HEY DIDDLE DIDDLE!

HEY DIDDLE DIDDLE!

Hey diddle diddle, [58]

The cat scraped the fiddle,

The cow jump'd over the moon;

The little dog bayed

To see such sports played,

And the dish ran away with the spoon.

Αδ' αδηλα, δηλα δ' αδε,

Πως γαλη λυραν ετριβε,

Βους δε μηνην ὑπερεπηδα;

Κυνιδιον δ' εκλαγξεν, αυ, αυ,

Παιδιαν γ' ὁρων τοιανδε,

Και τορυνην

Εφυγε καρδοπος λαβων.

The unmeaning "Hey diddle diddle" is a corruption of the very intelligible Αδ' αδηλα, δηλα δ' αδε, which is literally "Sing words not clear, and Sing words clear;" with which may be compared a Sibylline verse in Greek, Δηλος αρ' ουκ ετι δηλος; αδηλα δε παντα τα Δηλου.