Bookworm’s Life in Books; Nursery Rhymes

Right so you have read my introduction page (of course you have) so you know that my favourite genres are postapocalyptic and dystopian fiction but how did I arrive at this choice, like everything we learn I believe it started at an early age…

A small child carries a hardcover book of nursery rhymes it has a plain brown front as the dust jacket has been lost, approaching the nearest she asks for her favourite nursery rhyme to be read Babes in the Wood the adults roll their thinking not that morbid story again..

Back in the present day whenever the small child (who has now grown up) mentions her favourite nursery rhyme she is greeted with blank stares and the immortal words “What, never heard of it”

So for those of you thinking “What, never heard of it” and for those of you going I vaguely remember that one here it is;

Poor Babes In The Wood

O don’t you remember
A long time ago
Two poor little babes,
Their names I don’t know.
They strayed far away,
On a bright summer’s day.
These two little babes
Got lost on their way.

Poor babes in the wood!
Poor babes in the wood!
Oh! don’t you remember
Those babes in the wood?

Among the trees high,
Beneath the blue sky,
They plucked the bright flowers
And watched the birds fly.
Then on blackberries fed,
And strawberries red,
And when they were weary
‘We’ll go home,’ they said.
Poor babes in the wood!
Poor babes in the wood!
Oh! don’t you remember
Those babes in the wood?

And when it was night,
So sad was their plight,
The sun it went down,
And the moon gave no light!
They sobbed and they sighed
And they bitterly cried
And long before morning,
They lay down and died.
Poor babes in the wood!
Poor babes in the wood!
Oh! don’t you remember
Those babes in the wood?

And when they were dead,
The robins so red,
Brought strawberry leaves
And over them spread.
And all the day long,
On the branches did throng,
They mournfully whistled,
And this was their song:
Poor babes in the wood!
Poor babes in the wood!
Oh! don’t you remember
Those babes in the wood?

By
Tarrington, 1601

Bookworm working towards the end of the human race two Babes in the Wood at a time…