OLD King Cole
Was a merry old soul,
And a merry old soul was he;
He called for his pipe,
And he called for his bowl,
[32]And he called for his fiddlers three.
Was a merry old soul,
And a merry old soul was he;
He called for his pipe,
And he called for his bowl,
[32]And he called for his fiddlers three.
~~~
In the far away land of Sprucelle lived a very happy king named Cole. He ruled for many many years with the belief that music was the way to happiness. Although he did not have many servants, he always had the Sprucelle's best fiddlers with him through out his day. These fiddlers were three brothers that have lived in the town all their lives and adored the king, and the king adored them and their fiddling.
The king had a daily routine he stuck with most days and that was what he liked and kept him merry. Old King Cole would wake up every morning and call for his pipe and a bowl to start his day. After this he would enjoy a grand breakfast with all this castle workmen and would request the three fiddler brothers to play the unusual, up beat tune that the king listened to every morning. The king would tell the fiddlers that the song would wake him up and put him in a good mood to start the day.
Every fiddler, he had a fiddle,
And a very fine fiddle had he;
Twee tweedle dee, tweedle dee, went the fiddlers.
Oh, there's none so rare,
As can compare
With King Cole and his fiddlers three!
Twee tweedle dee, tweedle dee, went the fiddlers.
Oh, there's none so rare,
As can compare
With King Cole and his fiddlers three!
~~~
This song was so rare and unique that Old King Cole believed all the people in the town of Sprucelle should hear the wonderful sounds. So one day when the king was nearing his death he decided to have a celebration where the three fiddler brothers would put on a show for the towns people and the king. As a gift the jolly king had given the fiddlers beautiful hand crafted fiddles made of the finest wood in the land. After every fine fiddler received the fiddles they played the beautiful song, "twee tweedle dee, tweedle dee." The towns people cheered and the king was so happy. On that day Old King Cole declared the song the new anthem of Sprucelle.
Author's Notes: There are many theories about who King Cole is and if he was a real historical figure or possibly just a character in a children's nursery rhyme. There was a Welsh King Coel Hen, but the original story was written in England in 1708. At this time tobacco was a big part of the culture,w which explains why a nursery rhyme mentions the pipe and bowl. In other versions of this poem it explains the celebration they are talking about is "the lady's birthday." This explains the musicians and songs that were played.
In this story I made King Cole a nice king, who appreciated his workers, because I wanted him to be a likable character and he is described in the nursery as "merry." I also like to think of the song as so rare that the King wanted to share it with all of his kingdom. Before such a big performance I thought that the fiddlers deserved gifts of new fiddles to show the kings appreciation.
What a fun story Cassie! I liked that the king loved the fiddlers, and didn't treat them like a slave. I mean he loved and appreciated them so much that he created a celebration for them! I liked how the king gave them new hand crafted fiddles that showed his appreciation for the three fiddlers.
ReplyDeleteOk, props for writing such good story about King Cole. I remember seeing that rhyme, and I had no idea how you would make a story out of it. But, you pulled it off. I really like how maintained the feel of a nursery rhyme in your story. It was really happy and uplifting. And, yeah, I think the mention of a tobacco pipe and bowl is really interesting in a children's rhyme, especially since those things have such different connotations today.
ReplyDeleteHey Cassie, what a colorful story! I also love the pictures you found to help illustrate your tale. I think that they add a huge element to the story! I also liked that the fiddlers created the kingdom's anthem for their king. I thought that the relationship you wrote for the fiddlers and the king was very sweet. That rhyme could take a much darker twist if it was a bad relationship between them! I wonder what would have happened if King Cole had been married in this story? I think it could have been really cool to see her interact with the fiddlers and King Cole. I also wondered where the fiddler’s parents were. I think I would be super proud of my kids if they were the king's fiddlers! That could have made the celebration even more awesome because they would get to see their sons perform and do what they love. I loved your story though, and am super impressed with how you managed to take the rhymes and make a really wonderful story!
ReplyDelete