Ah! More to the Twinkle

Did you know that Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, Baa, Baa Black Sheep and the Alphabet Song all have the same tune? Maybe I knew this before but didn't remember it until I started singing Twinkle Twinkle and the Alphabet Song a lot for Aki Bear. I mentioned this to Mike and of course Mister Know-It-All said, "Yeah, and it is based on a Mozart song." Which is kind of true. I looked into it a little bit more as the first thing I read left me with more questions. Like the fact that I read this, "This piece consists of twelve variations on the French folk song Ah! vous dirai-je, Maman." So, it's originally a French folk song which translates to "Shall I tell you, Mother?" and Wolfie wrote twelve variations of it.

No one knows who wrote the original French song but the Alphabet song was copyrighted in 1834 under the name "The Schoolmaster" by C. Bradlee. Twinkle Twinkle was set to this music in 1838 (but the rhyme was written by Jane Taylor 32 years prior.) Baa Baa Black Sheep was originally sung with a different tune but in 1879 it was set to this catchy French folk song. You can read more details about it on the Straight Dope.

Here are the lyrics to "Ah! Vous Dirai-je Maman" although I must say there were all sorts of lyrics out that that seemed to differ slightly:

Ah! vous dirai-je maman
Ce qui cause mon tourment.
Depuis que j'ai vu Silvandre,
Me regarder d'un aire tendre
Mon coeur dit a tout moment,
Peut-on vivre sans amant?

Il rougit mais par malheur,
Un soupir trahi son coeur.
La cruelle avec adresse
Profite de sa faiblesse;
Helas, maman! Un Faux pas
Le fai tomber dans ses bras.

Can anyone translate? Abby?

Also, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star is super long. Check out the original poem, who knew?!:

 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 traveller 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 through my curtains peep,
     For you never shut your eye,
     'Till the sun is in the sky.
     As your bright and tiny spark,
     Lights the traveller in the dark.
     Though I know not what you are,
     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.
     Twinkle, twinkle, little star.
     How I wonder what you are.
     How I wonder what you are.