“Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the kings’ horses and all the kings man,
Couldn’t put humpty together again.”
Since childhood we have heard of this amazing poem and many others, but when it comes to kids they won’t think which poem has what meaning. They look out to those places where they would enjoy themselves. And “Humpty Dumpty” has been one of those poems which give the children the fun they seek and the enjoyment they would want to have. But have you ever really thought about what is the meaning of this poem or rather where did its existence come into people’s life? Today worldwide this one single poem has given kids a reason to laugh without any meaning.
It would be difficult to tell the exact date of the day this poem came into existence but it has been mentioned at many places.
The earliest version is recalled to be written in somewhere 1797 in Samuel Arnold’s “Juvenile Amusements” who was an English composer and organist. It lyrics were,
“Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
Four-score Men and Four-score more,
Could not make Humpty Dumpty where he was before.”
If the poem is to be explained it would go as depicting a huge fat man to have been put upon a wall, only to fall after sometime. Only this time no one could put him back again. In real lives there are many place where so many incidents have taken place that one cannot decide which one depicts the poem. After the first version there were many more versions created and it only became famous in “Lewis Carroll’s” book “Alice Through the Looking Glass” which was a famous book and not to forget a sequel to “Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland”.
As many would have seen images of “Humpty Dumpty” in poems with image depiction that it is mainly kept as a big fat egg. It is said that in 15th century in England, Humpty Dumpty was mainly nicknamed to those who were huge and fat. A general reason given for why this name came into existence says that, cannons at that were huge and heavy such that even the smallest on took so many men to move them and thus the concept was originated.
Another story says that back in history, during civil war in the year 1648, there was this town named as “Colchester”. It had a tower which was named, “St Mary’s by the Wall”. During the siege of “Colchester” at the time of attack, the wall by the church was made strong enough so that it could survive the attack and for that purpose a huge cannon was placed on its roof top. According to folklores, it is said “One- Eyed Jack Thompson”, a gunner fired the placed cannon. Though he caused harm to Lord Fairfax’s attacking troops during the incident, Jack and his gun came down tumbling and so did the cannon. And since then it could not be put back into its place.
This one single story can be related to the exact incident only to replace the cannon by a huge fat man in an egg shaped body and everyone else as the kings’ horses and men.
Whatever history be but one thing everyone can agree to is that no matter where and when this poem came into existence has resulted into a form of enjoyment for kids since centuries and will keep doing it till its existence ceases.