Collection Information: Hoppe, hoppe reiter was collected on May 18, 2014 In Barrington, Rhode Island.
Informant: The Informant was 78 year old Ellen Collis. Ellen is a mother grandmother. Having been born and raised in Krumbach Germany, Ellen Did not leave Germany until her mid twenties.
German Text:
Hoppe hoppe Reiter
wenn er fällt,
dann schreit er,
fällt er in den Teich,
find't ihn keiner gleich.
Hoppe hoppe Reiter
wenn er fällt, dann schreit er,
fällt er in den Graben,
fressen ihn die Raben.
Hoppe hoppe Reiter
wenn er fällt, dann schreit er,
fällt er in den Sumpf,
dann macht der Reiter... Plumps!
Translation:
Bumpy bump, rider,
if he falls, then he cries out
should he fall into the pond,
no one will find him soon.
Bumpy bump, rider
should he fall into the ditch,
then the ravens will eat him.
Should he fall into the swamp,
then the rider goes... splash! (the child is then dropped between the knees)
Context: Ellen mentioned that the rhyme was sung to her by her mother, and that Ellen continued to use the nursery rhyme for her own daughter and grandchildren. Ellen played the role of mother even as a young girl at the age of 9 when she was responsible for caring for her brothers often. Ellen mentioned that she remembers also singing the rhyme to her younger brothers to help them get to bed.
Meaning and Interpretation: Unlike many other nursery rhymes, “Hoppe hoppe reiter” is not sung softly in a high key to sooth a baby to sleep. It song contains a strict melody with plenty of rhyming, however the song nursery rhyme is more of a game or bedtime ritual to reward children for going to bed. The way the song is normally performed is by taking the child and, while sitting, bouncing them up and down on your knees is sync with the rhythm of the song. At the end of the last line, the singer quickly separates their knees allowing the child, firmly gripped, to feel like they are falling. Ellen mentioned that although it did not always make the child more sleepy, often the opposite, it is commonly used as a reward for a child if they agree to go to bed.
Collector’s Information: Frohman Anderson, Dartmouth College ’14, Russian 13, Professor Mikhail Gronas, Spring 2014
