"Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" is a legend amongst nursery rhymes and happens to be my nieces favourite. Every kid who starts to learn rhymes would in all probability start with this one..not because its the first rhyme in books....but more often because the parents know this one by heart ;)
But a few days back when I was listening to it, it kind of sounded very incomplete with its 4 lines ... it felt like a racing car having only 4 gears ... you always long for the extra gear to go with the flow. So I actually googled it to find out more about this particular rhyme and guess what !! It does have a bit of history to it . But the most exciting part of the search for me is to discover that there are 5 stanzas to the rhyme. I patted myself on the back ... "well done Mr.Vipin Chengalpatu finally you have pieced together the missing puzzle, and saved the world from an incredible crisis ...hold on a sec ... 2012 will still happen , can't help with the Mayan calculation :) .. and there is a movie too :(
Coming back to the history of this rhyme, the lyrics are from an early nineteenth-century English poem (oh yea !! its a poem), "The Star" by Jane Taylor. The poem, which is in couplet form, was first published in 1806 in Rhymes for Nursery, a collection of poems by Taylor and her sister Ann. It is often sung to the tune of the French melody "Ah! vous dirai-je, Maman" (oldest known publication 1761).The English lyrics have five stanzas, although only the first is widely known. And the complete poem is as under
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky!
When the blazing sun is gone,
When he nothing shines upon,
Then you show your little light,
Twinkle, twinkle, all the night.
Then the traveller in the dark,
Thanks you for your tiny spark,
He could not see which way to go,
If you did not twinkle so.
In the dark blue sky you keep,
And often through my curtains peep,
For you never shut your eye,
Till the sun is in the sky.
As your bright and tiny spark,
Lights the traveller in the dark,—
Though I know not what you are,
Twinkle, twinkle, little star
How I wonder what you are!
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky!
When the blazing sun is gone,
When he nothing shines upon,
Then you show your little light,
Twinkle, twinkle, all the night.
Then the traveller in the dark,
Thanks you for your tiny spark,
He could not see which way to go,
If you did not twinkle so.
In the dark blue sky you keep,
And often through my curtains peep,
For you never shut your eye,
Till the sun is in the sky.
As your bright and tiny spark,
Lights the traveller in the dark,—
Though I know not what you are,
Twinkle, twinkle, little star
So there you go, the history behind the most elementary rhyme.
I had fun finding this ..hope you enjoyed reading it too. :)
Bonus Track :
Check out this funny version of this rhyme ... Indian Ishtyle
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