| Thirty Days Hath September |
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The rhyme has a long history. A medieval version is found in the 15th Century manuscript Harley 2341 , in the British Library : Thirty days hath November, April, June, and September: Of twenty-eight is but one, And all the remnant thirty-one. Modern versions differ from this in two main respects. Firstly, September and November are always reversed; secondly, Leap Years are taken into account in an additional couplet. As with any text that is still primarily transmitted Orally , many versions exist, and only the first line is now always the same. The first four lines are usually similar, being (with syllables often omitted being bracketed) Thirty days hath September, April, June, and {Link without Title} November: All the rest have thirty-one, Except {Link without Title} February alone But there is no clear preference for any of the alternative endings, such as Which hath twenty-eight days clear, And twenty-nine in each leap year, or Which has eight and a score Until leap year gives it one day more, or Which hath but twenty-eight, in fine, Till leap year make it twenty-nine. Infelicitous as it may seem, it is very common to recite the first couplet followed by unrhymed, unmetrical prose: Thirty days hath September, April, June, and November; All the rest have thirty-one, except February, which has twenty-eight, or twenty-nine in leap year. There also exist versions which differ more greatly from the modern standard. Some remain much closer to the medieval version in the third and fourth lines, as for example a version that follows "November" with February has twenty-eight alone, All the rest have thirty-one. Except in leap year, that's the time When February days have twenty-nine. Another common version, varying from the four-line couplet is: Thirty days hath September, April, June and November. Though February, it is done :''At twenty-eight, though leap one more Whenever the year divides by four. REFERENCES |
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