A Wise Old Owl
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| "A Wise Old Owl" Roud #7734 |
|
| Written by | Traditional |
|---|---|
| Written | USA? |
| Language | English |
| Form | Nursery rhyme |
'A Wise Old Owl' is an English language nursery rhyme. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 7734.
[edit] Lyrics
A wise old owl lived in an oak
The more he saw the less he spoke
The less he spoke the more he heard.
Why can't we all be like that wise old bird?[1]
[edit] History
The rhyme refers to the traditional image of owls as the symbol of wisdom. They are not recorded before they were quoted by John D. Rockefeller in 1915, but believed to be from a much older proverb.[1] During World War II, the United States army used the rhyme on a poster and tweaked the ending to "Soldier.... be like that old bird!" with the caption "Silence means security."[2]
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b I. Opie and P. Opie, The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1951, 2nd edn., 1997), pp. 340-1.
- ^ "World War II Poster: Wise Old Owl Sat in an Oak". About, Inc.. http://history1900s.about.com/library/photos/blywwiip210.htm. Retrieved 2007-04-11.
