Introduce Yourself here and say Hi.

Hi everyone. As of the moment, I'm the newest member in this community. :D

I'm an English teacher and have traveled almost all of Asia teaching English. I love what I'm doing for it makes me happy and I have the opportunity to experience other culture as well.

Hello!

And Hi Kate - I'm also a middle aged woman who has discovered literature. I like the look, the feel, and the smell of books, and I am mesmerized by the beauty of the language of the classics.

I am working my way through Alexandre Dumas' work at the moment.

But one thing aside - I am researching (for a surprise Christmas gift) the rest of an old English children's nursery rhyme/game that starts something like this:

Here come I, stiff as a stump,
Selling my blacking for a penny a lump.

It goes on to hush the children, and warn them to behave, or do as their told.

Anyone know this?

Thanks for being available everybody - this is a wonderfule site.

Christine

Hello everyone. Glad that I actually found a site like this. I am keen in literature, which is apparently quite detested in my area, Singapore. I have read 1984 by Orwell, Simulacra And Simulation by Baudrillard, Brave New World by Huxley, and currently reading The Brothers Karamazov by Doetoevsky. Took me half a month plus to reach the 300 page milestone. Man my concentration span is really short. Many of my friends do not read books like this, stuck with their game books and normal novels, which I quote Orwell "prolefeed" hehe. Oh yeah, and I'm 14 this year. Its hard to find peers that are close to me to talk about literature you know. Anyways, I am really glad and excited that I've found such an online community which will benefit my knowledge for years to come O_O (again, I shall state, I AM 14, nothing to brag though, just feel that I'm a little young hehehehe)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Christine1152

But one thing aside - I am researching (for a surprise Christmas gift) the rest of an old English children's nursery rhyme/game that starts something like this:

Here come I, stiff as a stump,
Selling my blacking for a penny a lump.

It goes on to hush the children, and warn them to behave, or do as their told.

Anyone know this?

Thanks for being available everybody - this is a wonderfule site.

Christine

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I googled 'til my fingers bled and only found the three lines you refer to.

I wonder how you came across it in the first place, and what the signifigance is, but that would be the part of the conversation where my wife would kick me under the table (which I know is a sign to shut up though I'm often unclear as to why) and later tell me to mind my own business. :D

Hi, I am thrilled to have just found this site and registered on it!

Christine,

Here come I, stiff as a stump, selling my blacking a penny a lump.
I don't know this rhyme, but I can reference its meaning for you.

There's piece called 'Humorous Fancy' by Deering or Dering from 1610, which is made up of the street cries of those hawking their goods and trades. I have a collection of some songs from Shakespeare's plays and from him his time. 'Cryes of London' is a song a I know that derives from the text above.

'Buy any black, buy any black...will you buy any blacking, maids?'

Blacking was a substance used like shoe polish, for boots to keep them black.

I don't know the exact source of your poem, but at least I could shed some light on its meaning. Hope it helps. Really interesting.

lrtress

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SkullFarmer

I googled 'til my fingers bled and only found the three lines you refer to.

I wonder how you came across it in the first place, and what the signifigance is, but that would be the part of the conversation where my wife would kick me under the table (which I know is a sign to shut up though I'm often unclear as to why) and later tell me to mind my own business. :D

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Hello Skull Farmer,

(Don't know the reference, if there is one).

Thanks for trying! I'm trying to find it because I work with a woman whose grandmother immigrated here to the States as a young woman, and taught it to her when she was a young girl, and she would dearly like to hold on to some pieces of her heritage. The rest of her family that would know or remember have passed. So, I was going to find it and surprise her and make a miniature script of the poem/rhyme as a Christmas ornament for her, but the only reference I find on line that has it, requires membership:

Google search:
links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0015-587X(19320930)43%3A3%3C249%3ASNOTFO%3E2.0.CO...
Website:
http://www.jstor.org/pss/1256121

I am neither an educator nor a member of any university group that has a membership to the above, so I'm not allowed in to search the database.

But, I do really thank you so very much for trying, and please let your wife know you certainly don't deserve a kick (not this time, anyway!).

Hi Irtress!

Great site, isn't it?

Thanks so much for your help. I'm not sure where to go with this now, if anywhere. But perhaps someone else will read this and have something to add.

Very interesting research you quoted. Your collection sounds fascinating.

I'll keep an eye out, and thanks again for your help.

A warm welcome to all of you new members, it is great to have you here! :)

Thanks, kizpaws,

Christine, You're welcome. I am, like you, intrigued by nursery rhymes. I hope you can find out more about this one.

Yes, it's a great site!

lrtress:)

Hello!

My real name is Nicole. I'm not entirely sure how I found this site...I think I started googling sites about literature and stumbled onto this site not long ago. I just decided to take some time and register on the boards because I absolutely love talking about literature. I try to read a variety of books, and joined an online book club last year through my local university to get more exposure to recently released books I might not otherwise read.

I graduated with a master's in public policy a little over 2 years ago and in tandem with building a career I've probably spent just as much time immersing myself into literature. That first year after being out of college was a tough transition and I started reading books left and right and as much as I wanted to discuss some of the works I was reading, my friends and co-workers could only take so much ;). I'm also very interested in writing and had the opportunity to participate in a literature project with a California university earlier this year. Since then I've started taking a few writing workshops and courses, and I hope to further cultivate my writing.

Aside from reading and writing, I have a lot of other interests... music, art, comedy, podcasts, tv, watching football, travel, walking aimlessly during my lunch hour at work ;p, etc...I just try to enjoy each day as best I can.

Well, this introduction is long enough. Look forward to being a part of this community.

I made my way here, bounding through space, much as Nicole my predecessor did, linked by rogue key-typings to this position. To make a short matter long, I followed Yeats here to the stand where he left his mask and then was intrigued by this meeting-ground of minds.

A minute ago I was writing erotica, and a few minutes before that typing words into Endnote for a PhD.

Lots of literature exists in digital spaces, but I love to cuddle a book before bedtime. If its good enough, I need not sleep. Books I have liked in the recent past have been : Kurt Vonnegut 'Slaughterhouse Five', Robert Louis Stevenson's 'Treasure Island' and 'Kidnapped'. I also like fantasy, thrillers (like Hannibal- which is so much more fun than the movei based on it) , and Chinese 'roving errant' fiction (by Jin Yong). I used to like Anne Rice a great deal, but her writing ceased to be addictive for me after 'Lestat'.

Pleased it be to meet you all and may your halls be finely decked with folly!

hello to all members
hope this will be a good begining.
thanks

hi guys im Farx =) I am currently a senior at high school and literature is my favourite subject.I'm simply fasinated by it.I love poetry,reading poems,writing em,studying em.I love also love writing stories and articles.
I write for local magazines,newspapers,and blogsites.I work for my school newspaper.I want to pursue journalism and literature in college.

I love music (coldplay especially).I'm an animal freak and I want to someday take part in the WWF campaigns to save polar bears from global warming.
I have three cats,Nics,Ron and Danny.

I live with my older brother and sister and they're everything to me.They have raised me and taken care of me and they're putting me through school.

I'm generally a very happy person who likes to read,write and hang out with her siblings and friends =)

Thats all =)

hello, everyone.nice to share u this wonderful site.i'm lucky to find here alot of people who share me love of literature. I'm really fond of it .let's begin sharing ideas.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Christine1152

Here come I, stiff as a stump,
Selling my blacking for a penny a lump.

It goes on to hush the children, and warn them to behave, or do as their told.

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I found the next two lines! Nice quest, by the way.

Here I come as stiff as a stump,
Selling my blacking a penny a lump,
You must neither laugh nor smile,
But say right down "I will"

The same player then proceeds to ask a number of nonsensical questions with the object of making the other players laugh. As soon as one of them does so, the game is over.