The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #58190   Message #919644
Posted By: GUEST,Sheila
27-Mar-03 - 10:25 AM
Thread Name: Info Req: Now is the Month of Maying
Subject: Now is the Month of Maying
In this song, every line rhymes so precisely.Then comes the verse, "Say, dainty nymphs and speak, shall we play barley-break." Are speak and break pronounced differently than in common English, or were they once? By the way, checking the threads on this song gave understanding to "barley-break" (thank you, Malcolm) - the hyphen clarifies what always puzzled me and I thought non-sensical.