Who Killed Cock Robin?
(AKA The Dead and Burial of Cock Robin)

Copious Tears - Friends in Mourning

Yolen writes, "The earliest mention of the dramatic nursery song is in Tommy Thumb's Pretty Song Book," published in London in 1744. There is, however, a stained-glass window dating from the 15th century at Buckland Rectory that depicts the same rhyme. The "bull" is also a bird--the bullfinch." The fly (magpie) and fish (kingfisher) are not mentioned here. She presents an abbreviated version of the rhyme: Cock Robin, sparrow, fly, owl (rhymes with trowel), rock, bell. The last verse, "All the birds in the air..." is used as a chorus.

The illustrations encompasses the text. There is a border, an element that looks like a music stand without a back to rest the music against, and birds. The sparrow might be a house sparrow--it's certainly a sparrow with a nasty sort of "so-what" expression. It has a green quarrel on it's back, holding two arrows fetched with green. It holds a strung short bow with a loosened string. Lying in what looks like a sort of drain spout is cock robin, with a natural rust -colored breast and apparently of the English variety. He is pierced by a black arrow. While the fletching of the arrow in the quarrel looks like a squashed fleur-de-lis, the fletching on the death arrow looks like to point-down triangles one balanced on the other. Robin's feet are outstretched, head back, eye closed, beak open, one wing on breast--looks like a high school Hamlet. There is a group of three birds and a fly standing on what could be described as a grass knoll. Two birds, an owl and a rook, have black arm bands; the third, perhaps a bullfinch, though the coloring seems wrong, doesn't have a wing showing. The fly may have a band on four of it's legs (all six are showing)or it may just be its coloration. All four shed copious tears.