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A Lullaby by Eugene Field

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A mother sings her baby to sleep, finding solace in the thought of the moon serenading a star.

Poet
Eugene Field
Core theme
Death
The PoemFull text

A Lullaby

Eugene Field

The stars are twinkling in the skies, The earth is lost in slumbers deep; So hush, my sweet, and close thine eyes, And let me lull thy soul to sleep. Compose thy dimpled hands to rest, And like a little birdling lie Secure within thy cozy nest Upon my loving mother breast, And slumber to my lullaby, So hushaby--O hushaby. The moon is singing to a star The little song I sing to you; The father sun has strayed afar, As baby's sire is straying too. And so the loving mother moon Sings to the little star on high; And as she sings, her gentle tune Is borne to me, and thus I croon For thee, my sweet, that lullaby Of hushaby--O hushaby. There is a little one asleep That does not hear his mother's song; But angel watchers--as I weep-- Surround his grave the night-tide long. And as I sing, my sweet, to you, Oh, would the lullaby I sing-- The same sweet lullaby he knew While slumb'ring on this bosom too-- Were borne to him on angel's wing! So hushaby--O hushaby. "THE OLD HOMESTEAD" JEST as atween the awk'ard lines a hand we love has penn'd Appears a meanin' hid from other eyes, So, in your simple, homespun art, old honest Yankee friend, A power o' tearful, sweet seggestion lies. We see it all--the pictur' that our mem'ries hold so dear-- The homestead in New England far away, An' the vision is so nat'ral-like we almost seem to hear The voices that were heshed but yesterday. Ah, who'd ha' thought the music of that distant childhood time Would sleep through all the changeful, bitter years To waken into melodies like Chris'mas bells a-chime An' to claim the ready tribute of our tears! Why, the robins in the maples an' the blackbirds round the pond, The crickets an' the locusts in the leaves, The brook that chased the trout adown the hillside just beyond, An' the swallers in their nests beneath the eaves-- They all come troopin' back with you, dear Uncle Josh, to-day, An' they seem to sing with all the joyous zest Of the days when we were Yankee boys an' Yankee girls at play, With nary thought of "livin' way out West"! God bless ye, Denman Thomps'n, for the good y' do our hearts, With this music an' these memories o' youth-- God bless ye for the faculty that tops all human arts, The good ol' Yankee faculty of Truth!

Public domain

Sourced from Project Gutenberg

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§01Quick summary

What this poem is about

A mother sings her baby to sleep, finding solace in the thought of the moon serenading a star. Yet, in the final stanza, we discover she is mourning a child who has passed away. The lullaby transforms into a longing for the same melody to somehow reach her lost child in the grave, delivered by angels.

§02Themes

Recurring themes

§03Line by line

Stanza by stanza, with notes

  1. The stars are twinkling in the skies, / The earth is lost in slumbers deep;

    Editor's note

    The opening stanza creates a serene, universal nighttime atmosphere. Everything — the stars and the earth — is winding down for the night, while the mother gently encourages her baby to join in. The image of the child as a "little birdling" nestled safely on her breast evokes warmth and a sense of closeness, anchoring the lullaby in genuine maternal connection. At this stage, the poem resembles a simple, affectionate cradle song.

  2. The moon is singing to a star / The little song I sing to you;

    Editor's note

    Here, Field transforms the mother’s personal song into something universal. The moon and star reflect the connection between mother and child, implying that this bond is etched into the fabric of the universe. The line about "the father sun has strayed afar" — mirrored by the baby's own absent father — adds a subtle layer of loneliness and loss beneath the soothing melody, suggesting that this family isn’t completely whole.

  3. There is a little one asleep / That does not hear his mother's song;

    Editor's note

    The final stanza shatters the illusion. The "little one asleep" isn't nestled in a cradle — he is dead and buried. The mother has been singing all along, her grief held tightly inside, and now it breaks free: she weeps as she sings. Her desire for the lullaby to reach her dead child on an angel's wing is profoundly sad because she understands it can't happen. The repeated "hushaby" at the end now holds a deeper meaning — it comforts the living child while mourning the one who has passed.

§04Tone & mood

How this poem feels

Tender and soft on the surface, with an undercurrent of grief flowing beneath. Field maintains a gentle melody and straightforward language — it is a lullaby, after all — but the sorrow quietly intensifies through the three stanzas until it erupts in the third. The overall vibe is bittersweet: love and loss intertwined in a single breath.

§05Symbols & metaphors

Symbols & metaphors

The moon and star
They reflect the bond between mother and child, implying that maternal love transcends humanity and is part of the natural world. The moon's song to the star provides the grieving mother with a sense of cosmic companionship — she is not alone in her watch.
The lullaby / song
The song provides both comfort and connection. It calms the living child, honors the memory of the deceased one, and serves as the mother's sole means of linking the living and the dead. Her desire for it to travel on an angel's wing reveals just how deeply she wishes that bridge could truly exist.
The nest
The "cozy nest" on the mother's breast symbolizes safety, warmth, and the delicate nature of childhood. It subtly highlights the tragedy of the third stanza: one bird has already fallen from the nest.
Angel watchers
The angels around the dead child's grave reflect a Victorian consolation image — they represent the mother's protective presence, providing for the child in ways she can no longer manage herself.
The absent father / straying sun
The sun "straying afar" reflects the baby's absent father, introducing a sense of adult loneliness to the poem. The mother isn't just grieving; she's also, in a way, isolated.

§06Historical context

Historical context

Eugene Field wrote this poem in the late 19th century, a time when child mortality deeply affected American families. Having lost children himself, Field's poetry aimed at and about children, featured in collections like *With Trumpet and Drum* (1892), resonated with readers because it addressed that profound grief. The Victorian era had a strong tradition of mourning poetry and literature meant to console, and lullabies that also served as elegies were quite common. Known as the "poet of childhood," Field's poems often balanced nursery charm with real sorrow. The image of angels watching over a child's grave reflects the era's belief in heavenly reunions, providing grieving parents with a comforting perspective on their loss.

§07FAQ

Questions readers ask

Who is the speaker of the poem?

The speaker is a mother singing to her baby. In the last stanza, we learn that she has also lost a child; the poem unfolds in a way that lets the grief emerge as a subtle revelation instead of a direct statement.

What is the poem actually about — is it just a lullaby?

It begins as a lullaby but shifts into an elegy. The mother sings to one child while grieving for another who has passed away. The poem explores how grief and love can coexist in the same moment, within the same song.

What does the moon and star represent?

They symbolize the mother and child. The moon singing to the star mirrors the mother’s nurturing — it implies that this kind of love is both universal and eternal, offering a bit of solace in light of what the poem uncovers in the final stanza.

Why does the mother mention the absent father?

The line "the father sun has strayed afar, / As baby's sire is straying too" indicates that the father is missing—it's unclear if it's due to death, work commitments, or abandonment. This absence amplifies the mother's sense of isolation and intensifies her grief.

What is the effect of the repeated 'hushaby' refrain?

The refrain maintains the poem's lullaby quality, even as the themes shift to darker places. By the third stanza, those familiar soothing words take on a deeper significance—they become a farewell to the deceased child, a song released into the darkness, unsure if it will be received.

Is this poem autobiographical?

Field experienced the loss of children, and his poetry about childhood grief is believed to reflect his personal experiences. However, the poem serves as a universal depiction of maternal bereavement rather than simply a diary entry — Field crafts the emotions into something that any grieving parent can relate to.

What does 'angel watchers' mean?

It depicts a Victorian scene of angels watching over a child's grave at night. For Field's original readers, this image would have felt familiar and reassuring — the angels are taking on the role of the mother, keeping watch over the child as she can no longer do.

Why is the poem structured to hide the grief until the last stanza?

By allowing the reader to first experience the soothing warmth of the lullaby, Field deepens the impact of the revelation about the dead child. You feel the mother’s loss as she does — it emerges amidst an everyday, loving moment. This structure forms the poem's true emotional core.

Citation

Cite this poem

MLA

Field, Eugene. "A Lullaby." Storgy, https://storgy.com/poems/a-lullaby-eugene-field/.

APA

Field, E. (n.d.). A lullaby. Storgy. https://storgy.com/poems/a-lullaby-eugene-field/

TeacherAP Lit Q1 scaffold — preview

Row A — Thesis

1 pt

In 'A Lullaby,' Eugene Field constructs grief as a force that cannot be quarantined from tenderness: the speaker's act of singing a living child to sleep is inseparable from her mourning of a dead one, so that the lullaby form itself, …

  • Row B — Evidence + Commentary4 pts
  • Row C — Sophistication1 pt
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