Arthur O'Bower and other Nursery Rhymes
"Arthur's Bower Has
Broken His Band" reportedly was first recorded in a lost letter from
Dorothy Wordsworth to Charles Lamb in 1804, and thence into
many nursery rhyme collections. It's been suggested that the poem is a
riddle and "Arthur" here personifies the wind, a conjecture
supported by a letter from William Wordsworth in 1823 in which he recalled
that in his childhood the poem was recited at times of high winds. Another
theory (J.D. Bruce, 1912) is that the poem provides a reference to
Arthur's association with the Wild Hunt. It's most famous appearance is
probably its recitation by a character in Beatrix Potter's Squirrel Nutkin
(1903).
"Arthur O'Bower has broken his band,
"When Good King
Arthur" first saw print in
Joseph Ritson's collection of children's verse, Gammer Gurton's Garland in
1784, and was reprinted with some variations in countless collections
until the early 20th century. In different versions, Arthur is a
"goodly king" or a "thievish king" who
"buys" the barley or rules "like a swine." The origins
are obscure, and it may have originated as a song in a play. King Henry
and King Stephen both appear in variants.
He comes roaring up the land!
The King of Scots with all his power,
Cannot turn Arthur of the Bower!"
