Dappled Sunday
Dappled Connemara pony
It was
beautiful in the woods this morning, with the sun slanting through the trees,
casting dappled light on the peaty ground.
The first
lines of a verse came into my mind:
I had a little
pony,
His name was Dapple Grey.
I
couldn’t remember the rest of it, so looked it up when I reached home. Somehow,
I wish I hadn’t!
This is
the traditional English nursery rhyme:
I had a little pony,
His name was Dapple Grey;
I lent him to a lady
To ride a mile away.
She whipped him, she slashed him,
She rode him through the mire;
I would not lend my pony now,
For all the lady’s hire.
It
probably dates back to the 1800s. Iona and Peter Opie, in ‘The Oxford
Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes’ suggest that it originated about 1825.
I
discovered another version, which was popular in USA:
I had a little horse, his name was Dapple Grey,
His legs were made of cornstalks, his body made of hay.
I saddled him and bridled him and rode him off to town,
Up came a puff of wind, and blew him up and down.
The saddle flew off, and I let go -
Now didn’t my horse make a pretty little show?
I prefer the USA version; the other one is terrible. However, children's tales and rhymes back then quite dark.
ReplyDeleteNursery rhymes and fairy stories have very dark origins and lessons.
DeleteA rhyme perhaps to remind us that the animals we share our spaces with are worth more than anyone's money.
ReplyDeleteTrue!
Deleteoh dear- neither a lender nor borrower be! I like the straw horse very much and when one is finshed riding let the wind take him.
ReplyDeleteI like the second one, but feel the last two lines were tacked on at a later date - I'm probably wrong.
DeleteCute. I'll put my head in the sand and say I like the second.
ReplyDeleteSo do I.
DeleteI remember that horrible rhyme, gave me nightmares as a kid. Those terrible stories about illtreated animals, especially horses, used to be presented to kids. I can't bear them. Anything with kids and animals easily lurches into tragedy.
ReplyDeleteI like dappled skies though!
Remember "Black Beauty"? I adored horses and ponies when I was a little girl, and I still have that book - it's cardboard cover is crumbling. No wonder, as I am 84.
DeleteI cried buckets over Black Beauty and then read it all over again and cried more buckets.
DeleteI did too and I think I still have a copy stashed away somewhere safe.
DeleteI love the dappled horse; not so much those rhymes.
ReplyDeleteThe things we teach our children . . .
DeleteThe image of the woods with dappled light already feels poetic, and then pairing it with the memory of “Dapple Grey” makes it even more charming. It’s funny how childhood rhymes often have much darker or rougher tones than we remember. I really like the American version though it feels playful and whimsical, almost like a folk tale. its awesome. What a lovely reflection
ReplyDeleteI prefer the pony to the rhyme.
DeleteWhat a lovely pony.
ReplyDeleteIt is.
DeleteThis was in a very old nursery rhyme book that I had as a child, it had pictures - ugh.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if it was based on a news item of the time as many were.
I couldn't find out much about it.
DeleteWell, hopefully the first Dapple Grey survived and recovered well back with his original owner. (I am trying to look on the bright side!).
ReplyDelete🎶Always look on the bright side of life . . . 🎶
DeleteI like the US version. There's no whipping and slashing in that one.
ReplyDeleteI agree.
DeleteHi Janice - the Opies are a brilliant couple who recorded so many folk aspects of life. I love the term dapple, but am not too happy at it being associated with your poem - though knowing what men did to people in the Medieval era - similar applies - also, I guess not good today either - cheers Hilary
ReplyDelete'The evil that men do lives after them' and is modified and refined, sadly.
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame when you look up a fond memory and it turns out to have a bit of a harsh story behind it. The original English nursery rhyme is a lot darker than you'd expect. The American version is much more whimsical and fun, and I think I prefer that one. It's always interesting to see how these old rhymes evolve and change over time.
ReplyDeleteFeel free to check out my new post at www.melodyjacob.com.
The origins are dark and often sinister.
DeleteThe pony is pretty and I do love dappled shade for growing certain things. I never heard either of the poems.
ReplyDeleteThe pony is certainly pretty.
DeleteHave to say that English poem was never a favourite of mine!
ReplyDeleteThe US version much better with no whipping or slashing!
Have a happy Tuesday.
All the best Jan
Thank you. Jan.
DeleteIt’s fascinating how the same simple rhyme can take such different forms across time and place, reflecting both charm and a touch of harshness in its variations
ReplyDeleteLike in times past was often harsh.
DeleteI like the second poem better.
ReplyDeleteMe, too.
DeleteI am taken by the name, Connemara. Pretty sure that when I was trying the learn the fiddle that there may have been a tune that included that name.
ReplyDeleteI have tried to pin it down, unsuccessfully!
DeleteGreyhound racing on Tasmania is to be banned by 2029. Finally! I mention this only because of the line "she whipped him, she smashed him". How much has changed in 125+ years?
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear that greyhound racing is to be banned.
DeleteNursery rhymes are a bit like nightmares. They start out pleasant enough, but end up in horror
ReplyDeleteQuite right. Dark tales of menace behind these 'jolly' rhymes.
DeleteUS version is better. Happy Tuesday! :)
ReplyDeleteIt never ends well for animals in nursery rhymes!
ReplyDeleteVery cute horse and I liked the nursery rhymes.
ReplyDeleteI too prefer the USA version ... xxx
ReplyDeletecute Nursery Rhyme... different versions. I really like the dapple skin...
ReplyDeleteLovely
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion the US version is much preferable to the English one.
ReplyDeleteSome of these old nursery rhymes can be quite horrific. It was years before I realized that Ring Around the Rosie was connected to the Great Plague of London, and that sneezing was one of the symptoms.
ReplyDelete