OUR AGREED TEXT IS:
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Ring around the Rosy
Pocket full of Posy
Ashes, Ashes,
We all Fall Down
RING AROUND THE ROSIE
One of the first visible signs of infection were red rings surrounding a rosy bump, all over the victim's body.
POCKET FULL OF POSY
A common belief of the time was that the plague was borne on "foul air." The rationale was that people could protect themselves from the bad air by keeping their local air smelling sweet. That, and it also helped them deal with the smell of death...
On the other hand, another sign of infection was the foul stench that would begin to emanate from the victim's body as their lymph system began filling with blood. Those still mobile endeavored to mask their stench and avoid detection by carrying flowers on their person
referred to the sweet herbs that people collected in pockets or pouches to carry with them in an attempt to prevent the disease. People believed the plague was transferred by bad smells so the posies were considered a beneficial ward against infection.
ASHES ASHES
The phrase ashes, ashes refers to the cremation of the dead. Nearly 60% of the population died from the bubonic plague. The disease was not halted until the Great Fire of London in 1666, which turned the rats who carried the disease into ashes.
The variation A-tishoo! A-tishoo refers to the terminal phases of the disease, in which victims would be hemorrhaging internally, sometimes triggering sneezing as it irritated the breathing passages. "Ashes" is a child's approximation of a paroxysm of sneezing. In this weakened state, a victim could, and often did, sneeze their lungs out. Messy...
WE ALL FALL DOWN
Falling down clearly refers to death.
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Links to sites about Ring around the Rosy's meaning:
Ring Around the Rosy (line by line)
THE PLAGUE:
More documents and links are up on Smartclass at:
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