Poetry Corner

Poetry Corner

A ValentineBy Eugene FieldGo, Cupid, and my sweetheart tellI love her well.Yes, though she tramples on my heartAnd rends that bleeding thing apart;And though she rolls a scornful eyeOn doting me when I go by;And though she scouts at everythingAs tribute unto her I bring -Apple, banana, caramel -Haste, Cupid, to my love and tell,In spite of all, I love her well!And further say I have a sledCushioned in blue and painted red!The groceryman has promised ICan “hitch” whenever he goes by -Go, tell her that, and, furthermore,Apprise my sweetheart that a scoreOf other little girls imploreThe boon of riding on that sledPainted and hitched, as aforesaid; -And tell her, Cupid, only sheShall ride upon that sled with me!Tell her this all, and further tellI love her well.This poem is in the public domain.About the poet: Eugene Field was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on September 2, 1850. (His father was an attorney who once represented Dred Scott, the African American man known for the 18

February 8, 2024

A Valentine

By Eugene Field

Go, Cupid, and my sweetheart tell

I love her well.

Yes, though she tramples on my heart

And rends that bleeding thing apart;

And though she rolls a scornful eye

On doting me when I go by;

And though she scouts at everything

As tribute unto her I bring -

Apple, banana, caramel -

Haste, Cupid, to my love and tell,

In spite of all, I love her well!


And further say I have a sled

Cushioned in blue and painted red!

The groceryman has promised I

Can “hitch” whenever he goes by -

Go, tell her that, and, furthermore,

Apprise my sweetheart that a score

Of other little girls implore

The boon of riding on that sled

Painted and hitched, as aforesaid; -

And tell her, Cupid, only she

Shall ride upon that sled with me!

Tell her this all, and further tell

I love her well.

This poem is in the public domain.

eugeneField.jpg

About the poet: Eugene Field was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on September 2, 1850. (His father was an attorney who once represented Dred Scott, the African American man known for the 1857 Supreme Court case in which he sued for his freedom.) Field attended Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts; Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois; and, the University of Missouri in Columbia, but left without graduating.

He began working at the St. Louis Journal in 1873, and his humorous column, “Funny Fancies”, gained popularity among readers. In 1880, he moved to Denver, where he worked as managing editor of the Denver Tribune and continued to pen a column. He was known for his practical jokes, including a chair in his office with a false bottom, so that when an unsuspecting person attempted to sit in the chair, they would fall to the floor, instead. In 1883, Field moved to Chicago, to write a column for the Chicago Daily News.

Throughout his career, his columns would occasionally feature his light verse for children, and he became known as the “Poet of Childhood”. His poems were published in collections including The Tribune Primer (1900) and A Little Book of Western Verse (1903).

Field died on November 4, 1895, in Chicago, Illinois.

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