【每天一首鹅妈妈】No.20-sing a song of sixpence

图片发自App

图片发自App

这首童谣据说是描写亨利八世的。

据说亨利八世的爸爸给他积累了很多财富。所以在那时，他过着非常奢侈的生活。国王拥有了太多东西，而觉得生活乏味，希望寻找新奇的事物，厨师们想尽各种办法取悦新国王。这种馅饼打开里面有活的鸟儿飞出来唱歌的菜肴就是为了取悦国王而想出的办法。

【童谣内容】

Sing a song of sixpence, a pocket full of rye.

Four and twenty black birds baked in a pie.

When the pie was opened, the birds began to sing.

Wasn't that a dainty dish to set before the King.

唱一首六便士之歌，满满一袋黑麦。

二十四只黑鸟，藏在馅饼里。

当馅饼被打开，鸟儿开始歌唱。

这真是一道精美的给国王的点心。

【单词】

sing /sɪŋ/ v. 唱

song /sɔŋ/ n. 歌曲

sixpence /ˈsɪkspəns/ n. 六便士（英国的货币单位）

12便士=1先令（shilling)，20先令=1镑（pound）

rye /rai/ n. 黑麦，黑麦粉，黑麦威士忌

pie /pai/ n. 馅饼、派

dainty /ˈdenti/ adj. 精美可口的

baked的ed发音是/t/

【完整版童谣】

Sing a song of sixpence, a pocket full of rye.

Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie.

When the pie was opened, the birds began to sing.

Wasn't that a dainty dish to set before the King.

The King was in his counting house, counting all his money.

The Queen was in the parlor, eating bread and honey.

The maid was in the garden, hanging out the clothes.

Along came a blackbird, and pecked off her nose.

童谣的第二段（请在下面完整版本查看）描写国王和皇后的生活，其实是老百姓自己想像的，老百姓觉得国王每天都在数钱，而皇后每天在吃面包和蜂蜜；因为这就是老百姓所能想到的最奢侈的生活了。

童谣的第三段描写的maid其实是Anna Boleyn,她后来成为了第二任皇后。

童谣描写了老百姓们对皇家成员的厌恶和对皇室生活奢侈的不满。