Hey Diddle Diddle!
Hey diddle diddle, 58
The cat scraped the fiddle,
The cow jump’d over the moon;
The little dog bayed
To see such sports played,
And the dish ran away with the spoon.
Αδ’ αδηλα, δηλα δ’ αδε,
Πως γαλη λυραν ετριβε,
Βους δε μηνην ὑπερεπηδα;
Κυνιδιον δ’ εκλαγξεν, αυ, αυ,
Παιδιαν γ’ ὁρων τοιανδε,
Και τορυνην
Εφυγε καρδοπος λαβων.
The unmeaning “Hey diddle diddle” is a corruption of the very intelligible Αδ’ αδηλα, δηλα δ’ αδε, which is literally “Sing words not clear, and Sing words clear;” with which may be compared a Sibylline verse in Greek, Δηλος αρ’ ουκ ετι δηλος; αδηλα δε παντα τα Δηλου.
Notes
58 The above ingenious translation and remarks were communicated by Mr. George Burges.