(Bids now open on eBay)
A partridge in a pear tree
Two turtle doves
Three french hens
Four colly birds
Five gold rings
Six geese a-laying
Seven swans a-swimming
Eight maids a-milking
Nine ladies dancing
Ten lords a-leaping
Eleven pipers piping
Twelve drummers drumming
(All unopened and unused)
[The course of true love never did run smooth]
Comments
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~Not refurbed?
Merry Christmas anyway...
On radio stations here every year they tell how much these items have inflated over the years. What is it? Thiry thousand some odd dollars for all of these items in todays dollars?
Mabey if we hurry we can get it cheaper with Buy It Now?
Remember Paypal only!
Read ya next year! -
I thought
it was "calling birds", no?
Either way, Frank, I enjoyed this brief snippet that succinctly captures the oft unappreciated gift orgy of Christmas. Also, with the ending I detect nuance that plays on the song theme of "my true love gave to me" and turns this write into a 'love's advances by gift-giving rebuffed' poem, or about how no matter how we try to please our significant other, we don't always succeed by our tastes, even when given twelve shots at it. But in this instance I am not surprised. Of all the aforementioned gifts, five gold rings is the only one that appears to have any promise in today's gift giving clime. Although the single, older gentleman might take to the nine ladies dancing, eh Frank?
Cheers, Frank. I've always enjoyed your clear and succinctly poetic quips on society.
al
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On the accuracy front well spotted Al.
Well spotted Al, if you don't mind me calling you well spotted (old Airplane joke).
The twelve items I downloaded blind (sans proof-reading);the source I ripped it from had the "colly birds" variant. I too knew only the calling birds version. Research prompted, I found this I quote for interest's sake
< > Welcome to h2g2's attempt to decipher the mystery that is the song 'The 12 Days of Christmas'. You've come to the page that is concentrating on the line Four Calling Birds, and here's what our Researchers came up with when we asked them what on earth this line meant. For those of you with an interest in etymology, the term 'calling birds' in the song is a deviation from the original term 'colly' or 'collie bird'. 'Colly' means 'black' and came from the old word for coal, so the four colly birds in the carol are in fact blackbirds. This doesn't really explain why anyone should want to give their true love four blackbirds, but there's no accounting for taste>>
It could be this was a clerical or transcription error in the eBay auction description (as imagined)which happens a lot on the tinternet as one wag called it.
As gifts they never cut it in any century but served their religious analogy purposes, now mine comedically. Yes Al,any number of ladies dancing would be fine. THANKS FOR THE READ, COMMENT ET AL etc. Frank
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