Mistress Mary Nursery Rhyme Retelling
Mistress Mary, quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
With cockle-shells, and silver bells,
And pretty maids all in a row.
(traditional nursery rhyme)
. . .
 |
| (Mistress Mary's Castle and Garden) |
None of neighbours or kids who came to sneak peek had a clue what Mary looked like or did in her long hours inside the castle. All that could be seen was a garden that went on for acres, which grew the prettiest flowers the world has ever seen.
Legends grew just as high and fast as the garden itself as the years went on.
Some posh ladies of high society said Mary was a mistress of an old duke. Once his wife left him on account of his adultery, he locked Mary away in a family castle only allowing her the joy of flowers and nothing else.
Some intelligent men of medical field were convinced Mary was a maiden who contracted a disease so deadly none could touch her. Leaving her to live a life of being locked away, only tending to the plants that were safe from her touch.
Some trouble-making kids of the slums told the tale of Mary the bore, who knew no fun. Silliness was what she hated the most thus hating children who most often used it. So she locked herself away to avoid the sound of children.
All the legends were thought to be fact but only one question truly baffled the town: How does her garden grow if Mary is locked inside?
The answer to such a simple question could be found in the contrary truth to the legends told of Mary.
While Mary was a mistress of a duke, she found no joy in the flowers he left for her to gaze. In fact, Mary hated the flowers more than anything.
As for the disease Mary did indeed have, she could touch people just fine rather it was the plants that gave Mary the most pain.
And even though Mary disliked unnecessary silliness, children were her heart and soul. Just ask her five maiden daughters who lived with her.
The true answer, you see, to the garden, which grows seemingly on its own is knowledge that the garden was made of only poisonous plants.
Mary hated the flowers because of their deceiving looks, which reminded her of the duke.
Mary contracted the disease by playing in the flowers naively one afternoon, causing her the most pain.
Mary did not tend to the flowers but rather her daughters did in the dead of night to relieve their ailing mother of household duties.
So to ask the question of ‘how does Mistress Mary’s garden grow’ would be nothing short of a journey to find the hidden answer.
A journey you have just completed.
. . .
Bibliography
This story is based of the nursery rhyme "Mistress Mary, how does your garden grow?" in
The Nursery Rhyme Book, edited by Andrew Lang.
Author's Note
Although just reading this nursery rhyme alone does not really inspire mystery and intrigue, those were the two words I thought of first after my first glance. And as a fan of thrillers, myths and dark I immediately went the route of something out of a Tim Burton movie. I just imagined walking by a woman's castle not knowing a single thing about her except the fact that she had a beautiful garden could be the source of an urban legend of sorts.
Another big inspiration for this retelling was knowledge that there is an actual famous garden in Northumberland, England that houses a garden full of only poisonous plants. The poison garden in Alnwick Gardens is a huge attraction that requires protective gear when handling all of the plants. Pairing a poisonous garden with recluse mistress seemed like a fun story to tell especially when the word "contrary" provides such a great setting for a reveal.
Although I had never heard of the original nursery rhyme, I think your spin-off was really interesting and intriguing to me. I enjoyed the image that you incorporated in your post, too. Your author’s note was really helpful and informative as well. I actually didn’t know about the famous garden in Northumberland, England, so your note taught me about that as well! The overall post was fun to read.
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