Long
Verses
Old Mother
Hubbard
"Old Mother Hubbard" is by Sarah Catherine Martin (1768-1826):
Sarah Catherine was the daughter of Sir Henry Martin and an early love
of Prince William Henry (later William IV, 1765-1837.) In 1804, at
the age of 36, she was visiting her future brother-in-law, John Pollexfen
Bastard, M. P. of Kitley, Devon. As he tried to write a letter, he
was distracted by her chattering and cavalierly suggested that she run
away and write "one of your stupid little rhymes." She did, and the result
was "The Comic Adventures of Old Mother Hubbard and Her Dog ."
It was built upon an old nursery rhyme character known since at least the
sixteenth century. The archaic rhyming of laughing (as in Shakespeare's
loffing ) with coffin suggests that this verse may have been part of the
original. The patter of the verse and structure, and even the title,
follow closely that of a narrative that appeared first in
1706 in "Pills to Purge Melancholy“ and were published again--just
a year before Martin's efforts--as T. Evans's 1803 "Old
Dame Trot, and Her Comical Cat . The similarity suggests that
Martin must have been familiar with the cat's tale. (Which did
not survive as nursery lore.) Some of the verses, for instance:
Old Dame Trot, some cold fish had got
Which for pussy, she kept in store,
When she looked there was none
The cold fish was gone,
For puss had been there before.
She went to the butcher's
To buy her some meat,
When she came back
She lay dead
at her feet.
She went to the
undertaker's
For a coffin
and shroud,
When she came
back,
Puss sat up and meowed.
The tale of Mother Hubbard was published in
1805 by John Harris, selling over 10,000 copies in a few months.
Subsequent
printings contained continuations of the tale, the last two verses,
for instance, not having been included in the original. As shown here,
it contains the verses as they've come down through the years. Various
publications sometimes alter the order of the verses, but they've remained
remarkably standard. The original title, however, is rarely attached
to the tale.
| Old
Mother Hubbard
Old Mother Hubbard
Went to the cupboard,
To fetch her
poor dog a bone;
But when she got there
The cupboard
was bare,
And so the poor dog had none.
She went to the baker's
To buy him some bread;
But when she
came back
The poor dog was dead.
She went to the
joiner's
To buy him a coffin;
But when she
came back
The poor dog was laughing.
She took a clean
dish
To get him some tripe;
But when she
came back
He was smoking a pipe.
She went to the
fish-house
To buy him some fish;
But when she
came back
He was licking the dish.
She went to the
ale-house
To get him some beer;
But when she
came back
The dog sat in a chair.
She went to the
tavern
For white wine and red;
But when she
came back
The dog stood on his head.
She went to the
fruiterer's
To buy him some fruit;
But when she
came back
He was playing the flute.
She went to the
hatter's
To buy him a hat;
But when she
came back
He was feeding the cat.
|
She went to the barber's
To buy him a wig;
But when she
came back
He was dancing a jig.
She went to the
tailor's
to buy him a coat;
But when she
came back
He was riding a goat.
She went to the
cobbler's
To buy him some shoes;
But when she
came back
He was reading the news.
She went to the
seamstress
To buy him some linen;
But when she
came back
The dog was a-spinning.
She went to the
hosier's
To buy him some hose;
But when she
came back
He was dressed in his clothes.
The dame made
a curtsey,
The dog made a bow;
The dame said
"Your servant,"
The dog said, "Bow-wow."
This wonderful
dog
Was Dame Hubbard's delight;
He could sing,
he could dance,
He could read, he could write.
She gave him
rich dainties
Whenever he fed,
And erected
a monument
When he was dead.
--from
Mother
Goose: From Nursery to Literature,
McFarland ©1987/iUniverse ©2000 by Gloria T. Delamar |