Chinese
Mother Goose
Among
foreign nursery verses are Chinese Mother Goose Rhymes published
in translation by Isaac T. Headland in 1900. These are not the familiar
English verses in another tongue; they are Chinese originals. Interestingly,
they illustrate that cultures as diverse as the Orient and the Occident
nevertheless feed their children on similar literary food. From the innocuous
to the implications of violence, they offer the same patterns seen in the
annals of English-language children's rhymes.
Some of these
are fingerplays. For other Fingerplays, see Fingerplays
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The Senses
Little eyes see pretty things,
Little nose smells what is sweet,
Little ears hear pleasant sounds,
Mouth likes luscious things to eat.
This is a simple fingerplay.
Line 1: point to eyes.
Line 2: point to nose.
Line 3: point to eyes.
Line 4: point to mouth. |
Lady-Bug
Lady-bug, lady-bug, fly away do,
Fly to the mountain, and feed upon dew,
Feed upon dew, and sleep on a rug,
And then run away, like a good little bug. |
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Five Fingers
This one one's old,
This one's young,
This one has no meat,
This one's gone to buy some hay,
And this one's on the street.
This fingerplay counts off the
fingers as in "This Litle Piggy." |
Pat-a-Cake
Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, little girl
fair,
There's a priest in the temple without
any hair,
You take a tile, and I'll take a
brick,
And we'll hit the priest in the
back of the neck. |
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The Five Toes
(or Fingers)
This little cow eats grass,
This little cow eats hay,
This little cow drinks water,
This little cow runs away,
And this little cow does nothing
But just like down all day;
WE'LL WHIP
HER.
Count off the toes or fingers. |

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The Crows
Look at the white breasted crows overhead!
My father shot once, and ten crows tumbled dead,
When boiled or when fried, they taste very good,
But skin them, I tell you, there's no better food. |
Friends of the House
The thieving old magpie has taken our food,
The chicken eats millet as if it were good,
The faithful old watch-dog looks after the house,
And the cat has come over to catch us a mouse. |
The Butterfly
'Way goes the butterfly,
To catch it I willl never try;
The butterfly's about to light,
I would not have it if I might. |
The Cow
There's a cow on the mountain,
The old saying goes,
On her legs are four feet;
On her feet are eight toes;
Her tail is behind
On the end of her back,
And her head is in f ront
On the end of her neck. |