LULLABIES AND BABY SONGS

J&

LULLABIES

AND

BABY SONGS

The history

of

poetry

written

for

children

beglns

in

oral

tradition:

in

lullabies, and

in

the scraps

of

verse that parents have used since time

immemo-rial

with

their

babies and young

children.

Lulla-bles are sleep songs. They are among

the

oldest verse lorms known, and generally

the first

intro-ductions newborns have

to

words

and

music. According

to

research done

by the

psychologist Sandra

Trehub, lullabies are

stable across time

and culture, and are instantly

recognizable

in

experiments

in

which adult

subjects are asked to

distinguish

them from

other,

similar

melodies. The subjects immediately identified characteristic

simple

pitch

contours

(i.e.,

distances between notes), repeated rhythms, and elongated vowels.

Trehub's experiments

also prove

that

infants demonstrate

a

marked preference

for

lullabies over other t;,pes of songs.

Although lullabies

soothe

and

comfort,

their

Ilrics

are often threatening.

In

No

Go the Bogey-mam: Scari.mg,

Lulling

and. Making

Mock

(1999), Nlarina Warner erplains that "lullabies dip infants prophylactically

in

the imaginary future

of

ordeals and perils; nightmares are uttered in order to chase them from the impending

dreamworld-a

manoeu-we akin to a blessing

in

the form of a curse: as

in

'Break a

leg."' In

the lullabies selected for this sec-tion, the balance between harshness and

sentimen-tality

changes depending

on

time and

culture. Those authored lullabies

from

the late nineteenth century

for

example, tend to reflect a sentimental attitude toward children that is typical of the period. The section begins with four variants of a Iullaby usually

known

as

"AIl the

Pretty

Little

Horses," which comes from the African American tradition.

In

later

versions,

such as

"Go

to

Sleepy,

Little

Baby," the bleak realities of slave

life-in

which a

woman

must

care

for

her

mistress's

child

rather than

her

own-are

softened

or

erased altogether.

Other

traditional lullabies

follow;

most were first published

in

the eighteenth or nineteenth century and most are from England.

The

section ends

with

poems

to

which

(unlike most lullabies) an author's name can be attached.

"Lullaby

of

a

Female

Convict"

by

Henry

Kirke White, a Romantic poet who died very young, uses the lullaby form to

tell

a dramatic story. The lulla-bies

by

Robert

Ellice Mack

("The

Little

Orphan"

and

"Sleep, Baby, Sleep")

and

Eugene

Field ("Wynken, Blynken, and Nod") cater

to

the nine-teenth-century preference

for

sentimental images of innocent children.

All

the Pretty

Little

Horses

Hush-a-bye don't you

cry

go to sleep you

little

baby

When you wake you shall have

all

the pretty

little

horses

Blacks and bays, dapples and grays, coach and six-a

little

horses.

Hush-a-bye don't you

cry

go to sleep you

little

baby,

Way down yonder

in

the meadow lays a poor

little

lambie

The bees and the butterflies

peckin'out

his eyes The poor

little

thing

cries 'Mammy'.

Go

to

Sleepy,

Little

Baby

Go to sleepy,

little

baby, Go to sleepy,

little

baby.

Mammy and daddy have both gone away And

left

nobody

for

to mind you. So rockaby,

And don't you cry.

And go

to

sleepy,

little

baby. And when you wake You can ride

All

the pretty

little

ponies.

Paint and bay, Sorrel and a gray,

And

all

the pretty

little

ponies. So go to sleepy,

little

baby. Rockaby

And don't you cry And go to sleep, my baby.

[A

Baby Song]

Go to sleep,

little

baby, When you wake You shall have

Nl

the mulies

in

the stable. Buzzards and flies

Picking out its eyes, Pore

little

baby crying, Matnnoa, tnananca!

Rocky Bye Baby

Roclq, bye baby, go to sleepy

little

baby When you wake

I'm

gonna cook you a cake And a whole stew

with

potatoes

Rocky bye baby, go to sleepy

little

baby Mama's gone away

(off)

and papa's on a

stroll

And

they

left

nobody here to hold you

Black sheep, black sheep, where's your mama (mammy)

She way down yonder

in

the valley

The birds and the flies are

peckin'in

his eyes And the poor

little

baby

cryin'mammy

(mama)

[Bye,

O

my baby]

Bye, O my baby,

Whenlwasalady,

O then my baby

didn't

cry;

But

my baby is weeping For want of good keeping,

O I

fear my poor baby

will

die.

LutLesrrs eNo Benv Sorvcs

fBaby, baby,

naughty

baby]

Baby, baby, naughty baby, Hush, you squalling

thing,

I

say. Peace this moment, peace, or maybe Bonaparter

will

pass this way.

Baby, baby, he's a giant,

Tall and black as Rouen2 steeple, And he breakfasts, dines, rely on't, Every day on naughty people.

Baby, baby,

if

he hears you, As he gallops past the house,

Limb from limb

at once

he'll

tear you, Just as pussy tears a mouse.

And he'll

beat you, beat you, bear you. And

he'll

beat you

all

to pap,

And

he'll

eat you, eat you, eat you, Every morsel snap, snap, snap.

fBaby and

I]

Baby and I

Were baked

in

a pie, The grar,y was

wonderful

hot.

We had

nothing

to pay To the baker

that

day And so we crept

out

of the pot.

IHush-a-bye, baby]

Hush-a-bye. baby. Daddy is near, Mammy's a lady,

And

that's very clear.

IBye, baby

bunting]

Bye, baby bunting,3 Daddy's gone a-hunting, Gone to get a

rabbit

skin To wrap the baby

bunting

in.

[Hush-a-ba,

babie,

lie

still,

lie still]

Hush-a-ba, babie,

lie still, lie still,

Your mammie's awa to the

mill,

the

mill;

Babie is greetinga

for

want of good

keeping-Hush-a-ba, babie,

lie still, lie still!

fHush-a-bye,

lie

still

and sleep]

Hush-a-bye,

lie

still

and sleep,

It

grieves me sore to see thee weep, For when

lhou

weep'st thou wearies me, Hush-a-bye,

lie

still

and bye.

2. A city in northern France, home to a thirteenth-centurv

cat hedral.

3. A term of endearment; also a blanket in which infants are

wrapped. 4. Crying. 1. Napol6on Bonaparte (1769-1821), who cromed himself

emperor of France in 1804. His attempts to win a larger European empire (until his defeat by the British in t 8 1 5 at

the Battle of Waterloo) made him a bogeyman of the British

nursery.

iadle

Song

Hush-a-bye, baby, on the tree top, When the

wind

blows the cradle

will

rock; When the bough breaks the cradle

will

fall,

'r$"

_Down

_will

_{come baby and cradle and all.}

IHush-a-bye

a

baa-lamb]

Hush-a-bye a baa-lamb, Hush-a-bye a

milk

cow, We'll

find

a

little

stick To beat the barking bow-wow

INorwegian

Lullaby]'

Baby,lullaby!

If

thou

wilt

but

sleep and

mind

me, Then a sweet cake

I

will

find

thee

If

there be no cake at hand,

I

will

let

the cradle stand, Let the baby cry!

Raisins and

Almonds

Yidd.ish lwlla.lry

Under Baby's cradle

in

the

night

Stands a goat so soft and snowy

white

The Goat

will

go to the market To bring you

wonderful

treats

He'll

bring you raisins and almonds Sleep, my

little

one, sleep.

All

through the Night

Welskfolk

song

Sleep my

child

and peace attend thee,

All

through the

night

5. Translated byAlma Strettel (fl. 1887-19i2).

Guardian angels God

will

send thee, AII through the

night

Soft the drowsy hours are creeping

Hill

and vale

in

slumber sleeping,

I

my loving

vigil

keeping

Nl

through the night.

While

the moon her watch is keeping

All

through the

night

While

the weary

world

is sleeping AJI through the

night

O'er they

spirit

gently stealing Visions of delight revealing Breathes a pure and holy feeling

All

through the night.

Love, to thee my thoughts are

turning

All

through the

night

All

for

thee my heart is yearning. AII through the night.

Though sad fate our lives may sever Parting

will

not last foreveE There's a hope

that

leaves me never,

All

through the night.

t784

fHe'll

toil

for

thee the whole

day

long]

He'll

toil

for

thee the whole day long, And when the weary work is o'er,

He'll whistle

thee a merry song, And drive the bogies

from

the door.

The

Little

Orphan

by

Robert Elliceu

Lie

still

mv pretty one,

Lie still

and rest, You shall be snug and warm, You are

quite

safe

from

harm,

Safe on my breast.

Though you are motherless, Though you are lone,

I

will

be

kind

to you, Temper the

wind

to you,

Pretty, my own.

Lie still

my pretty one,

Lie

still

and rest, You shall no longer roam, You shall be safe at home,

Safe on my breast.

188,1

Lullaby of

a Female

Convict to

Her

Child,

the

Night

Previous

to

Execution

by

Henry Kirke White'

Sleep, baby mine,S enkerchieft on my bosom; Thy cries they pierce again my bleeding

breast;

Sleep, Babv mine,

not

long

thou'lt

have a mother

To

lull

thee fondly

in

her arms to rest.

Baby, why dost

thou

keep

this

sad complaining? Long

from

mine eyes have

kindly

slumbers

fled;

Hush, hush, my babe, the

night

is

quickly

waning,

And I

would

fain

compose my aching head.

6. I.e., Robert Ellice Mack (fl. 1881*1902), British author and editor of children's verse.

7. British poet (1785-1806). l 136

Poor wapvard

wretchl

and who

will

heed they weeping,

When soon an outcast on the world

thou'lt

be? Who then

will

sooth thee, when thy mother's

sleeping

In

her low grave of shame and infamy!

Sleep, babv

mine!-to-morrow

I

must leave thee,

And I would

snatch an interval of rest: Sleep these last moments, ere the laws bereave

thee,

For never more

thou'lt

press a mother's breast.

I 807

8. These three words also begin a song by the English Sir Philip Sidney (155.1-1586).

ri

l! ii, I'i L

fSleep, baby,

sleep!]

Wvnken,

Blyrrken, and

Nod

by

Robert

Ellice

by Ewgene

Field)

Sleep, baby,

sleep!

Wynken,

Bllnken,

and Nod one

night

Thy father guards his

sheep,

Sailed

offin

a wooden

shoe-Thy mother shakes the dreamland

tree,

Sailed on a river of crystal

light,

Down falls a

little

dreamse

for

thee,

Into

a sea of dew.

Sleep, baby,

sleep!

'Where are you going, and rvhat do you wish?" The old moon asked the three.

Sleep, baby,

sleepl

"We have come to fish

for

the herring fish The large stars are the

sheep,

That live

in

this

beautiful

sea;

The

little

stars are the lambs,

I

guess,

Nets of silver and gold have we!"

The gentle moon is the

shepherdess.

Said Wynken,

Sleep, baby,

sleep!

Blynken,

And

Nod. Sleep, baby, sleep!

And cry not

like

a

sheep,

The old moon laughed and sang 4 Song, Else the sheep-dog

will

bark and

whine,

As they rocked

in

the wooden shoe, And

bite this

naughty

child

of

mine.

And

the

wind that

sped them all

night

long

Sleep, baby,

sleepl

Ruffled the waves of dew. The

little

stars were the herring fish Sleep, baby,

sleep!

That lived

in

that

beautiful

sea-Away to tend the

sheep,

"Now

cast your nets wherever you

wish-Away,

thou

sheep-dog fierce and

wild,

Never afeard are we"l

And do not harm my sleeping

child.

So cried the stars to the fishermen three:

Sleep, baby,

sleepl

Wynken,

Blynken,

Sleep, baby,

sleep!

And

Nod.

Our

Saviour loves His sheep;

He is the Lamb of God on

high,

All

night

long

their

nets they

threw

Who for

our sakes came down to

die.

To the stars

in

the

twinkling

foam-Sleep, baby,

sleep!

Then down

from

the skies came the wooden shoe,

1884

Bringing the fishermen home;

'Twas all so pretty a sail

it

seemed As

if it

could not be,

And

some folks

thought

'twas a dream they'd dreamed

Of

sailing that

beautiful

sea-But I

shall name you the fishermen three: WYnken,

Blynken, And Nod.

=,

DIi

NURSERY VERSE

Wynken and Blymken are two

little

eyes,

And

Nod is a

little

head,

And

the wooden shoe that sailed the skies Is a wee one's trundle-bed.

So shut your eyes

while

mother sings

Of wonderful

sights that be, And you shall see the

beautiful

things

As you rock

in

the misty sea,

Where the old shoe rocked the fishermen th ree:

Wyrrken, Blynken,.

And

Nod.

I 889

Whereas lullabies are sleep songs,

the

poems

in

this section are waking songs: verses for an adult to sing

or

chant

in

a game

with

a very young child. Many

of

these anonymous verses have resonated through

the

generations; we

often

can

find

their echoes

in

collections by later poets.

Nursery verse began to appear in print only in the eighteenth century when the idea of a special nurs-ery

culture-and

indeed the idea that infants and young children should have a separate space

in

the

home-started

to

take hold.

In

America

and

England,

such

verses

have

become

known

as

Mother Goose rh).mes, largely because of a histori-cal accident. When Charles Perrault's 1697 collec-tion of fairy tales, Historiet ou cofltes dw.tewps passd (Storles, or Tales of Past Times), u,as first translated

into

English

in

1729, the

title

was taken from its frontispiece:

an old

woman w,ith

a rapt

audience

that

was labeled "Contes de

ma

Mbre I'Oye," or "Tales of Mother Goose." "Mother Goose" had iong been associated

in

France with a teller of children's tales; Perrault himself had titled a smaller collection Contes de nca Mbre I'Oye (1691). _{Soon thereafter,} British publishers began collecting and printing the bits and pieces of children's songs and poems that

had been circulating orally. The earliest was Mary Cooper's

Tb**ry

Tkwtnb's Pretty Song Bool< (ca.

1744); John

Nern'bery

offered Motker

Goose's Melody (ca. 17 65), and the name stuck. A few

tradi-tional

Mother

Goose rh),rnes

are lullabies

(e.g., "Baby Bunting"), brrt most are not.

The selections are arranged in loose clusters, mov-ing roughly from verses aimed at the youngest audi-ence to those for older children. They include games an adult might play with a baby, such as 'Jeremiah, blo'w,

the fire";

delightfully

silly rhynes, such

as

"Dickery dickery dare" and "Hickory dickory dock"; commemorations

of

historical

teachers,

such

as "Blessed be the memory" and "Miss Buss and Miss Beale"; and verses to be recited as part of a cozy bed-time

ritual.

Many have been selected because they echo forward into the published collections of verse included below. The illustrations demonstrate how open the words of these poems are to interpretation. Some

of

the earliest illustrators represented, from collections

in

the

nineteenth

century were

not named.

Artists

who did

receive

credit

for

their famous works reproduced here include Arthur Rack-ham (1867-1939), Walter Crane (1845-1915), and Paula Rego (b. 1935).