Wednesday's Child, Vindicated
Monday's child is fair of face.
Tuesday's child is full of grace.
Wednesday's child is full of woe.
Thursday's child has far to go.
Friday's child is loving and giving.
Saturday's child works hard for a living,
But the child who is born on the Sabbath Day
Is bonny and blithe and good and gay.
This verse from Traditions of Devonshire, circa 1836, was one my mom read to me when I was but a wee lass. Born on a Thursday, I didn’t know what to make of it. “Far to go” left room for interpretation, so why not unbounded fame and fortune? I wanted to polish Thursday so my foretold future outshone my sweet sister Suzanne’s, born on a Friday, and rub her cute little nose in it.
I revisited the rhyme with my own kids, and the shoes fit all except my Wednesday’s child, Hannah, who is a beautiful dynamo, the opposite of woeful. Jake was born on Monday and is quite handsome. Micah, born on a Tuesday, is an excellent athlete. Rachael, Sarah, and Eliza were born on Friday, and all of them are (eyeroll) like Suzy, instinctively loving and giving. Grandson Henry, born on Saturday, is an adorable whirlwind of getting important stuff done, and Gemma, my fellow Thursday’s child, is a newborn supernova ascending.
But yesterday I came across an earlier iteration of “Sunday’s Child” from The Original Book of Knowledge, published in 1775:
Child born on Sunday shall be of long Life and obtain great Riches; A Child born on Monday shall be weak, and of an effeminate Temper, and seldom come to Honour. A Child born on Tuesday, shall be given up to the Inordinate Desire of Riches, and is in danger of dying by Violence. A Child born on Wednesday, shall be given to the Study of Learning, and shall profit thereby. A Child born on Thursday, shall arrive to great Honour. A Child born on Friday, shall be of a strong Constitution, but very letcherous; and if it be a Female, she is in great danger of turning Whore. A Child born on Saturday, shall be dull and heavy, and of a dogged Disposition, and seldom come to good.
Obviously, this is good news for Hannah, and I’m itching to tease my sister mercilessly about Friday, but then, there go the triplets.
It sucks for Jake, Micah, and Henry, but I think the trick for everyone is to pick their favorite version, though I would like to point out Thursday’s Child comes out fabulously in both. Just saying, Suzy.