One day long ago, (Afrikaans)
Or so the story starts,
When tigers used to smoke, (Korean)
And serpents lies impart, (Gen. 3)

There was and there was not, (Arabic)
A river of mighty torrents,
Beyond seven mountains,
And beyond seven forests, (Polish)

In that corner of the world,
Where everybody had a nose, (Catalan)
In a Galaxy far away,
A long, long time ago, (Star Wars)

Where the water was being strewn
And the sand was being poured, (Slovak)
A knight once won his spurs (song by Jan Struther)
And stories were adored.

Watching a round on Countdown last night, my attention was caught by phrases other countries use for ‘once upon a time’.
(19.01.26)

© Ben Quant 2026
Photo by Andreas Weilguny on Unsplash