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Three Double-Dactyls

I. Higgledy piggledy Roger de Coverley Fonder of hoofing it Than of romance Found himself typified Characteristically King of the Reels and the Lord of the Dance. II. Willety wallety William the Conqueror Wanted his subjects to Quail at his power, Crowing to Londoners Hyperdespotically, “Look, everybody, I’ve Built me a tower!” III. Rickety tickety Wolfram von Eschenbach Sought for a subject to Fashion a tale; Tiring of writing so Eschatologically, Rather, he turned to the Quest of the Grail. NB. The nonsense opening of a Double Dactyl was originally, and is still most frequently, "higgledy-piggledy", but it can be any alliterative pair of dactyls. Here, the opening of the second is from the adapted version of the Scots folksong "Wee Cooper o' Fife" in the schoolhouse sequence of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds-- though some postings online mishear it as "willaby wallaby" or "willicky wallicky". The nonsense opening of the third is from Tom Lehrer's "The Irish Ballad".

Copyright © | Year Posted 2019




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Book: Reflection on the Important Things