Poussie Poussie Baudruns
Old Traditional Scottish Nursery rhyme
‘Poussie, poussie, baudrons,
Whaur hae ye been?’
‘I’ve been tae London,
Tae see the Queen.’
‘Poussie, poussie, baudrons,
Whit gat ye there?’
‘I gat a guid fat mousikie,
Rinnin’ up a stair!’
‘Poussie, poussie, baudrons,
Whit did ye dae wi’ it?’
‘I pit it in ma meal-poke,
Tae eat tae ma breid.’
In this old Nursery rhyme it seems that the baudrons (or cat) has saved the mouse he has caught to make a sandwich later. The baudrons translates as “a cat” or even “an affectionate name for a cat”, or “a happy cat (re: the word mimics the purring sound of a cat)”.
Reference: The Nursery rhyme is taken from the preface of the book ‘Jennie’ by Paul Gallico. The book was first published in the USA in 1950 as ‘The Abandoned’. The book is a fantasy story about a boy who loved cats so much that he would bring in the local strays and neighbourhood cats off the street to keep in his bedroom (mother is not pleased!). Without giving too much away the boy is himself turned into a cat. The book is a narrative of the cat’s adventures.
