Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky.
When the blazing sun is gone,
When he nothing shines upon,
Then you show your little light,
Twinkle, twinkle, all the night.
Then the trav’ller in the dark,
Thanks you for your tiny spark,
He could not see which way to go,
If you did not twinkle so.
In the dark blue sky you keep,
And often thro' my curtains peep,
For you never shut your eye,
Till the sun is in the sky.
'Tis your bright and tiny spark,
Lights the trav’ller in the dark,
Tho' I know not what you are,
Twinkle, twinkle, little star.
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star is the most popular lullaby in English-speaking countries, originally sung as a bedtime song. It is a nursery rhyme that originated in England in the 18th century. It has been adapted into many languages and found new life across the world.
Origin
There are two theories about how it originated. One, which is more traditional, is that it was written by Jane Taylor, an English poet and novelist in 1806 for her little sister Ann Taylor. The other theory tells of a mother humming it to her child who was not yet able to speak, with the name 'Twinkle' coming from the word 'twinkling'.
Another version of this lullaby:
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How we wonder what you are.
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky.
When the glorious sun has set,
And the grass with dew is wet,
Then you show your little light,
Twinkle, twinkle, all the night.
When the golden sun doth rise,
Fills with shining light the skies,
Then you fade away from sight,
Shine no more 'till comes the night.
Composed by Mozart?
It is widely believed that the tune for this rhyme was one of Mozart's earliest compositions. However, this is not true. While he composed variations on the tune, the melody already existed. Who actually wrote it? No-one really knows. Link to the sheet music below.
