THE CAT AND THE FIDDLE
or
A Nursery Rhyme Undone and its Scandalous Secret Unlocked
They say there’s a little crooked inn
Behind an old grey hill,
Where they brew a beer so eery brown
The man in the moon himself comes down,
And sometimes drinks his fill.…
THE ROOT OF THE BOOT
[original version of the “Troll Song”]
A troll sat alone on his seat of stone,
And munched and mumbled a bare old bone;
And long and long he had sat there lone
And seen no man nor mortal –
Ortal!…
“Ho! Tom Bombadil! Whither do you wander?”
Ho! Tom Bombadil! Whither do you wander?
Up, down, near or far? Here, there, or yonder?
By hill that stands, wood that grows, and by the water falling,
Here now we summon you! Can you hear us calling?…
First “germ” of The Adventures of Tom Bombadil
(Said I)
‘Ho! Tom Bombadil
Whither are you going
With John Pompador
Down the River rowing?’
(Said he)
‘Through Long Congleby,
Stoke Canonicorum,
Past King’s Singleton
To Bumby Cocalorum –
To call Bill Willoughby
Whatever he be doing,
And ax Harry Larraby
What beer he is a-brewing.’…
“Farewell! farewell, now hearth and hall!”
Farewell! farewell, now hearth and hall!
Though wind may blow and rain may fall,
We must away ere break of day
Far over wood and mountain tall.
The hunt is up! Across the land
The Shadow stretches forth its hand.…
“Bless the water O my feet and toes!” [Bath song #2]
Bless the water O my feet and toes!
Bless it O my ten fingers!
Bless the water, O Odo!
And praise the name of Marmaduke!
Alt. vers. (typescript):
Bless the water, O my feet and toes!…
“As I was sitting by the way”
As I was sitting by the way,
I saw three hobbits walking:
One was dumb with naught to say,
The others were not talking.
‘Good night!’ I said. ‘Good night to you!’
They heeded not my greeting:
One was deaf like the other two.…
“O Water mann and mater hot!” [Bath song #1]
O Water mann and mater hot!
O Water boiled in pan and pot!
O Water blue and mater green,
O Water silver-clear and clean,
Of bath I sing my song!
O praise the steam expectant nose!…
“Ho! ho! ho! To my bottle I go”
Ho! ho! ho! To my bottle I go
To heal my heart and drown my woe.
Rain may fall and wind may blow,
And many miles be still to go,
But under the elm-tree I will lie
And let the clouds go sailing by!…
“Snow-white! Snow-white! O Lady clear!” [due versioni]
[Testo originale inglese della versione originale (con seconda strofa poi rifiutata):]
O Elbereth! O Elbereth!
O Queen beyond the Western Seas!
O Light to him that wandereth
Amid the world of woven trees!…
