Mother Goose Investigations – How Far Away is Babylon?

Website design By BotEap.comHow far is Babylon? According to the poem, 3 points and 10 (or 70 miles). Babylon is present day Iraq.

Website design By BotEap.comPlaces that are within 70 miles of Iraq are present-day Syria, present-day Turkey, Iran (formerly Persia, of course), Kuwait, and Jordan. Since the questioner uses miles and the miles are Roman, this suggests that the Romans occupied Jordan.

Website design By BotEap.comBabylon in the New Testament refers to Rome or refers to an evil place. The word Rastafari combines these meanings and makes Babylon mean an oppressive system.
But this still may not be what rhythm means.

Website design By BotEap.comThe important thing is what happens next in the beat. Which can be reached by candlelight and vice versa. This surely rules it out as a real place.

Website design By BotEap.comAlthough 70 miles isn’t much today, it would be hard to get that far overnight. It should be noted that she is traveling holding a candle; this surely means walking. There must be something wrong here…

Website design By BotEap.comWell the English version seems to be about walking, the Scottish version seems to be about a horse and the questioner needs to have shiny spurs; he’s not sure what that has to do with fast travel.
It seems that Babylon is a distant (or apparently distant) city like Timbuktu today. How many people know that Timbuktu is in Mali? Not many, for most it is just a convenient and far away place.
Another theory is that Babylon is a corruption of the land of babies; this does not particularly hold. It does seem that the name Babylon came from Babel, speaking. This refers to the legend of a (Babylonian) tower that collapsed because everyone spoke different languages.

Website design By BotEap.comIt seems that the place the traveler is going to seems a little more real than that. Whatever it is, it’s a rhyme about the mysteries of travel.