THE FLY-AWAY HORSE by Eugene Field: Summary, Meaning & Analysis
A magical horse shows up only at night, taking sleeping children to a dreamland filled with candy trees, friendly animals, and endless adventure.
The poem
Oh, a wonderful horse is the Fly-Away Horse-- Perhaps you have seen him before; Perhaps, while you slept, his shadow has swept Through the moonlight that floats on the floor. For it's only at night, when the stars twinkle bright, That the Fly-Away Horse, with a neigh And a pull at his rein and a toss of his mane, Is up on his heels and away! The Moon in the sky, As he gallopeth by, Cries: "Oh! what a marvelous sight!" And the Stars in dismay Hide their faces away In the lap of old Grandmother Night. It is yonder, out yonder, the Fly-Away Horse Speedeth ever and ever away-- Over meadows and lanes, over mountains and plains, Over streamlets that sing at their play; And over the sea like a ghost sweepeth he, While the ships they go sailing below, And he speedeth so fast that the men at the mast Adjudge him some portent of woe. "What ho there!" they cry, As he flourishes by With a whisk of his beautiful tail; And the fish in the sea Are as scared as can be, From the nautilus up to the whale! And the Fly-Away Horse seeks those faraway lands You little folk dream of at night-- Where candy-trees grow, and honey-brooks flow, And corn-fields with popcorn are white; And the beasts in the wood are ever so good To children who visit them there-- What glory astride of a lion to ride, Or to wrestle around with a bear! The monkeys, they say: "Come on, let us play," And they frisk in the cocoanut-trees: While the parrots, that cling To the peanut-vines, sing Or converse with comparative ease! Off! scamper to bed--you shall ride him tonight! For, as soon as you've fallen asleep, With a jubilant neigh he shall bear you away Over forest and hillside and deep! But tell us, my dear, all you see and you hear In those beautiful lands over there, Where the Fly-Away Horse wings his faraway course With the wee one consigned to his care. Then grandma will cry In amazement: "Oh, my!" And she'll think it could never be so; And only we two Shall know it is true-- You and I, little precious! shall know!
A magical horse shows up only at night, taking sleeping children to a dreamland filled with candy trees, friendly animals, and endless adventure. The poem acts as a bedtime invitation — the speaker assures a child that as soon as they drift off, the horse will carry them away to a world only they can truly believe in. It's a cozy, playful tribute to the private magic shared between a child and a loving adult.
Line-by-line
Oh, a wonderful horse is the Fly-Away Horse-- / Perhaps you have seen him before;
It is yonder, out yonder, the Fly-Away Horse / Speedeth ever and ever away--
And the Fly-Away Horse seeks those faraway lands / You little folk dream of at night--
Off! scamper to bed--you shall ride him tonight! / For, as soon as you've fallen asleep,
Tone & mood
The tone feels warm, breathless, and conspiratorial — like a grandparent leaning in close at bedtime. Field maintains a lively energy with galloping rhythms and exclamation points, but beneath the excitement lies a gentle intimacy. The speaker never talks down to the child; instead, they treat them as a true partner in the magic, making the entire poem feel like a gift rather than a performance.
Symbols & metaphors
- The Fly-Away Horse — The horse embodies the essence of childhood imagination — it transports children from the everyday world into a limitless realm of dreams as soon as they close their eyes.
- Night and moonlight — Night serves as the bridge between wakefulness and dreams. The moonlight spilling onto the floor signals the horse's approach, transforming sleep into a gateway for adventure instead of something to dread.
- The faraway lands — The candy-trees, honey-brooks, and friendly beasts capture the idealized inner world of childhood fantasy—a realm of pure wish-fulfillment that adults can only experience vicariously through a child's stories.
- The shared secret — The closing promise that "only we two shall know it is true" reflects the unique bond of trust between a child and a caring adult — the one who values the child's dreams and treats them as if they really matter.
- The sailors' fear — The sailors who see the horse as a bad omen reflect how adults often misinterpret or distrust things that are genuinely innocent and beautiful — a lighthearted jab at the adult world.
Historical context
Eugene Field wrote this poem in the 1880s, a time when he was creating the children's verse that would earn him the title "the poet of childhood." While working as a newspaper columnist in Chicago, Field wrote poems for his own kids as well as for the public. The late Victorian era had a strong interest in idealized childhood, with writers like Robert Louis Stevenson, who published A Child's Garden of Verses in 1885, doing similar work. Field's poems were widely shared in newspapers and gift books, reaching families all over America. "The Fly-Away Horse" captures the era's fascination with the inner lives of children as spaces of purity and wonder, and its lively anapestic meter was crafted for bedtime reading, echoing the rhythm of galloping hooves.
FAQ
It's about a magical horse that shows up at night, whisking sleeping children away to a dreamland filled with candy trees, friendly animals, and exciting adventures. The speaker — probably a grandparent — uses the poem as a way to invite the child to bed, assuring them that the horse will arrive as soon as they drift off to sleep.
The speaker is a caring adult, probably a grandparent — the last stanza of the poem highlights "grandma" expressing wonder at the child's morning update. Throughout the poem, the speaker talks directly to the child, fostering a warm, personal connection.
Field employs an anapestic meter — two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed one — that effectively mimics a gallop. Lines such as "With a jubilant neigh he shall bear you away" practically bounce off the tongue. This choice creates a sense that the horse is already in motion.
Within the world of the poem, the horse feels as real as a dream can feel. Field doesn’t present it as mere fantasy — the closing lines assert that "only we two shall know it is true," viewing the dream-experience as authentic knowledge shared between child and adult.
When the sailors spot the horse and call him a "portent of woe," they're making a joke at the adults' expense. The adults, preoccupied with their serious seafaring worries, can only see a mysterious flying horse as a bad omen. But children understand the truth — it’s simply the dream-horse making his nightly rounds.
The key themes are childhood, dreams, and freedom. The poem honors the child's inner world as a realm of endless adventure, portraying sleep not as the day's end but as the start of a journey. Love is also a prominent theme — the affection between the speaker and the child weaves through every stanza.
"Grandmother Night" personifies the night sky, and the image of the Stars tucked in her lap paints a lovely picture of the sky darkening as the horse races by. This also subtly introduces the grandmother figure, who plays a crucial role at the poem's conclusion, weaving a sense of familial warmth throughout the entire piece.
It fits nicely with Robert Louis Stevenson's *A Child's Garden of Verses* — both poets employ musical rhythms, speak directly to children, and regard the imagination as a genuine and important realm. Field's style is a touch more lively and humorous than Stevenson's, and his dreamland features more clearly fantastical elements (like candy trees and wrestling bears), yet the underlying tenderness remains quite alike.