Ring-a-ring o' roses

 

Ringa ringa roses,
Pocket full of posies
Husha busha!
We all fall down!

These few verses are perhaps unforgettable fragments of each of our lives. The remarkable exuberance of children as they hold one another’s hands and dance in a circle, and “fall down” at the end of their recitation, can undoubtedly bring a smile on anyone’s face.

Yet this simple nursery rhyme, like many, has an enigmatic and a tragic (and controversial) history that can make you think twice the next time you recite this rhyme.

"Ring a Ring o' Roses" is an English nursery rhyme that has interestingly evolved into numerous versions and variants over the course of history. In fact, the rhyme we have been singing since our childhood is one such variant that has evolved over generations!

 If numerous variants exist, then the predecessor of all these versions should also exist, right? Well, unfortunately, the answer is no. The earliest version of the rhyme remains an intriguing mystery. Thus, the fact that no original version exists makes no contemporary versions “right” or “wrong”.

The most well-known English version of the rhyme reads as follows:

Ring-a-ring o' roses,

A pocket full of posies,

A-tishoo! A-tishoo!

We all fall down.

  

As it turns out, there is no single universally accepted historical context of the rhyme but mere speculations that lack tangible evidences.

For instance, this nursery rhyme has been widely associated to the Great Plague of 1665 – a disastrous epidemic of the bubonic plague in England that robbed thousands of people of their lives. The apparent symptoms of the plague were red ring-shaped lesions on the skin which resembled roses – and hence the “ring of roses” in the rhyme. “Posies” or herbs and flowers were carried in “pockets” by the people to protect themselves against the plague. “A-tishoo”, as you may have guessed, is indicative of sneezing, which was another symptom of the plague. And of course, “falling down” metaphorically represents death.

This understanding of the rhyme became widespread and well-established after the Second World War. Yet, it does raise certain doubts as several versions of the rhyme have no mention of “falling down” nor have words that imply sneezing. Here are four different versions of the rhyme:

Ring a ring a Rosie,

A bottle full of posie,

All the girls in our town

Ring for little Josie.

A ring, a ring o' roses,

A pocket-full o' posies;

One for Jack and one for Jim and one for little Moses!

A-tisha! a-tisha! a-tisha!

Ring around a rosy

Pocket full of posies.

One, two, three—squat!

Ring-a-ring-a-roses,

A pocket full of posies;

Hush! hush! hush! hush!

We're all tumbled down.

Since there is exists no constant mention of sneezing or “falling down”, it is uncertain whether the rhyme even refers to the Great Plague of London. From the four aforementioned versions, one conclusion that can be drawn is that the rhyme has been primarily sung by children in their games where they fall down, squat, stoop, curtsey, or even imitate sneezing.  Proponents of the “1665 plague theory” of the rhyme therefore claim that the rhyme originally referred to the plague and had evolved into “children’s play song” over time to mock the pestilence.  

Whether the roses refer to the symptoms of the plague is again contentious for in many versions, roses have been used as symbols of love and joy.  In addition, another belief widespread among people is that the rhyme refers to the Black Death of 1347 (the deadliest pandemic experienced by humankind) and not the plague of 1665. This is again because the “roses” of the rhyme have been linked to the symptoms of the Black Death. Likewise, the relation of “falling down” to death is dubious for in many versions, it simply refers to a curtsey.   

Today, there is no historical evidence that shows that the rhyme refers to the plague of 1665 (or the Black Death) – this connection has been enforced on grounds of popular belief. For, no such evidence endorsing the connection has come into light; even in the accounts of the plague by survivors, no concrete and unambiguous proof has been obtained.

And for all these justified reasons, the interpretation of the rhyme’s connection to the Great Plague of London has never been conceded or condoned by folklorists and scholars.

Perchance it can never be known what the rhyme truly means – a rhyme that appears quite lighthearted and simple from one outlook, but one that has left folklorists as well as readers curious with its baffling nature, much like how a virus's sneaky nature has left biologists discombobulated.

Have children all this while been merrily dancing to a rhyme that may be linked to disturbing notions of death, suffering and misery? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!