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The Annotated Edition

FITTE THE SECOND by Eugene Field

Summary, meaning, line-by-line analysis & FAQ.

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A husband and wife share a cheerful morning chat about which soap to use for their dog's bath.

Poet
Eugene Field
Themes
art, family, home
The PoemFull text

FITTE THE SECOND

Eugene Field

Now once his master, lingering o'er His breakfast coffee-cup, Observed unto his doting spouse: "You ought to wash the pup!" "That shall I do this very day", His doting spouse replied; "You will not know the pretty thing When he is washed and dried. "But tell me, dear, before you go Unto your daily work, Shall I use Ivory soap on him, Or Colgate, Pears' or Kirk?" "Odzooks, it matters not a whit-- They all are good to use! Take Pearline, if it pleases you-- Sapolio, if you choose! "Take any soap, but take the pup And also water take, And mix the three discreetly up Till they a lather make. "Then mixing these constituent parts, Let Nature take her way," With which advice that sapient sir Had nothing more to say. Then fared he to his daily toil All in the Board of Trade, While Mistress Taylor for that bath Due preparation made.

Public domain

Sourced from Project Gutenberg

§01Quick summary

What this poem is about

A husband and wife share a cheerful morning chat about which soap to use for their dog's bath. The husband suggests it doesn't really matter — just choose one and move on. It's a lighthearted, humorous glimpse into everyday life, poking fun at how seriously people sometimes take trivial choices.

§02Themes

Recurring themes

§03Line by line

Stanza by stanza, with notes

  1. Now once his master, lingering o'er / His breakfast coffee-cup,

    Editor's note

    We're thrown right into a typical morning scene. The master is leisurely enjoying his coffee — a relatable, unhurried moment — and is about to bring up what turns out to be a rather trivial concern.

  2. "That shall I do this very day", / His doting spouse replied;

    Editor's note

    The wife enthusiastically agrees right away. The term "doting" appears twice in reference to her, which adds a lighthearted touch — it hints that both she and her husband might be a bit too focused on the dog's wellbeing.

  3. "But tell me, dear, before you go / Unto your daily work,

    Editor's note

    The wife's question about which brand of soap to use is treated with the same seriousness as a significant domestic issue. Field humorously lists actual brands from that time (Ivory, Colgate, Pears, Kirk), which adds a comedic touch and connects the poem to familiar, everyday commercial life.

  4. "Odzooks, it matters not a whit-- / They all are good to use!

    Editor's note

    "Odzooks" is a playful, old-fashioned exclamation that makes the husband sound dramatically frustrated. He goes on to name even more soap brands — Pearline, Sapolio — which adds to the humor. The joke lies in the overly elaborate responses to a simple question.

  5. "Take any soap, but take the pup / And also water take,

    Editor's note

    The husband's advice is really just a simple formula: dog plus water plus soap equals bath. The humor lies in stating the obvious using formal, step-by-step instructions. The phrase "mix the three discreetly up" makes bathing a puppy sound like a scientific experiment.

  6. "Then mixing these constituent parts, / Let Nature take her way,"

    Editor's note

    "Constituent parts" sounds ridiculously formal when referring to soap, water, and a dog. "Let Nature take her way" is the husband’s lofty philosophical conclusion on the subject, as if he’s imparted deep wisdom instead of just giving the simplest instructions possible.

  7. Then fared he to his daily toil / All in the Board of Trade,

    Editor's note

    The husband leaves for his job at the Board of Trade—a well-known Chicago landmark that Field's readers would immediately recognize. The stark difference between his prestigious workplace and the ridiculous conversation he just had serves as the poem's final punchline. "Mistress Taylor" introduces the wife's name for the first time, adding a sudden, concrete detail to the scene.

§04Tone & mood

How this poem feels

Warm, playful, and subtly satirical. Field maintains a serious demeanor while using formal and even old-fashioned language to discuss something utterly trivial. The humor arises from the contrast between the grand style and the silly subject matter. There's no sharpness here — it's lighthearted comedy about everyday life, not a critique of it.

§05Symbols & metaphors

Symbols & metaphors

The pup
The dog drives the humor throughout the poem—it's a source of real fondness that the couple handles with almost ridiculous seriousness. It symbolizes the little, cherished worries that make up everyday home life.
The soap brands
Ivory, Colgate, Pears, Kirk, Pearline, Sapolio — listing these actual commercial products transforms the poem into a glimpse of consumer culture in the 1890s. The humor lies in the husband mentioning several brands while claiming that none of it is significant.
The Board of Trade
The husband's workplace is a reflection of the serious, public realm of commerce and finance. Putting it right next to a chat about dog shampoo highlights how the significant and the mundane coexist in our daily lives.

§06Historical context

Historical context

Eugene Field was a journalist and poet from Chicago who gained popularity in the 1880s and 1890s for his humorous and sentimental poetry, often featured in his newspaper column. "Fitte the Second" is part of a longer comic series about a dog named Wynken (or something similar), written in the mock-heroic style that Field enjoyed — taking the grand language of medieval romances and epic poetry and applying it to everyday suburban life. The term "Fitte" is an old-fashioned word for a section or canto of a long poem, indicating that Field is having fun with literary traditions. The soap brands mentioned in the poem — Ivory, Pears, Sapolio, Pearline — were all well-advertised household products in late 19th-century America, and their mention would have struck Field's original readers as humorously modern, creating a funny contrast with the poem's old-fashioned language.

§07FAQ

Questions readers ask

A "fitte" (or "fit") is an archaic term for a segment of a long poem or ballad, similar to a chapter. Field employs this term to give his humorous poem about bathing a dog an air of a grand medieval epic. The contrast between the lofty title and the trivial subject matter adds to the humor.

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Themes in this poem

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