MEDIAEVAL EVENTIDE SONG by Eugene Field: Summary, Meaning & Analysis
A parent holds their child close at night, sensing an angel nearby singing of a heavenly garden — a place where God sometimes calls children back.
The poem
Come hither, lyttel childe, and lie upon my breast to-night, For yonder fares an angell yclad in raimaunt white, And yonder sings ye angell as onely angells may, And his songe ben of a garden that bloometh farre awaye. To them that have no lyttel childe Godde sometimes sendeth down A lyttel childe that ben a lyttel lambkyn of his owne; And if so bee they love that childe, He willeth it to staye, But elsewise, in His mercie He taketh it awaye. And sometimes, though they love it, Godde yearneth for ye childe, And sendeth angells singing, whereby it ben beguiled; They fold their arms about ye lamb that croodleth at his play, And beare him to ye garden that bloometh farre awaye. I wolde not lose ye lyttel lamb that Godde hath lent to me; If I colde sing that angell songe, how joysome I sholde bee! For, with mine arms about him, and my musick in his eare, What angell songe of paradize soever sholde I feare? Soe come, my lyttel childe, and lie upon my breast to-night, For yonder fares an angell yclad in raimaunt white, And yonder sings that angell, as onely angells may, And his songe ben of a garden that bloometh farre awaye.
A parent holds their child close at night, sensing an angel nearby singing of a heavenly garden — a place where God sometimes calls children back. The poem conveys the fierce, tender love of a parent who understands that a child is a precious gift on loan, and who sings their own lullaby as a way to ward off that angel's call. It serves as both a bedtime song and a quiet prayer for the child to stay.
Line-by-line
Come hither, lyttel childe, and lie upon my breast to-night, / For yonder fares an angell yclad in raimaunt white,
To them that have no lyttel childe Godde sometimes sendeth down / A lyttel childe that ben a lyttel lambkyn of his owne;
And sometimes, though they love it, Godde yearneth for ye childe, / And sendeth angells singing, whereby it ben beguiled;
I wolde not lose ye lyttel lamb that Godde hath lent to me; / If I colde sing that angell songe, how joysome I sholde bee!
Soe come, my lyttel childe, and lie upon my breast to-night, / For yonder fares an angell yclad in raimaunt white,
Tone & mood
The tone blends tenderness with anxiety. Field writes from the perspective of a parent who feels fear but chooses to hide it — the old-fashioned language lends the poem a serene quality on the surface, while the underlying theme grapples with the fear of losing a child. There’s also a sense of true faith present; this poem doesn’t blame God for the threat, but rather seeks to understand it through love and song.
Symbols & metaphors
- The angel in white — The angel symbolizes death — particularly the death of a child — yet Field chooses not to depict it as a monster. Instead, it appears beautiful, singing, and dressed in white. This beauty is what makes it perilous: it can entice a child away without using force or instilling fear.
- The garden far away — Heaven, or paradise. The garden is often depicted as being far away, emphasizing that death is final. Once a child reaches that garden, they never return.
- The lambkyn — The child as a lamb creates a dual image: one of innocence and another of sacrifice. It also portrays God as a shepherd who has the authority to bring any lamb home. The mention of 'lent' in the final stanza emphasizes that the child was never entirely the parent's to hold onto.
- The parent's song — The lullaby transforms into a shield of safety. When a parent fills a child's ears with music, the angel's song can't penetrate. Here, song represents all the ways love attempts — and occasionally struggles — to protect a child from death.
- The breast — The act of holding the child to the chest serves as the poem's main image of safety. It embodies warmth, heartbeat, and intimacy — everything absent from the cold garden. This gesture frames the poem, appearing at both the beginning and the end, representing the parent's sole genuine response to the angel.
Historical context
Eugene Field was an American journalist and poet in the latter half of the 19th century, best remembered today for his children's poems like "Wynken, Blynken, and Nod." He was a father of eight, and child mortality was a harsh reality during Victorian times — about one in five American children didn’t survive past age five during this period. Field wrote numerous poems exploring themes of childhood and death, and this one is very much a part of that tradition. His use of pseudo-medieval spelling — 'yclad,' 'ben,' 'hath,' 'sholde' — was a trendy literary technique of the time, lending the poem a timeless, almost sacred feel. It also creates a slight distance from the rawness of present grief, giving the piece the quality of an ancient prayer rather than a fresh wound. The poem was published in the 1880s and became widely reprinted in newspapers, which was the primary way most Americans experienced poetry back then.
FAQ
A parent is tucking their child into bed, feeling the presence of an angel of death nearby. The poem serves as a lullaby and a vigil — the parent embraces the child tightly, wishing that their love and song will protect the child from being taken away by the angel.
Field intentionally employed pseudo-medieval spelling—words such as 'lyttel,' 'yclad,' and 'ben'—to evoke a timeless, almost sacred quality in the poem, reminiscent of an ancient prayer or hymn. This literary style was quite popular in the 19th century and helps to establish a subtle emotional distance, allowing the poem to address a deeply painful subject without feeling too intense.
The angel symbolizes death, particularly the death of a child. However, Field portrays the angel as beautiful and musical instead of terrifying, creating tension in the poem. The threat isn't a monstrous figure; it's something enchanting that a child might willingly pursue.
'Lambkyn' is a small form of lamb — a little, innocent lamb. Field uses it to link the child to the image of God as a shepherd, one who has the right to call any of his flock home. It also holds the older Christian symbolism of the sacrificial lamb, adding a layer of quiet sorrow to the term.
It represents heaven or paradise. The description of it being far away matters — it suggests that death is a one-way trip. The garden is stunning, but it's not located here, and the child who ventures there never comes back.
The parent believes that if they can sing as beautifully as the angel, they can fill the child's ears with their own music and drown out the angel's call. This is a profoundly human concept — using love and song as a barrier against death — and the poem never guarantees that it will succeed.
It provides the poem with the structure of a true lullaby, which is intentionally circular and repetitive. However, after all that’s been expressed in the middle stanzas, the repeated lines carry more weight the second time around. The angel remains present. The parent continues to hold the child. The vigil isn’t over; it simply goes on.
Field was the father of eight children and had a strong bond with them—his children's poetry reflects that love. He faced the heartbreaking loss of children during his lifetime. While it's unclear if this particular poem was inspired by a specific loss, the fear it conveys was very real for parents of his time, as childhood death was prevalent.