Thank you for visiting SNEWPapers!
Sign up free
Poem
November 14, 1805
Rhode Island Republican
Newport, Newport County, Rhode Island
What is this article about?
A whimsical poem depicting a grandmother's excessive indulgence towards the child, from daily care to allowing mischief, culminating in a moral allusion to the fable of a spoiled child facing execution.
Clipping
OCR Quality
98%
Excellent
Full Text
MY GRANDMOTHER.
Who wash'd my face and comb'd my hair,
And put my little shirt to air,
To make me clean to go to fair?
My Granny.
Who spread my roll with butter thick,
And gave me cakes that made me sick,
And let my faithful Tory kick?
My Granny.
Who gave me a huge corking pin,
That I the cock chafer might pin,
And smil'd to see my childish grin?
My Granny.
Who put me on a monkey's back
And gave the whip to lash and smack,
Till its poor bones did almost crack?
My Granny.
Who put the spelling book aside,
Because I blubber'd, howl'd and cried,
And could not bear the dunce to chide?
My Granny.
Who took correction from my mother,
Burnt one good rod and broke another,
And let me pinch my little brother?
My Granny.
Then while I live, thou Granny dear,
My alter'd love thou need not fear,
But if I'm hang'd--Oh guard thine ear!
My Granny.
* A favorite dog.
Alluding to the fable of the spoiled child biting the mother's ear, when he was going to be hanged.
Who wash'd my face and comb'd my hair,
And put my little shirt to air,
To make me clean to go to fair?
My Granny.
Who spread my roll with butter thick,
And gave me cakes that made me sick,
And let my faithful Tory kick?
My Granny.
Who gave me a huge corking pin,
That I the cock chafer might pin,
And smil'd to see my childish grin?
My Granny.
Who put me on a monkey's back
And gave the whip to lash and smack,
Till its poor bones did almost crack?
My Granny.
Who put the spelling book aside,
Because I blubber'd, howl'd and cried,
And could not bear the dunce to chide?
My Granny.
Who took correction from my mother,
Burnt one good rod and broke another,
And let me pinch my little brother?
My Granny.
Then while I live, thou Granny dear,
My alter'd love thou need not fear,
But if I'm hang'd--Oh guard thine ear!
My Granny.
* A favorite dog.
Alluding to the fable of the spoiled child biting the mother's ear, when he was going to be hanged.
What sub-type of article is it?
Ballad
Song
What themes does it cover?
Moral Virtue
What keywords are associated?
Grandmother Indulgence
Spoiled Child
Moral Fable
Childhood Mischief
Family Spoiling
Poem Details
Title
My Grandmother.
Form / Style
Rhyming Quatrains
Key Lines
Then While I Live, Thou Granny Dear,
My Alter'd Love Thou Need Not Fear,
But If I'm Hang'd Oh Guard Thine Ear!
My Granny.