Monday, September 9, 2013

Are You The Black Sheep Of The Family? ~ #9 of 30

"I enjoy being the Black Sheep of the family.
Black Sheep are the prettiest and don't show
as much dirt as the white ones."


Baa Baa Black Sheep
Baa, baa, black sheep Have you any wool?
Yes sir, yes sir, Three bags full;
One for the master, Two for the dame,
And none for the poor boy
Who cries down the lane.

Legend has it that Baa Baa Black Sheep was originally written in the Middle Ages as a protest against unjust taxation on wool. As seen in the original version of the poem, one third of the profit went to the king (the master), two thirds went to the church (the dame) and nothing went to the poor boy (the poor shepherd) who cries down the lane. The black sheep's wool was less valuable as it was almost impossible to dye, thus giving meaning to the phrase, "the black sheep of the family".





Baa Baa Black Sheep

~~~~~~Signed and certified by the artist
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#9 of 30 -
Myths, Fables, Folk Tales and Legends

As always, thanks for your friendship,
emails and comments!

X ♥  O

4 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Thanks Kim! I love your work and have been following you for months. :-D

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  2. Sandy, I am so enjoying your posts. Love the explanation about the black sheep nursery rhyme. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for commenting Kathryn. Glad you are enjoying these posts. I am finding some interesting tales through the magic box. :-D

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