Children's Literature Part 18

Said Dame Wiggins of Lee.

While she ran to the field, To look for its dam, They were warming the bed For the poor sick lamb: They turn'd up the clothes All as neat as could be; "I shall ne'er want a nurse,"

Said Dame Wiggins of Lee.

She wished them good night, And went up to bed: When, lo! in the morning, The cats were all fled.

But soon--what a fuss!

"Where can they all be?

Here, p.u.s.s.y, puss, puss!"

Cried Dame Wiggins of Lee.

The Dame's heart was nigh broke, So she sat down to weep, When she saw them come back Each riding a sheep: She fondled and patted Each purring tom-my: "Ah! welcome, my dears,"

Said Dame Wiggins of Lee.

The Dame was unable Her pleasure to smother, To see the sick lamb Jump up to its mother.

In spite of the gout, And a pain in her knee, She went dancing about: Did Dame Wiggins of Lee.

The Farmer soon heard Where his sheep went astray, And arrived at Dame's door With his faithful dog Tray.

He knocked with his crook, And the stranger to see, Out the window did look Dame Wiggins of Lee.

For their kindness he had them All drawn by his team; And gave them some field-mice, And raspberry-cream.

Said he, "All my stock You shall presently see; For I honor the cats Of Dame Wiggins of Lee."

He sent his maid out For some m.u.f.fins and crumpets; And when he turn'd round They were blowing of trumpets.

Said he, "I suppose She's as deaf as can be, Or this ne'er could be borne By Dame Wiggins of Lee."

To show them his poultry, He turn'd them all loose, When each nimbly leap'd On the back of a goose, Which frighten'd them so That they ran to the sea, And half-drown'd the poor cats Of Dame Wiggins of Lee.

For the care of his lamb, And their comical pranks, He gave them a ham And abundance of thanks.

"I wish you good-day, My fine fellows," said he; "My compliments, pray, To Dame Wiggins of Lee."

You see them arrived At their Dame's welcome door; They show her their presents, And all their good store.

"Now come in to supper, And sit down with me; All welcome once more,"

Cried Dame Wiggins of Lee.

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This is the perfect pattern of all the acc.u.mulative stories, perhaps the best known and most loved of children among all nursery jingles. Halliwell thought it descended from the mystical Hebrew hymn, "A kid, a kid," found in the Talmud. Most commentators since have followed his example in calling attention to the parallel, though scholars have insisted that the hymn referred to is a late interpolation. The hymn opens:

"A kid, a kid, my father bought, For two pieces of money: A kid, a kid.

"Then came the cat, and ate the kid, That my father bought," etc.

Then came the dog and bit the cat, then the staff and beat the dog, then the fire and burned the staff, then water and quenched the fire, then the ox and drank the water, then the butcher and slew the ox, then the angel of death and killed the butcher, and the hymn concludes:

"Then came the Holy One, blessed be He!

And killed the angel of death, That killed the butcher, That slew the ox, That drank the water, That quenched the fire, That burned the staff, That beat the dog, That bit the cat, That ate the kid, That my father bought For two pieces of money: A kid, a kid."

There is an elaborate interpretation of the symbolism of this hymn, going back at least as far as 1731, in which the kid denotes the Hebrews, the father is Jehovah, the cat is the a.s.syrians, the dog is the Babylonians, the staff is the Persians, the fire is Greece under Alexander, the water is the Roman Empire, the ox is the Saracens, the butcher is the crusaders, the angel of death is the Turkish power, while the concluding acc.u.mulation shows that G.o.d will take vengeance on the enemies of the chosen people. This is the interpretation in barest outline only. Without the key no one would ever guess its hidden meaning.

Fortunately, "The House That Jack Built" has no such hidden meaning. But the important point is that such acc.u.mulative stories are almost as old as human records, and, like so many other possessions of the race, seem to have come to us from the Far East.

THIS IS 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 killed the rat, That ate the malt That lay in the house that Jack built.

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

This is the cow with the crumpled horn, That tossed the dog, That worried the cat, That killed the rat, That ate the malt That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the maiden all forlorn, That milked the cow with the crumpled horn, That tossed the dog, That worried the cat, That killed the rat, That ate the malt That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the man all tattered and torn, That kissed the maiden all forlorn, That milked the cow with the crumpled horn, That tossed the dog, That worried the cat, That killed 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 tattered and torn, That kissed the maiden all forlorn, That milked the cow with the crumpled horn, That tossed the dog, That worried the cat, That killed the rat, That ate the malt That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the c.o.c.k 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 the crumpled horn, That tossed the dog, That worried the cat, That killed the rat, That ate the malt That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the farmer sowing his corn, That kept the c.o.c.k 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 the crumpled horn, That tossed the dog, That worried the cat, That killed the rat, That ate the malt That lay in the house that Jack built.

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THE EGG IN THE NEST

There was a tree stood in the ground, The prettiest tree you ever did see; The tree in the wood, and the wood in the ground, And the green gra.s.s growing all around.

And on this tree there was a limb, The prettiest limb you ever did see; The limb on the tree, and the tree in the wood, The tree in the wood, and the wood in the ground, And the green gra.s.s growing all around.

And on this limb there was a bough, The prettiest bough you ever did see; The bough on the limb, and the limb on the tree, The limb on the tree, and the tree in the wood, The tree in the wood, and the wood in the ground, And the green gra.s.s growing all around.

Now on this bough there was a nest, The prettiest nest you ever did see; The nest on the bough, and the bough on the limb, The limb on the tree, and the tree in the wood, The tree in the wood, and the wood in the ground, And the green gra.s.s growing all around.

And in the nest there were some eggs, The prettiest eggs you ever did see; Eggs in the nest, and the nest on the bough, The bough on the limb, and the limb on the tree, The limb on the tree, and the tree in the wood, The tree in the wood, and the wood in the ground, And the green gra.s.s growing all around, _And the green gra.s.s growing all around_.

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The following story is the same as that of the Norwegian tale "The Husband Who Was to Mind the House" (No. 170). In the Halliwell version the final lines read,