The Book of Rites says: "Nursery rhymes are breast milk with sound, and they are deeply immersed in people and deeply humanized." Hakka nursery rhymes in Hepu, Guangxi have educated generations of Hakkas. Hakka people can feel Hakka nursery rhymes when they are very young. When I was young, I was put in a bamboo cradle by the old people at home. The old people shook it and read it briskly in Hakka: "Ai Ai (shake and shake), bear the mud in the pond, and the mud in the pond will collapse and break the public (grandfather)." Ma Gong rode to complain, and Ma Po (grandma) took the boy to the tree to look at it. Looking at the west, looking at litchi. Litchi fell into the well and picked up a big sesame seed cake. The big sesame seed cake fell into the river and picked up a water wife. Water wife fell into the river and picked up a pig without chaff. Bear to sell, sell out, bear to stir fry, stir fry is not ripe, only beep peel. "
Hakka nursery rhymes are short in sentence structure, with three sentences, four sentences, five sentences and seven sentences as the majority, and their rhymes are changeable. They are often used with two sentences and one rhyme, which is very smooth and beautiful. Children in the cradle will soon fall asleep sweetly after the old people sing with emotion.
On a summer night, the bamboo wind bursts in Hakka village, frogs and insects are singing in unison, and children are sitting around in front of the Hechang Gate Tower to listen to the story of "Agewei" told by adults ("Agewei" is a kind of bird, and it cries sadly all day). After listening to the story, some children went to the nearby fields and grass to catch fireflies, made a paper lantern and put the fireflies in the lantern. The firefly glows blue in the lantern, which is really beautiful. At this time, children can't help reciting the nursery rhymes of fireflies:
"Fireflies, flying happily, flying to litchi Mountain, picking up bamboo tubes and burying them in the west? Weave a basket; Weave a basket to bury the west? Fishing for yellow rice; Fishing for yellow rice to bury the west? Step on the yellow; Step on the yellow and bury the west? Wait for auntie. Aunt Ai moved up (where)? Mourn for the sky; So-so (how)? The wind hits; Can you move it? The wind blows down. Aunt sent you to turn west? Send the ox to take the young to turn; Aunt sent buried west? Send the ox to bring the young. "
As the saying goes, "No guest is not a mountain, and no mountain is not a guest." Hakka children who grew up in the mountains had no entertainment, especially before the village was electrified. The bright night in silver moon was nothing less than the maternal comfort of the children, and the children were always close to warm things naturally. In Hakka nursery rhymes, many nursery rhymes are started by moonlight:
"Moonlight shines on the place; Wait for the horse, and the sedan chair will carry it. Who are you carrying? Lao Chen; Lao Chen has no sorrow and boasting (not at home), carrying his grandmother; Grandma loves to shit and carry her big sister; Big sister loves to cook and carry her older sister; Old sister loves to feed chickens and carry brothers; Brother will bark and carry an empty sedan chair. Carrying it to Litchi Mountain, there is a pond, and picking up a carp is eight feet long. Grandpa said to stay for his birthday, and Grandma said to stay and marry the bride. Marry a bride who is tall every day, cooking stinks, and marry a bride who is pudgy and delicious. "