Domestic Servants
Jacob Grimm, Wilhelm Grimm · 1884
A pure call-and-response chant, building line by line as two travellers list their man, their child, their cradle and their servant. There's no plot at all, just rhythm and repetition, which makes it a lovely one to say together out loud.
From Grimms' Household Tales. See the whole collection.
“Whither goest thou?” “To Walpe.” “I to Walpe, thou to Walpe, so, so, together we’ll go.”
“Hast thou a man? What is his name?” “Cham.” “My man Cham, thy man Cham; I to Walpe, thou to Walpe; so, so, together we’ll go.” “Hast thou a child; how is he styled?” “Wild.” “My child Wild, thy child Wild; my man Cham, thy man Cham; I to Walpe, thou to Walpe, so, so, together we’ll go.” “Hast thou a cradle? How callest thou thy cradle?” “Hippodadle.” “My cradle Hippodadle, my child Wild, thy child Wild, my man Cham, thy man Cham; I to Walpe, thou to Walpe, so, so, together we’ll go.”
“Hast thou also a drudge? what name has thy drudge?” “From-thy-work-do-not-budge.” “My drudge, From-thy-work-do-not-budge: my child Wild, thy child Wild; my man Cham, thy man Cham; I to Walpe, thou to Walpe; so, so, together we’ll go.”
Public domain. Text from Grimms' Household Tales (Margaret Hunt translation, 1884), via Project Gutenberg. View the source edition