Ganderfeather's Gift

Eugene Field 1850 (St. Louis) – 1895 (Chicago)



I was just a little thing
   When a fairy came and kissed me;
Floating in upon the light
Of a haunted summer night,
Lo, the fairies came to sing
Pretty slumber songs and bring
   Certain boons that else had missed me.
From a dream I turned to see
What those strangers brought for me,
   When that fairy up and kissed me--
   Here, upon this cheek, he kissed me!

Simmerdew was there, but she
   Did not like me altogether;
Daisybright and Turtledove,
Pilfercurds and Honeylove,
Thistleblow and Amberglee
On that gleaming, ghostly sea
   Floated from the misty heather,
And around my trundle-bed
Frisked, and looked, and whispering said--
   Solemnlike and all together:
   'You shall kiss him, Ganderfeather!'

Ganderfeather kissed me then--
   Ganderfeather, quaint and merry!
No attenuate sprite was he,
--But as buxom as could be;--
Kissed me twice, and once again,
And the others shouted when
   On my cheek uprose a berry
Somewhat like a mole, mayhap,
But the kiss-mark of that chap
   Ganderfeather, passing merry--
   Humorsome, but kindly, very!

I was just a tiny thing
    When the prankish Ganderfeather
Brought this curious gift to me
With his fairy kisses three;
Yet with honest pride I sing
That same gift he chose to bring
   Out of yonder haunted heather.
Other charms and friendships fly--
Constant friends this mole and I,
   Who have been so long together.
   Thank you, little Ganderfeather!

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 16, 2023

1:09 min read
232

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABCCAABBBBB BDEEFBDGGDD HBBBHHBIIBB ADBBAADFXDD
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,373
Words 234
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 11, 11, 11, 11

Eugene Field

Eugene Field, Sr. was an American writer, best known for his children's poetry and humorous essays. more…

All Eugene Field poems | Eugene Field Books

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