CHAPTER VI

Dr. Seward’s Diary.

8 July.—There is a method in his madness, and the rudimentary idea in my mind is growing. It will be a whole idea soon, and then, oh, unconscious cerebration! you will have to give the wall to your conscious brother. I kept away from my friend for a few days, so that I might notice if there were any change. Things remain as they were except that he has parted with some of his pets and got a new one. He has managed to get a sparrow, and has already partially tamed it. His means of taming is simple, for already the spiders have diminished. Those that do remain, however, are well fed, for he still brings in the flies by tempting them with his food.

  • Zagorath@aussie.zoneOPEnglish
    1·
    12 days ago

    This has real There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly energy to it. Perhaps…

    And we’re off until the 18th.

    • pseudo@jlai.luEnglish
      2·
      12 days ago

      I love to hear about english nursery rymes. It is very interesting this one remind me of the less grim “le fermier dans son pré”. But this french nursery ryme doesn’t look anything like what is happening in the book.

      • Zagorath@aussie.zoneOPEnglish
        2·
        11 days ago

        Oh we have The Farmer in the Dell too!

        But yeah, There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly is quite a bit darker.

        The first three verses in full:

        There was an old lady who swallowed a fly,
        I don’t know why she swallowed a fly – perhaps she’ll die!

        There was an old lady who swallowed a spider
        That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her;
        She swallowed the spider to catch the fly;
        I don’t know why she swallowed a fly – perhaps she’ll die!

        There was an old lady who swallowed a bird;
        How absurd to swallow a bird!
        She swallowed the bird to catch the spider
        That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her,
        She swallowed the spider to catch the fly;
        I don’t know why she swallowed a fly – perhaps she’ll die!

        And from there it continues building in that manner, adding cat, dog, goat, cow, and, finally, the final verse is (in full):

        ending

        There was an old lady who swallowed a horse…
        She’s dead, of course!

        • pseudo@jlai.luEnglish
          2·
          11 days ago

          The Famer in the Dell is quite close to the french one. But at our end everyone “beat the cheese”. Like you sometimes “beat” dairy product to make them. I’m not sure how to translate it in English.

          • Zagorath@aussie.zoneOPEnglish
            1·
            11 days ago

            Whipped would be a better translation in this context. Took me a fair bit of searching to figure that out, because I normally associate whipped with cream, not cheese. Apparently some cheese can be whipped though.

            The French Wikipedia has sheet music showing the rhythm of the song. And interestingly, it shows straight quavers. In English, I’d normally sing it with a swung rhythm, alternating crotchets and quavers.

            • pseudo@jlai.luEnglish
              2·
              10 days ago

              it shows straight quavers. In English, I’d normally sing it with a swung rhythm, alternating crotchets and quavers.

              You lost me here, sorry. I don’t speak musik neither in english or french.

              I don’t know much about cheese making but the use of the verb “battre” has always intringed me. Butter is beaten (at least in french). Cream and some sort of cream or cottage cheese are whipped. But in french cream cheese or cottage cheese are closer too quick cheese or cheese subproduct than cheese. So why? I wonder.