Buckee Bene Lyrics
Before crossing a dark passage, Devon children asked Puck's leave with this rhyme: is the goose in her nest, is the fox asleep, may I come away?
Buckee Bene
Buckee, Buckee, biddy Bene,
Is the way now fair and clean?
Is the goose ygone to nest,
And the fox ygone to rest?
Shall I come away?
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/buckee-bene/
- Type
- Mother Goose
- Tune
- Whispered or spoken, quietly
- Best for ages
- 3 to 8 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Is the way now fair and clean? | Peer ahead with one hand shading your eyes. |
| Is the goose ygone to nest | Tuck your hands under your chin like a sleeping bird. |
| Shall I come away? | Take one slow step, then tiptoe on. |
What Does Buckee Bene Mean?
The rhyme is a polite request to the spirit of the dark. Puck, also called Robin Goodfellow, is the mischievous sprite of English folklore. Halliwell traced biddy bene to old words for asking and a request, and ygone is gone with an old y- stuck on the front. The picture behind the questions is reassuring: the goose is settled on her nest and the fox has gone to bed, so nothing is waiting on the path.
History and Origin
James Orchard Halliwell printed the lines in Popular Rhymes and Nursery Tales (1849) and called them curious. He says Devonshire children spoke them when they had to go through a dark passage, and that they were addressed to Puck or Robin Goodfellow to ask permission to pass. Halliwell suggests that Buckee may be a corruption of Puck, which would fit.
Learning Activities
- Explorer game: whisper it before tiptoeing down a "secret passage" in daylight, such as a hallway or a tunnel made of chairs and blankets.
- Nest and den: look up where geese nest and where a fox sleeps by day, and draw both.
- Meet Puck: read a children's retelling of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, where Puck plays tricks on the other characters.