rhymes have a similar dark meaning.
Adding your comment:
1 - 22 of 22
