LL-L "Traditions" 2007.05.30 (03) [E]

[Lowlands-L List]

L O W L A N D S - L  -  30 May 2007 - Volume 03

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From: Kevin Caldwell <kevin.caldwell1963 at verizon.net>
Subject: LL-L "Traditions" 2007.05.29 (09) [E]

Um, obviously the second line of the nursery rhyme should read "Your house
is on fire and your children are gone." That's what I get for copying and
pasting without editing!

Kevin Caldwell

From: Kevin Caldwell < kevin.caldwell1963 at verizon.net>
Subject: LL-L "Traditions" 2007.05.29 (01) [E]

I don't know about the Lowlands specifically, but in the English-speaking
world there is the nursery rhyme that children chant to ladybirds/ladybugs
(usually only the first line, or perhaps the first two lines):

Ladybird, ladybird, fly away home,
Your house in on fire and your children are gone,
All except one and that's little Ann,
For she crept under the frying pan.
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From: Marcel Bas <roepstem at hotmail.com>
Subject: LL-L "Traditions" 2007.05.30 (01) [E]

Hello everyone,

Felix wrote:

"That reminds me of the German nursery rhyme about the Maikäfer
(according to Wikipedia, the English word is "cockchafer (or may bug, as
it is colloquially called, or sometimes billy witch or spang beetle,
particularly in East Anglia)") "

"Maikäfer, flieg
Dein Vater ist im Krieg
Dein' Mutter ist in Pommerland
Pommerland ist abgebrannt
Maikäfer flieg"

"My translation:

"Cockchafer, fly
your father has gone to war
your mother is in Pomerania
Pomerania was burned down
Cockchafer, fly

It is not about the same insect, ladybird is Marienkäfer in German, but
maybe there is a connection?"

Taxonomically there is a connection. Both ladybirds/ladybugs and cockchafers
have been placed into the Chrysomelidae family. In Dutch, this family is
called 'haantjes'; i.e. roosters/cocks. So there you see another connection,
with the English word 'cockchafer'.

Best regards,

Marcel.
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