Hush-a-bye baby, on the tree-top,

Hush-a-bye, lie still and sleep, When the wind blows the cradle will rock ; It grieves me sore to see thee weep, When the bough bends the cradle will fall, For when thou weep'st thou wearies me, Down will come baby, bough, cradle and Hush-a-bye, lie still and bye. all.

You shall have a new bonnet, The Scotch have a simple but very

With blue ribbons to tie on it, characteristic little ditty, “ He-ba-lali- With a hush-a-bye, and a lull-a-baby, loo,” which is not very difficult to trace Why so like to Tommy's daddy. to the French “ Hé bas ! 'là le loup,” All over England babies are crooned which in turn brings our thoughts to to sleep to these verses ; sometimes the bear upon a universal nursery story mother substitutes a tune of her own in favorite, namely, “ Little Red Riding lieu of the recognized one : Hood."

Plump little baby clouds,
Ba-loo, ba-loo, my wee thing,

Dimpled and soft,
Oh, softly close thy blinkin' e'e,

Rock in their air cradle,
Thy daddy now is far awa',

Swinging aloft.
A sailor laddie o'er the sea.

Snowy cloud mothers
Hibernian mothers sing thus :

With broad bosoms white, Hush, baby dear, weep not awhile,

Watch o'er the baby clouds And o'er thee shall bright treasures smile,

Slumbering light. As did thy royal sires once own

Tired little baby clouds In the green land of Conn and Owen.

Dreaming of fears, Denmark is a country which, through Rock in their air cradles, our well-beloved princess, is so nearly Dropping soft tears. connected with our own, that I make

Great brooding mother clouds no apology for giving two of its lullabies

Watching o'er all, amongst ours. Strange to say the Dan- Let their warm mother tears ish mothers are the only ones whose Tenderly fall. slumber songs contain any element of The following is almost equally popucastigation about them :

lar in the north of England and in: Sleep, sleep, little mouse !

Scotland ; it is known as “ Bonny at The field your father ploughs ;

Morn :" Your mother feeds pigs in the sty,

The sheep's in the meadow, She'll come and slap you when you cry.

The kye's in the corn,
The next one is a dozing song :

Thou's ower lang in thy bed,
Visse lull, my love,

Bonny at morn,
Had I such four,

Canny at night,
Four-and-twenty in each corner,

Thou's ower lang in thy bed,
Then all our cradles should go.

Bonny at morn.
Here is a verse of a somewhat lengthy

The bird's in the bush, old Danish lullaby :

The trout's in the burn;

Thou hinderest thy mother Sleep sweetly, little child ; lie quiet and still ;

In many a turn. As sweetly sleep as the bird in the wood,

Canny at night, As the flowers in the meadow.

Bonny at morn, God the Father has said, “Angels stand

Thou's ower lang in thy bed, On watch when the little ones are in bed."

Bonny at morn.
A NURSERY CRY FROM YORKSHIRE.

We're all laid idle
Rabbit pie ! rabbit pie !
Come, my ladies, come and buy,

Wi' keeping the bairn,

The lass wi' net learn, Else your babies they will cry.

The lad wi' net work. This is a favorite old lullaby in the

Canny at night, north of England, one which is, per

Bonny at morn, haps, still heard occasionally. The last Thou's ower lang in thy bed, word is pronounced bee.

Bonny at morn.

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With the colliers' wives of Northum

Bobby Shaftoe's bright and fair, berland this funny song is a great favor- Combing down his yellow hair ; ite :

I will never see him mair,
UP THE RAW.

Bonny Bobby Shaftoe.
Up the raw, down the raw,

Yorkshire, which has that strange ditty Up the raw, lass. every day ;

about the rabbit pie, has also a prediFor shape and color, ma bonny hinney, lection for this, which is popular in Thou bangs thy mother, ma canny bairn.

Essex too : Black as a craw, ma bonny hinney,

Young lambs to sell, young lambs to sell ! Thou bangs them a', lass, every day ; If I'd as much money as I can tell Thou's a' clag-candy, ma bonny hinney, I never would cry - young lambs to sell. Thou's double-japanded, ma bonny bairn.

One can readily set the words of the For hide and for hue, ma bonny hinney, following to the monotonous rhythm of Thou bangs the crew, ma bonny bairn ;

a rocking-chair : Up the raw, down the raw, ma bonny hin

Hey, my kitten, hey, my kitten, ney, Thou bangs them a', lass, every day.

And hey, my kitten, my deary !

Such a sweet pet as this There are several uncouth local terms was neither far nor neary. in these verses which certainly require Here we go up, up, up, interpretation. The word “hinney” in And here we go down, down, down, Northumbrian parlance is an epithet of And here we go backwards and forwards, extreme endearnient; it is a corruption And here we go round, round, roundy. of honey. “ Canny" has not the same

The next song scarcely merits a place significance in the coal district as it has

amongst the songs of motherland, as it in Scotland, for over the Tweed it is evidently only used as a solace by means nearness, and sometimes even husbands when left in charge of the niggardliness, whilst this side of the Border it stands for something very

nursery pet:

Hush thee, my babby, nice. “ Clag-candy" is a sticky com

Lie still with thy daddy, pound much in request among the juve.

Thy mammy has gone to the mill, niles of the pitmen's country, and

To grind thee some wheat, "double-japanded” is an expression To make thee some meat, which, although it may 66 be under

And so, my dear babby, lie still. standed" of most people, has yet a

Why Tony Lumpkin should be the subspecial meaning in the north, where ject of inquiry in this, history does not the large kitchen fireplaces are ren

say : dered lustrous by means of japanning from day to day.

Bye, baby bumpkin, The sad and indeed almost tragic

Where's Tony Lumpkin ?

My lady's on her death-bed story of “ Bobby Shaftoe” is another

With eating half a pumpkin. Northumbrian lullaby ; it, however, is only such by courtesy, as the nursery is We can only conclude that Tony's not the only place where its somewhat surname rhymes with bumpkin and terse history is a favorite.

pumpkin ; as to my lady dying after so

prodigious a feat as the eating of half a BOBBY SHAFTOE.

pumpkin, well, it was only what might Bobby Shaftoe's gone to sea. Silver buckles on his knee ;

have been expected. From such nonHe'll come back and marry me,

sense it is charming to turn to this Bonny Bobby Shaftoe.

little ebullition of motherly love and

pride :
Bobby Shaftoe's bright and fair,
Combing down his yellow hair ;

My dear cockadoodle, my jewel, my joy,
He's my ain forevermair,

My darling, my honey, my pretty sweet boy,
Bonny Bobby Shaftoe.

Before I do rock thee with soft lullaby,
Give me thy dear lips to be kissed, to be

NANI-NANI.

The lullabies of Malaga have long Her kindly milk thou shalt enjoy been celebrated for their extreme

When home she comes at close of day. beauty. In the pretty Spanish tongue Sleep thee, little tawny guest ! the word arrullo means both the coo

Thy mother is my daughter fine : ing of doves and the lulling of chil- As thou dost love her kindly breast dren, so that we may think of the little She once did love this breast of mine. dark-haired, large-eyed babies of the Yet one more gipsy song, this time land of the Manzaneres being cooed from the lips of a Tzigani mother of into the land of Nod by some such ten

Roumania :
der little songs as the following:
A dormir va la rosa

Lullaby, my little one,
De los rosales ;

Thou art mother's darling son ;
A dormir va mi niña

Loving mother will defend thee,
Porque ya es tarde.

Mother she will rock and tend thee,

Like a flower of delight, The next lullaby, which is a great

Or an angel sheathed in white. favorite with the Romany mothers of Spain, refers to “the Moor” as a very Sleep with mother ; mother well benignant sort of bogey :

Knows the charm for every spell.

Thou shalt be a hero as
Isabellita, do not pine
Because the flowers fade away ;

Our good lord great Stephen was :

Brave in war and strong in hand,
If flowers hasten to decay,

To protect thy fatherland.
Weep not Isabellita mine.

Sleep, my baby, in thy bed,
Little one, now close thine eyes,

God upon thee blessings shed ;
Hark! the footsteps of the Moor,

Be thou dark, and be thine eyes
And she asks from door to door

Bright as stars that gem the skies ; Who may be this child who cries ?

Maiden's love be thine, and sweet
When I was as small as thou,

Blossoms spring beneath thy feet.
And within my cradle lying,

The slumber - suggesting word Nani-
Angels come about me flying,

nani begins and ends most of the Rou. And they kissed me on my brow.

manian lullabies ; it recalls the pretty Sleep then, little baby, sleep,

Italian verse which is chanted by the Sleep, nor cry again to-night,

peasant women in some parts of Italy Lest the angels take to flight

on Christmas day : So as not to see thee weep.

Dormi, dormi nel mio seno, Speaking of the gipsies of Spain re- Dormi, o mio fior Nazareno ! minds me of several beautiful slumber Il mio cor sulla sera songs which have originated with the Fa la nina-nana-na. tent mothers. Here is the Romany ver- Perhaps of all the Transylvanian bersion of a lullaby which, a few years ceuses this is the best known : ago, we might often have heard crooned

Nani-nani copilas, over a tiny Romany babe at the door of

Dormi cu mama, angeras, the camp :

Ca mama te-a legana, Jaw to sutters, my tiny chal,

Si mama te-a saruta, Your die to dukker has jall'd abri,

Si mamuca ti a canta At rarde she will wel palal,

Nani-nani, nani-na, etc. And tute of her tud shall pie.

ENGLISH VERSION. Jaw to lutherum, tiny baw !

Nani-nani, little treasure, I'm teerie deya's purie mam,

Sleep, dear angel, near thy mother, As tute cams her tud canaw,

For mother will rock thee, Thy deya meerie tud did cam.

And mother will clasp thee,

And mother will sing thee
ENGLISH VERSION.

Nani-nani, nani-na, etc.
Sleep thee, little tawny boy!
Thy mother's gone abroad to spae,

The German lullabies are amongst the most beautiful in the world ; they And the little descendants of the are frequently used in other lands, al- vikings are thus lulled :though it must be admitted that they

Row, row to Baltnarock, lose somewhat in the translation.

How many fish are caught in the net ? GERMAN CRADLE SONG.

One for father, and one for mother, Peacefully slumber, my own darling son ;

One for sister, and one for brother. Close thy dear eyelids, and sweetly sleep on !

Here is a specimen of a very pretty All things lie buried in silence profound,

French lullaby : Sleep, I will scare e'en the gnats floating round.

Il est tard, l'ange a passé, 'Tis now, my dearest, thy life's early May, Le jour a déjà baissé ; Ah! but to-morrow is not as to-day ;

Et l'on n'entend, pour tout bruit, Trouble and care round thy curtains shall Que le ruisseau qui s'enfuit. soar,

Endors-toi, Then, child, thou'lt slumber so sweetly no

Mon fils, c'est moi ; more !

Il est tard, et ton ami,

L'oiseau bleu, s'est endormi. Angels of Heaven as lovely as thou Float o'er thy cradle and smile on thee The following melodious berceuse is now ;

well known throughout Brittany : Later, when angels around thee shall stray, *Twill be to wipe but thy teardrops away. Go to sleep, you little darling,

Go to sleep, dear little Pierrot ; Peacefully slumber, my own darling son,

I'll sing sweet and low, I'll watch by thy bedside till dark night is

And rock to and fro gone ;

The crib of Pierrot, Careless how early, how late it may be,

Whom we all love. Mother's love wearies not, watching o'er thee.

The tiny bambino of the Italian peasAs a specimen of the Wiegenlied in ant hears these lines sung in the soft its original form the following could liquid accents of the Italian tongue : scarcely be surpassed :

Sleep, my baby, sleep, my darling, Tu lu ! Kommst du denn nicht?

While I hush thee with my song ; Nein, nein, heute nicht !

Sleep until the new sun rises, Bleib du dort;

Sleep in peace the whole night long. Ich kann nicht fort, Muss schaffen im Feld an der Halde.

A sample verse of a Sardinian logen

dorian 1 is here given : Tu lu ! Kommst du denn nicht? Nein, nein, lang noch nicht.

Oh ! Ninna and Anninia ! Und sing dazu

Sleep, baby boy. Der Kleine, er dürstet wohl balde.

Oh ! Ninna and Anninia ! Germany has always been considered

God give thee joy. the land par excellence of cradle songs ;

Oh! Ninna and Anninia ! the ideas embodied in many of them

Sweet joy be thine ;

Oh ! Ninna and Anninia ! are charningly poetic. Listen to this

Sleep, brother mine. lullaby of northern Germany :

The Albanian song which follows is Sleep, baby, sleep,

commendably short :-
Thy father guards the sheep,
Thy mother shakes the dreamland tree De ! de ! lambskin mine,
And from it falls sweet dreams for thee; Where didst thou this even dine ?
Sleep, baby, sleep.

In the fields where waters flow,
In Sweden puss is used as an induce-

Neath the trees where cherries grow. ment for children to go to sleep :

The Polish slumber song, to Hush, hush, baby mine,

our POLISH SLUMBER SONG,

Why dost thou weep, my child ? The stars shine forth from the blue sky,

Wherefore dost thou weep ? How great and wondrous is God's might; Hush, darling, calm thee, Shine stars through all eternity,

And sleep, my child, and sleep. His witness in the night.

LAURA ALEX. SMITH. Travellers very frequently hear mothers singing their children to sleep with very musical rhythm, and not rarely are the words in themselves veritable

From Macmillan's Magazine'. poems from slumberland. M. Xavier THE HUMORS OF A CANADIAN ELECTION, Marnier, on his journey to the North This title is not meant as an impertiPole, heard and noted down this charm- nence. There is not any intention here ing berceuse which a woman was sing- of attempting to pass a full judgment ing to her child in a remote part of on Canadian political life, or even, one northern Finland :

would like to say, on Canadian ParliaDors, petit oiseau de la prairie ; dors mentary elections. There are things to doucement, joli petit rouge-gorge! Dieu be said on the other side ; and chiefly t'éveillera quand il sera temps. Le sommeil there is that thing which Mr. Bryce est à la porte et de : N'y a-t-il pas ici un notices in the other American country doux enfant qui voudrait dormir — un petit as compared with Europe, the sort of enfant enveloppé dans ses langes, un bel righting force to be reckoned with, the enfant qui repose dans sa couverture de hidden force making for justice and laine ? Dors, petit oiseau !

right, and saving American countries In Iceland a poor little motherless from being what they seem to be. Still, babe was thus sung to its saddened when all that is said, there is such slumbers :

gross, open, and palpable public corTake me, bear me, shining moon,

ruption in Canada, and such cynical Bear me up to the skies ;

disbelief frequently expressed in the Mother mine, she's sitting there,

possibilities of anything better, that one Carding wool so fine.

is justified in giving a title to an ac

count of a Canadian election which The Dutch widows have a sorrowful

would be disgraceful if Canadians themlullaby of their own which says :

selves on the whole did not justify it, O hush thee, my child,

either by their own corrupt acts, or by Thy mother bends o'er thee,

their indifference and submission to And clasps her dear son,

corruption, or by their connivance at For she is forsaken and alone.

it. He that is not against it is on its With these Japanese and Hottentot side. lullabies I bring my songs of mother- Nothing can be understood about land to a close :

Canada until geography and its couse

quences are admitted, and Canada is Lullaby baby, lullaby baby,

understood to be an American country. Baby's nursey where has she gone ? There is no pretence here to hint at Over those mountains she's gone to her its political future, but in the life of its village,

people it is American. Its churches, And from her village what will she bring ? colleges, schools, and philanthropic soA tum-tum drum, and a bamboo flute,

cieties, are managed after a fashion A “daruma” (which will never turn over) which Europeans roughly understand and a paper dog.

as American ; these institutions have The “daruma” is what English chil- ready intercourse or mutual understanddren call a tumbler, a tigure which is ing between one side of the border and weighted at the bottom, so that, turn it the other. The speech, too, of Cahow you will, it always regains its nadians bewrayeth them ; hardly an equilibrium.

66 Americanism" but is as familiar to The Hottentot mother sings :

Nova Scotia as to New England ; the

JAPANESE LULLABY.

66