Mythology & Folklore

My dear, do you know

by Anonymous (English nursery rhymes) traditional; recorded 17th–19th century

From The Nursery Rhymes of England, collected by J. O. Halliwell (London: Warne; first ed. 1842; this printing 1886)

Mythology & Folklore

My dear, do you know,
How a long time ago,
Two poor little children,
Whose names I don't know,
Were stolen away on a fine summer's day,
And left in a wood, as I've heard people say.

And when it was night,
So sad was their plight,
The sun it went down,
And the moon gave no light!
They sobb'd and they sigh'd, and they bitterly cried,
And the poor little things, they lay down and died.

And when they were dead,
The Robins so red
Brought strawberry leaves,
And over them spread;
And all the day long,
They sung them this song,
"Poor babes in the wood! poor babes in the wood!
And don't you remember the babes in the wood?"

✦ ✦ ✦

Halliwell's class: Tales.

MLA

Anonymous (English nursery rhymes). “My dear, do you know.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/anonymous-english-nursery-rhymes/51/.

Chicago

Anonymous (English nursery rhymes). “My dear, do you know.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/anonymous-english-nursery-rhymes/51/.

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