The Rock-A-By Lady by Eugene Field
The Rock-a-By Lady comes quietly from Hushaby street, clothed in poppies that each contain a small, swift dream. She brings these poppy dreams to a sleeping child: dreams of a beautiful drum, a sugar-plum, popguns, humming tin tops, and a sounding trumpet. Other dreams reveal dolls laughing and singing, boats floating on silvery streams, stars playing peek-a-boo, and fairies flying upward where Mother Moon shines. The speaker invites the weary child to close their eyes so that the Rock-a-By Lady may bring these dreams while they sleep.
By Eugene Field · First published 1889 · Genre: Children's Poetry, Lullaby, Nursery Rhyme · 271 words
First lines
The Rock-a-By Lady from Hushaby street / Comes stealing; comes creeping; / The poppies they hang from her head to her feet, / And each hath a dream that is tiny and fleet -- / She bringeth her poppies to you, my sweet, / When she findeth you sleeping!
There is one little dream of a beautiful drum -- / "Rub-a-dub! " it goeth; / There is one little dream of a big sugar-plum, / And lo! thick and fast the other dreams come / Of popguns that bang, and tin tops that hum, / And a trumpet that bloweth!
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Genres
- Children's Poetry — The poem uses simple, musical language, playful imagery, and child-centered subjects such as toys, sweets, dolls, and bedtime.
- Lullaby — Its repeated invitation to close tired eyes and sleep, along with its soft rhythm and soothing refrain, make it function as a bedtime lullaby.
- Nursery Rhyme — The work employs sing-song meter, repetition, fanciful figures, and accessible language characteristic of traditional nursery verse.
- Fantasy Poetry — Dreams become tangible figures and scenes, while fairies fly, stars play peek-a-boo, and the Rock-a-By Lady brings enchanted poppies.
Tags
children's poetry · nursery rhyme · bedtime · sleep · dreams · dream visitor · poppies · Hushaby Street · childhood imagination · lullaby · fantasy · fairies
What this Textopian page supports
The Rock-A-By Lady is listed on Textopian as a poem by Eugene Field, dated 1889 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Eugene Field
- Date: 1889 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Children's Poetry, Lullaby, Nursery Rhyme, Fantasy Poetry, Bedtime Poetry
- Length: 271 words
- Structure: 1 section, 4 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
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- Work identity for The Rock-A-By Lady by Eugene Field
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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