The little toy dog is covered with dust,
But sturdy and stanch he stands;
And the little toy soldier is red with rust,
And his musket moulds 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 dreamt 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.
Ay, faithful to Little Boy Blue they stand,
Each in the same old place,
Awaiting 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.
Me too. Thank you for bringing it to our attention!
Bev
Oh dear me, Ron, I wonder what happened to Little Boy Blue? I expect the angels winged him to heaven when he slept....This is so pretty, sad and at the same time, realistic.
I have 2 shelves with rows of model houses, which my son Patrick collected, starting when he was already about 20 years old. He died of Lou Gehrig's Disease aged 28, and the model houses remain there, although I've redecorated his room in most other aspects. I don't believe in not touching anything, hanging on to belongings, but the little houses are SO pretty.
You must read Lucy Gray & tell me what you think. I remember gazing out of my bedroom window, in my home in Patagonia when it snowed, thinking about Lucy Gray getting lost in the snow...
G'night, Syl ***
Dear Sylvia,
I did read Lucy Gray on your advice.
It, too, is poignant but I believe, at least for me, "Little Boy Blue" has much more emotional impact. It may be that Field made it powerful by keeping it short.
Any other thoughts out there?
Cheers, ron jgd
Dear Ron,
Yes, I agree with you about "Little Boy Blue". I think it's superior to Lucy Gray, which is more lineal. Boy Blue is constructed on 3 levels: the narrator/observer, the toys and Boy Blue.
Extraordinary!
The emotional impact is immense, not necessarily coz it's short, but because of the deftly handled form, content and imagery and and and and.....ad infinitum.
I can't find Lucy Gray any more, I certainly posted coz you read it, but it's disapperead! You're my witness...LOL...
Let's look up more L.L.'s. Peggy is also interested, I'm delighted to observe.
Cheers, Syl***
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