Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-02-05
FOLK LULLABIES
{Frsser's Magazine. !!
- A nurses sons

fF-aser's Magazine
"A nurses sons
of lullaby. to bring her babe asleep.
Infancy is asgreat mystery. We know thai
we each have gone over that stage In human
life. though even this much is not always quite
easy to realize. But what else do we kooa
about 1t: something bY observation. some
thiDg by intuition; by experience hardly any.
thing az all We have as much personal ac
qualntance With lake dwelling or stone aps
infant as with our proper serves at the timf
when we were passing through the ',avatar'
or baoyhoOd. The recollecti0IS of orr earIIeS,
5eerS are at most Only as the confused re
ntmorance or morning dream. which al
One end iadeS Into the Inconsistencies OF
sep Wnlte at the other It mingleS With
the realities OF a"aking. And yet, as a fact
our Ire, nor were We unconscious: only we
were inherent 10 what we now archie term
thinking animal did not then 1t us so well
We were less reasonable and less material
BABIES have a way of looking at you that makes
you half suspect that they belong 10 separate
ORDER OF beings. You speculate rs to whether
they have not Invisible wings, which drop of
afteTWard, as DO the birtn wings OF the Soung
ant. There Is one thing. however, In which
the Oaby lS very human, very maniike. OK all
newt born creatures he Is the least happy. You
10 himself With look Of world woe on his face
that Is positively appalling. Perhaps human
existence, like new pair or shoes, Is very un-
comfortable till one gets accustomed TO IL.
Any how. the child being for some reason or
reasons exceedingly disposed TO Vex its heart
needs much soothing. In this highly civilized
country good many mothers are In the habit
Of going 10 the nearest druggist for the means
10 tTanqaillze their offspring. with the result
ihat thtst latter are NOT unnequently rescued
iiom a sea OF soTToTs In the most final and ex-
ItuuouS way In less advanced states OF So
eiefy another eXpedeBt has been resortet
10 from time immemorial-to VII the cradle
song.
Babies show an early appreciation orrythm.
1hey rejoice In measured noise whether &c
taxes The form OF words, music or the Jingle of a
oulca OF keys. 10 the way OF poetry we are
AFRAID they must be admitted to have per-
verse preference for what goes by the name Of
sng-song. 1t will be a long time before the
inidhtlne pubic are brought round to Walt
Nhitman'5 Views on versihcation. For the
rest, they are not very severe critics. The
snail ancient Roman asked for nothing better
than the song OF his nurse
Lalla, ldlla, ialla.
Aut dormi, aut Iacte-
This twc-line lullaby constitutes one OF the
few suficiLg proofs which have come down 10
Us OF the existence among the people OF old
resembling the Latin classics but bearing a
considerable likeness TO the can't popolari of
the modern Italian peasant.
Every BODY who Is in Rome at ChrtStmaS-tide
makes point OF visiting Santa Maria In Ara
COL. the church which stands 10 the right OF
! ne Capitol, where once the temple OF Jupiter
FtFetrius Is supposed 30 have STOOD. What is II
al That season TO be seen In the Ara Coeli is wei
enough knoTn-no one Size a ''preSepio," or
nanger with the ass the OK, ST. Joseph, the
virgin, ana the child on her kaee: TO the other
Side IhroDg OF little Roman children rehearS-
luS In their infaBtile voices the story that IL
pictured opposite. The scene may be taken as
y picai OF the cult Of the Infant Saviour which
under one form or another. has existed disttnct
aid separable from the main stem OF Christian
Worship ever since a Voice III Jud;pa babe man
seek after the Divine la the stable or Bethlehem
II Is almost commonplace 10 say that Chris
tianity brought fresh and peculiar glory alike
20 infancy and 10 motherhood. A new sense
came into the words OF the oracle
Thee in al children. the eternal Child.
AHd the mother. subimely though she appears
sainst the horizon or antiquity, yet rose to
higher rauk-b2cause the higneSt-at the found
lug OF tie new faith. Especially In art she leYt
lie secoEd place that she mlgat take the iirsJ.
The sentiment OF maternal love as illustrated,
as tran5iigre3, III the love OF the Virgin for
ntr Divine Child, furnished the great Italian
painters with their master motif, while In his
tuInole fashion the obscure folk poet exempIi-
ilrS the selfSame thought. We are not sure
that the rude ryameS or which the following
Is rendering do not convey, as we'll as can be
conveyed in articutate speech the glory
AID me grief Of the Dresden Madonna:
Sleer. oh, sleep. dear baby milne,
King Divine;
Sleep. MY child, N seep rec!ine.
Heavens King
iiI o. grace Is lilies
IN old English carol, current In the time OF
Henry ", has much afiiutfy with the Italian
sacred cradle songs:
LAZY lui J, iytel Child. Inyn 2wyn dere fo1e;
Ito" Aait thou suHerin Ue naylid the rode.
In sicily there are a great number OF pious
iuildGieS OF lighter and less serious sort The
Sic!Ian poet relates how once, When the Ma
nuT ana was Dcnding st. JOSeph'S clothes the
cried Ia His cradle because no one
Woa attending 10 Hiia; so be aTchangel Ra pls>el
came Gown ahd rocked Him, and SAID three
sweet little words to Him. = Lullaby, Jesus
Son Of Mary Another t;me when the Chili
was older and the mother was going 10 visit ST
- N.n iaf.. "a
The mother let Him accompany ner on onal-
ton thai tie would noi break 81. Anne'S bop
UiLS- CT anoS her time the Virgin went ID the
titif 10 BUY lax. aud Tue Cuid said that he
loo, World Ike TO have a fairing. Tie girrin
0ut 5 Him tamo0uTine, aud angels descend to
listen 10 HIS playing, S1ch stories are endless;
soIile no qoqg5 are invented on The spur or the
ihoment. bUt the larger portion are scraps OF
O.Q legendary lore. Not a few Of the poouiar
beliefs relating TO the infant Jesus may be
traced 10 the ap0cryphal gospels. which were
ian centuries.
The most popular or German lulaoies is a
truly Teutonic mixture OF pity. wonder-lore
ana nomelineSs. Wagner has introduced the
music 10 which It is sum-, Into his ..SIegfried
IdElL We have 10 thank a heidelberg TREND
for the text:
slsep, baby, sleep;
I-Ur father tends the sheep.
l9ur mother shakes the branches sm sill.
whence happy dreams in showers fau
sleep. baby. sleep.
S!eep, baby. sleep;
lie Christ child owns i sheep
He is himself the Lamb of God
. Inc world TO save, 70 death lie tr1d
S.eep. babJ, sleep.
in Denmark children are sung TO sleep with
q cradle hymn which Is believed 80 we are In
formed oy Youthful correspondent to be
very Old IL has seven stanZaS of which the
Ifst runs; steep sweetly, little Guild; lie quiet
and sun; as sWeetly sleep as the birds Ia the
WOOD, as the nowers In the meadow. God the
Father has said, Angels stand on watch where
mine. the little ones, are in Ded."
me Italians call lullubieS mime name a term
used oy Dante wnen he makes Forese predict tbe
HIS when are TO overLake the danes OF Florence:
&c Papteyeder qui non m ingapns
Prtma ten triste che le -,uance inpeu
C0Iui che mo 81 cOnsOla con mamma.
Sisnor Dial MedIco published some ten years
ago separate collection OF Venetian nursery
rhy mes. The following Is one Of Signor Dial
MedicO's lulAbies:
Hush. lula, lullaby So mother sings;
/ or hearken, tbs Tie midnight bell that rims.
Bat. DARING, not thy mothers bell is this:
st. Lucy's priests II calls 10 prayer. wis.
81 Lucy gave thee eyes-a matchess pair
And gave The Mastlalen her golden hair;
Thy cheeks their hue from heavens ANGELS have;
her little loving mouth st. Martha gave
home,
Nov tel ne where love springs. and how doth
come: 80.
With music and with cong doth love arise,
anu lneh lts end 1t hath IN tears and signs.
Ihe question and answer as to the beginning
anu eLu OF love run through all the songs OF
llaIy. ana IN nearly every case the repIy Dro.