Comprei este tecido na Retrosaria porque me faz lembrar a infância... tanto cantei esta canção no recreio da escola, e nunca soube de facto o que ela significava...A Christine que canta canções lindas ao Rafael, cantou esta no outro dia... e eu exclamei... ah! Cantei tantas vezes isso, e nunca me lembrei de lhe ensinar... Ela que é uma inglesa pura e dura, toca de me explicar o significado dela. Quando vi o tecido, enviei-lhe um email a perguntar melhor. Não vou traduzir... desculpem lá ;) estou preguiçosa!
I bought this fabric at Retrosaria because it reminded me of my childhood... i sang it many times in the playground, and never knew what i really meant...
Christine who sing wonderful songs to my son, sang this one the other day, and i said: oh! I sang that so many times and never remembered to teach it to my son. Sh'e a REAL english lady, so, she explained to me what it meant... when i bought the fabric, i emailed her... this is what she answered.
Ring-a-ring-a-roses A pocket full of posiesAtishoo AtishooWe all fall downThis was a ditty sang and enacted by children during "The Great Plague in London around 1665ish it was eradicated by the great fire of London which I know occurred during 1666, it began in Baker Street. Most of the houses in those days were made of wood so nearly the whole of London was raised to the ground.....burning also all the infected rats who were spreading the vile disease.The song describes the rash one gets at the onset of the plague which looks like a ring of roses, the pocket full of posies will have been herbal plants such a lavender, rosemary, mint and other pungent plants though to help. Also people stank in those days so not unusual for the better off ones to carry a nose gay!!!Atishoo is a sneeze one of the symptoms. ( Coughs and Sneezes spread diseases) so children are from then on taught to cover the mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing in an attempt to lessen the spread of germs and subsequent illness.The last line is self explanatory we all fall down....(Dead as door knockers) this expression comes from then...not good to get the door knockers with the red paint!!!!And they did in the 100´s very day it was a problem to keep the streets clear of dead bodies, If a house had an infected person all the habitants were taken to the pest house and their front door was painted with a big red cross and closed for forty days. I don't think many survived the pest house.Great pits and sulphur powder was used for the dead.(...)we still teach it to our children today and play the game, though we seem to have forgotten the rather gruesome connotations of this simple pastime.Most Nursery Rhymes are connected to a political event, a royal event, scandal or such like, it was a way of being able to voice a sometimes dangerous opinion and an effective way for the people to have their say in sometimes wicked and turbulent times or of an omnipotent King/Queen.
