‘Little Boy Blue’ is a 19th-century poem that was first published in 1888 in the weekly literary journal America. The poem is oddly resonant with Eugene Field’s life. Only a few years after the publication of this much-loved poem, Field’s son passed away. Since its publication, the poem has been used in a variety of songs, including by composers like Ethelbert Nevin.
Little Boy Blue Eugene FieldThe little toy dog is covered with dust, But sturdy and staunch he stands; And the little toy soldier is red with rust, And his musket molds in his hands.Time was when the little toy dog was new, And the soldier was passing fair;And that was the time when our Little Boy Blue Kissed them and put them there."Now, don't you go till I come," he said, "And don't you make any noise!"So, toddling off to his trundle-bed, He dreamed of the pretty toys;And, as he was dreaming, an angel song Awakened our Little Boy BlueOh! the years are many, the years are long, But the little toy friends are true!Ay, faithful to Little Boy Blue they stand, Each in the same old placeAwaiting the touch of a little hand, The smile of a little face;And they wonder, as waiting the long years through In the dust of that little chair,What has become of our Little Boy Blue, Since he kissed them and put them there.
Summary
‘Little Boy Blue’ by Eugene Field is a simple, emotional poem about a deceased child’s toys waiting for him to come to play with them again.
The poem opens with a description of the waiting toys, which, over the years, have grown moldy and rusty. They don’t know that the child has passed away and continue to wait for him to come back, pick them up, and smile as he plays with them.
In the same way, the speaker alludes to the emotions that the child’s loved ones and parents must be feeling despite many years have passed since the child’s death.
The poem also describes the last night the child went to bed and how an angel sang to him in his sleep, presumably calling him to heaven and ending his life.
Structure and Form
‘Little Boy Blue’ by Eugene Field is a three-stanza poem that is divided into equal stanzas of eight lines, known as octaves. These stanzas follow a simple and consistent rhyme scheme of ABABCDCD, and so on, changing end sounds from stanza to stanza. The poet also uses literary devices like repetition in order to further the feeling of rhyme and rhythm. This has resulted in the poem’s lines being used as lyrics in several musical compositions over the years since it was published.
Literary Devices
Throughout this poem, the poet makes use of a few different literary devices. They include:
- Anaphora: the repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of multiple lines. For example, “The” which starts two lines in stanza one, and “And” which starts three more lines in the same stanza.
- Alliteration: the repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of multiple words. For example, “red with rust” and “musket molds.” This is another technique the poet used in order to continue the poem’s rhythm.
- Repetition: in each stanza, the poet repeats the phrase “Little Blue Boy.” This keeps the focus on the child and evokes a sorrowful image of a life cut short.
Detailed Analysis
Stanza One
The little toy dog is covered with dust,
But sturdy and staunch he stands;
The little toy soldier is red with rust,
And his musket molds in his hands.
Time was when the little toy dog was new
And the soldier was passing fair;
And that was the time when our Little Boy Blue
Kissed them and put them there.
This heartbreaking, incredibly emotional poem begins with a description of several children’s toys and the appearance they’ve developed since a child passed away. Toys are rusted and covered in dust, a toy soldier is holding a moldy musket in his hands, and much has changed since these toys were new and “fair.” They have not moved since “our Little Boy Blue” put them where they sit today.
These first lines make it very clear that a child has passed away and that his parents, or a parent, have left his toys and other possessions exactly where they were when he was alive. This is a very emotional scene, one that expands throughout the following two stanzas.
Interestingly, Fields admitted that the seventh line of this stanza, and ultimately the title, derived from his need for a word to rhyme with “new” in line five.
Stanza Two
“Now, don’t you go till I come,” he said,
“And don’t you make any noise!”
So, toddling off to his trundle-bed,
He dreamed of the pretty toys;
And as he was dreaming, an angel song
Awakened our Little Boy Blue —
Oh! the years are many, the years are long,
But the little toy friends are true!
In the second stanza, the speaker describes the last moments in the child’s life and how he went to bed one night quite peacefully and normally. While the poem does not explicitly state what happened, it seems likely that the child passed away in his sleep. The poet does not indicate what the child suffered or what caused his death.
The descriptions are kept fairly light and basic in order to keep the poem from becoming morbid and too depressing. Instead of describing the child dying, the poet writes that an angel sang to the boy, calling him to Heaven.
The final two lines of the stanza describe how many years have passed since this time. But, some things have remained the same, most importantly, the child’s toys. They’ve remained “true” (an example of personification). They’ve not abandoned the child and are instead exactly where he left them, as though they are waiting for him to come back to play with them again.
Stanza Three
Aye, faithful to Little Boy Blue they stand,
Each in the same old place —
Awaiting the touch of a little hand,
And the smile of a little face;
And they wonder, as waiting these long years through
In the dust of that little chair,
What has become of our Little Boy Blue
Since he kissed them and put them there.
The poet reiterates the statement at the end of the second stanza, saying that all the toys are standing in the same old place, waiting for the child to touch them with his “little hand.” They are waiting to see her smile, and they wonder what became of the child since he kissed them and placed them where they stand today.
By, in part, writing this poem from the perspective of a deceased child’s toys, the poet is also alluding to the experience of the parents and any loved ones. It’s likely that they, too, remain baffled at the loss of the child I feel, even today, that he should be there in their home.
FAQs
This poem has a very simple meaning; it speaks about how hard, and even impossible, it is to get over the loss of a child. This is depicted and symbolized through the staunch and loyal toys that remain in a child’s room.
The purpose of this heartbreaking poem is to describe, in simple terms, the incomprehensible sorrow of losing a child and how hard it must be to accept such a loss.
The poem is about the loyalty of a deceased child’s toys. Despite having died years ago, the toys remain where the child left them, still waiting for him to come back and play with them.
Eugene Field is known for his diverse literary output, much of which is aimed at young readers. He was an American writer who is also remembered for his essays. Today, he’s often regarded as “the poet of childhood.”
Similar Poetry
Readers who enjoyed this poem might also like reading some other Eugene Field poems. For example:
- ‘The Duel’ – tells the oddly amusing tale of the gingham dog and the calico cat.
- ‘The Sugar-Plum Tree’ – depicts a specific tree and how children can get sweets from its branches.
- ‘Wynken, Blynken, and Nod‘ – features three little kids who sailed for the stars on a wooden shoe as their boat.
