Mary's Lamb by Sarah Josepha Hale

Mary's Lamb

by Sarah Josepha Hale

Mary had a little lamb,

Its fleece was white as snow,

And every where that Mary went

The lamb was sure to go;

He followed her to school one day—

That was against the rule,

It made the children laugh and play,

To see a lamb at school.

And so the Teacher turned him out,

But still he lingered near,

And waited patiently about,

Till Mary did appear;

And then he ran to her, and laid

His head upon her arm,

As if he said—"I'm not afraid—

You'll keep me from all harm."

"What makes the lamb love Mary so?"

The eager children cry—

"O, Mary loves the lamb, you know,

"The Teacher did reply;—

"And you each gentle animal

In confidence may bind,

And make them follow at your call,

If you are always kind."

If you have never read a poem in your life, I'd bet you know the first stanza (at least) of this poem. Sarah Josepha Buell Hale lived from 1788-1879, and besides writing, she was the editor of Godey's Lady's Book, the most influential and widely read magazine in America prior to the Civil War. She was also an activist, and you can thank her for Thanksgiving--it was her campaigning in the pages of GLB for decades that got Americans behind her, and in 1863 Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday.

There is not much to say about this poem--it is fairly self-explanatory.

I chose this poem for my blog today as school has started for some already here in the states and is just around the corner for others. Also, the author is a fascinating person whose name--as with so many women in history--is not widely known.

I want to point out that besides the obvious rhyme and rhythm here, the message in the last stanza--hinted at in the last two lines of stanza 2--makes me wish more of us knew the entire poem. Be kind to animals! More good life advice from a poet!