LYDIA
Before _she_ came--that rival flame!--
(Was ever female creature sillier?)
In those good times,
Bepraised in rhymes,
I was more famed than Mother Ilia!
The Annotated Edition
LYDIA by Eugene Field
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A speaker reminisces about the good old days when his dear Lydia admired him above everyone else — that is, until a rival woman caught her eye.
- Poet
- Eugene Field
- Themes
- identity, love, memory
§01Quick summary
What this poem is about
A speaker reminisces about the good old days when his dear Lydia admired him above everyone else — that is, until a rival woman caught her eye. It's a lighthearted jab at being bumped off his romantic pedestal. The humor lies in the speaker's exaggerated sense of wounded pride and the ridiculous way he compares his past glory.
§02Themes
Recurring themes
§03Line by line
Stanza by stanza, with notes
Before _she_ came--that rival flame!-- (Was ever female creature sillier?)
Editor's note
The speaker starts in the middle of a thought, clearly agitated. The italicized *she* indicates that this rival is nearly too annoying to mention. The parenthetical insult — referring to the rival as silly — is simply a humorous show of bravado: he’s hurt but attempts to act indifferent.
In those good times, Bepraised in rhymes,
Editor's note
Short, clipped lines that evoke a nostalgic sigh. "Bepraised in rhymes" suggests Lydia once wrote or spoke poetry for him — the greatest compliment one lover can give another in Field's literary realm.
I was more famed than Mother Ilia!
Editor's note
The punchline. Mother Ilia, or Rhea Silvia, is the legendary Roman mother of Romulus and Remus—a figure of mythic, almost sacred status. The speaker asserts that Lydia's praise once made him *more* famous than she is. It's an exaggerated claim that turns his self-pity into humor.
§04Tone & mood
How this poem feels
Playful and mock-wounded. Field keeps the complaint light—there's no real bitterness here, just the theatrical sulking of someone who longs for adoration. The exclamation marks and the parenthetical aside create the impression of a man grumbling to a friend over a drink rather than truly grieving.
§05Symbols & metaphors
Symbols & metaphors
- The rival flame
- She embodies the feeling of being displaced and the delicate nature of being someone's favorite. She doesn't require a name or a face; her purpose is to show up and cause chaos.
- Praise in rhymes
- Poetry here represents the deepest form of devotion. To be "bepraised in rhymes" means to be genuinely recognized and cherished by a lover, making the loss of that praise hurt more than typical neglect.
- Mother Ilia
- The Roman mythological figure grounds the speaker's comedic exaggeration. By referencing ancient legend for his comparison, he shows just how inflated — and how delicate — his ego truly is.
§06Historical context
Historical context
Eugene Field (1850–1895) was an American journalist and poet, famous for his sentimental children's poems like "Wynken, Blynken, and Nod." However, he also created lighthearted, clever pieces that echoed classical styles, particularly drawing from Latin lyric poetry, especially the works of Horace. His poem "Lydia" likely references Horace's own "Lydia" odes (Odes I.8, I.13, III.9), where Horace speaks to a woman he loves by that name. Field's take condenses the Latin original into a single humorous stanza, retaining the jealousy and classical nod while replacing Horace's elegance with a distinctly American brand of wit. He wrote it during the last decade of his life, a time when he was a well-known columnist for the Chicago Morning News.
§07FAQ
Questions readers ask
A guy is grumbling about how his girlfriend, Lydia, used to shower him with compliments all the time — that is, until another woman showed up and stole Lydia's focus. Now he feels overlooked and is moping around about it, but he's doing it in a hilariously over-the-top manner.
Mother Ilia is another name for Rhea Silvia, a character from Roman mythology. As a Vestal Virgin, she became the mother of Romulus and Remus, the legendary founders of Rome. She's well-known in the ancient world, making any attempt to compare yourself to her a hilariously over-the-top claim.
Yes. The Roman poet Horace wrote a number of odes to a woman named Lydia, exploring themes of love, jealousy, and rivalry. Field was well-versed in classical literature and clearly crafted this as a humorous, concise tribute to those poems.
"Flame" is a vintage term for someone you have a romantic interest in or a deep passion for. Referring to the rival as a "rival flame" suggests that she has sparked a new fire in Lydia's heart, taking the speaker's place.
It means the speaker was honored in poetry — Lydia would write or recite verses celebrating him. For a poet or literary figure, being praised in rhymes is the highest form of admiration, making the loss of that recognition even more dramatic.
It's amusing. Field is exaggerating the speaker's hurt feelings for laughs. The dramatic reference to a Roman myth and the cheeky comment about the rival being "silly" indicate that we shouldn't view the heartbreak too seriously.
Field frequently crafted short, impactful verses for newspaper columns, taking advantage of limited space to deliver a quick laugh or a strong emotional punch. With just one stanza, he could effectively establish the scenario and deliver the punchline.
Italicizing *she* captures the sneering tone or dramatic pause someone might use when speaking — suggesting that the rival is so annoying she doesn't even warrant a proper name. It's a subtle typographical means of expressing disdain.
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