Original text of "thirty days..."?

Posted by masakim on February 21, 2003

In Reply to: Original text of "thirty days..."? posted by TheFallen on February 21, 2003

: : : : : Does anybody know any popular or traditional phrases/proverbs/sayings that go along with all the months of the year? I can only think of some of the months. Any help would be appreciated.

: : : : People who answer questions here are volunteering their time and effort. So that we won't duplicate material you already have, why don't you identify the months that still need sayings?

: : : That's a good idea.

: : How about?
: :
: : Thirty days have September, April, June and November. All the rest have 31, except for February clear, which has but 28 and 29 each leap year.

: That suggestion made me smile, but something about it didn't read quite right, and so I went digging. There seems to be a number of slight variants of this mnemonic rhyme, as per the following:-

: Thirty days have/has September,
: April, June and (cold) November.
: All the rest have thirty one
: Excepting/except for/save( for) February alone
: Which has twenty eight days clear
: And/or twenty nine each Leap Year.

: Does anyone know the origins of this little poem, and if so, is there a genuine original text?

Thirty days hath September,
April, June, and November;
All the rest have thirty-one,
Excepting February alone,
And that has twenty-eight days clear
And twenty-nine in each leap year.
(Stevins MS, c1555)

Thirty dayes hath Nouember,
Aprill, Iune and September.
February hath xxviij alone,
And all the rest have xi.
(Grafton, 1572)

Thirty dayes hath Nouember,
Aprill, Iune and September;
Twentie and eyght hath February alone,
And all the rest thirty and one,
But in the leape you must adde one.
(Harrison, 1577)

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En avril, en juing, en septembre
A .x. jours et en novembre:
Tout li autre ont .xj. jour,
Fors fevriers qi est li plus cour,
En soi que .xxviij. jors n'a,
Ne plus ne meins n'i avra ja
Fors en l'an qe bissextres vient,
Adont en a, einsi avient,
.xxix., de tant est creus,
L'an que bixestres est cheus.
(French poem, 13th C)