Thro' the Cornfield by Sarah Noble Ives
A children's poem in which the speaker and two playmates, Alice and Jim, act out a fairy tale while walking through a cornfield forest of tall, waving, tasseled stalks. The speaker plays a grim Ogre, Alice plays a Princess who falls asleep deep in the shadowy woods, and Jim plays the Prince who finds and wakens her with a kiss. Jim rides in proudly on a prancing corn-stalk steed, undeterred as corn blades are thrust at him and long vines pluck at him trying to hold him back from his daring deed. The Ogre leaps from hiding with fierce, grim menace, while a big green pumpkin guards the door, scowling and leering at the Prince. Jim charges bravely and routs his foes using his trusty weapon, called "Cherry-Limb." The corn blades drop to their bent joints, pleading for mercy in vain; the pumpkin yields, and the Ogre turns and flees with a horrible shriek. The Prince duly kisses the Princess, and Alice and Jim are wed.
By Sarah Noble Ives · Genre: Children's Literature, Poetry, Fantasy · 294 words
First lines
There's a forest thro' which we went to-day, / Waving and green and high, / With feathery tassels tall and gay / Nodding against the sky; / The place of all others for fairy tales, / And plays of the years gone by.
And this is the game we children played- / I was an Ogre grim, / Alice the Princess that fell asleep / Down in the forest dim, / And the Prince who wakened her with a kiss / When he found her-that was Jim.
The Prince came riding so proud and bold / On a prancing corn-stalk steed, / And many a blade was thrust at him, / But little did Jimmy heed; / And long vines plucked him to hold him back / From doing that daring deed.
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Genres
- Children's Literature — The poem centers on children engaged in imaginative play and uses accessible, whimsical language and themes designed for young readers.
- Poetry — Composed in verse form with consistent rhyming couplets and rhythmic meter characteristic of poetic composition.
- Fantasy — Incorporates fairy tale elements including magical characters (Ogre, Princess, Prince), enchanted settings, and fantastical transformations of ordinary objects.
- Adventure — Features an action-driven narrative with heroic quest elements, battles, obstacles, and a triumphant resolution.
Tags
children's poetry · fairy tales · imaginative play · cornfield · pastoral · adventure · rescue narrative · heroism · romance · good versus evil · prince · princess
What this Textopian page supports
Thro' the Cornfield is listed on Textopian as a short story by Sarah Noble Ives, dated Date unknown.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Sarah Noble Ives
- Date: Date unknown
- Language: English
- Genres: Children's Literature, Poetry, Fantasy, Adventure, Light Verse
- Length: 294 words
- Structure: 1 section, 5 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
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- Work identity for Thro' the Cornfield by Sarah Noble Ives
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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