Poems
Monday’s Child
- Monday’s child is fair of face,
- Tuesday’s child is full of grace,
- Wednesday’s child is full of woe,
- Thursday’s child has far to go,
- Friday’s child is loving and giving,
- Saturday’s child works hard for a living,
-
But the child that is born on the Sabbath day (Sunday)
Is bonny and blithe, and good and gay.
- Key Context:
- Origin: It is an old English rhyme, with the earliest known version appearing in Traditions of Devonshire in 1838.
- Interpretations: While “full of woe” for Wednesday is famously gloomy, “far to go” for Thursday is sometimes interpreted as having a long, adventurous journey or immense potential, rather than a negative fate.
- Sabbath Day: Sunday is considered the most fortunate day, hence the positive description.
- Variations: Other versions exist, with some variations changing the order or characteristics.
Mother Goose
1806 –
Mother Goose is a character that originated in children’s fiction, as the imaginary author of a collection of French fairy tales and later of English nursery rhymes. She also appeared in a song, the first stanza of which often functions now as a nursery rhyme. The character also appears in a pantomime tracing its roots to 1806.
