#Classic Poetry – #JamesWhitcombRiley – #TheDaysGoneBy

/ Marcia Meara

Time once again for another sample of Classic Poetry. I hope you enjoy this one by James Whitcomb Riley. It always strikes a chord with me. Happy reading!  😀

The Days Gone By
JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY (1859 – 1916)

O the days gone by! O the days gone by!
The apples in the orchard, and the pathway through the rye;
The chirrup of the robin, and the whistle of the quail
As he piped across the meadows sweet as any nightingale;
When the bloom was on the clover, and the blue was in the sky,
And my happy heart brimmed over in the days gone by.

In the days gone by, when my naked feet were tripped
By the honey-suckle’s tangles where the water-lilies dipped,
And the ripples of the river lipped the moss along the brink
Where the placid-eyed and lazy-footed cattle came to drink,
And the tilting snipe stood fearless of the truant’s wayward cry
And the splashing of the swimmer, in the days gone by.

O the days gone by! O the days gone by!
The music of the laughing lip, the luster of the eye;
The childish faith in fairies, and Aladdin’s magic ring—
The simple, soul-reposing, glad belief in everything,
When life was like a story, holding neither sob nor sigh,
In the golden olden glory of the days gone by.

James Whitcomb Riley (October 7, 1849 – July 22, 1916) was an American writer, poet, and best-selling author. During his lifetime he was known as the “Hoosier Poet” and “Children’s Poet” for his dialect works and his children’s poetry. His poems tend to be humorous or sentimental. Of the approximately 1,000 poems Riley wrote, the majority are in dialect. His famous works include “Little Orphant Annie” and “The Raggedy Man”.

Riley began his career writing verses as a sign maker and submitting poetry to newspapers. Thanks in part to poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s endorsement, he eventually earned successive jobs at Indiana newspaper publishers during the late 1870s. He gradually rose to prominence during the 1880s through his poetry reading tours. He traveled a touring circuit first in the Midwest, and then nationally, appearing either alone or with other famous talents. During this period Riley’s long-term addiction to alcohol began to affect his performing abilities, and he suffered financially as a result. However, once he extricated himself from a series of poorly negotiated contracts that sought to limit his earnings, he began to accumulate wealth and eventually became a financial success.

By the 1890s, Riley had become known as a bestselling author. His children’s poems were compiled into a book illustrated by Howard Chandler Christy. Titled Rhymes of Childhood, it was his most popular and sold millions of copies. As a poet, Riley achieved an uncommon level of fame during his lifetime. He was honored with annual Riley Day celebrations around the United States and was regularly called on to perform readings at national civic events. He continued to write and hold occasional poetry readings until a stroke paralyzed his right arm in 1910.

Riley’s chief legacy was his influence in fostering the creation of a Midwestern cultural identity and his contributions to the Golden Age of Indiana Literature. With other writers of his era, he helped create a caricature of Midwesterners and formed a literary community that produced works rivaling the established eastern literati. There are many memorials dedicated to Riley, including the James Whitcomb Riley Hospital for Children.

Hope you enjoyed reading another classic poem by
James Whitcomb Riley, who’s always been a favorite of mine.
His poems are a delight to read aloud!

44 thoughts on “#Classic Poetry – #JamesWhitcombRiley – #TheDaysGoneBy”

    • So glad to introduce you to more of Riley’s work, Jackie. “Beautiful and evocative” are perfect descriptions of his poems. They always bring back memories and touch my heart, for sure.

      Thanks so much for stopping by and letting me know you enjoyed it, and here’s to a great Moon’s Day! 😀 ❤

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  4. Wow-millions of copies were sold of Riley’s “Rhymes of Childhood” way back in the 1890s! That’s quite an accomplishment without the internet. Thanks for sharing his woderfully nostalgic “Days Gone By,” Marcia. 🙂

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    • Isn’t that an amazing thing, Nancy? I love that he was so popular while he was still alive and writing, so he could enjoy knowing folks loved his work. He’s always been a favorite of mine, so it’s easy for me to understand, but it doesn’t always happen during the lifetimes of now-famous poets.

      Glad you enjoyed both the poem and learning more about Riley, and thanks for taking a moment to share your thoughts. Have a super Moon’s Day! 😀 ❤

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    • I’m happy to have introduced you to a new poem/poet, Beth, and I hope you’ll check out more of his work. I’ve loved his poems since reading them in school, and I’ve yet to read any of his work that didn’t strike a chord within me.

      Thanks so much for stopping by today to let me know you enjoyed this one, and I hope you have a great Moon’s Day ahead! 😀 ❤

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    • So glad you love it, Harmony. Riley’s work always touches my heart, and I’m truly happy to share it here and there in this series of posts. He’s a huge favorite of mine!

      Thanks so much for stopping by this morning, and letting me know you enjoyed it. And here’s to a great week ahead for you, too! 😀 ❤

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    • Glad you enjoyed it, Jeanne. I’ve featured a couple of other Classic poems by Riley because he’s one of my very favorites of all time, and I couldn’t resist sharing this one, too. Since he’s been gone for over 100 years already, I guess nostalgia is the perfect word for most of his works. But a type of nostalgia we can all recognize and enjoy. (And in some cases, wish we were still living amidst.)

      Thanks so much for visiting this morning and taking a moment to share your thoughts. I suspect as this series continues, there will be a few more pieces of his work shared here and there, just for the beauty it evokes. Have a super Moon’s Day, my friend! 😀 ❤

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  10. I loved reading this poem today – the first e-mail of the day. I love this poem! Your column that features CLASSIC POETRY is my favorite of all your wonderful features. I love reading the history of the poets, and the backstories that you give your readers. Thank you!

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    • Aw, Lynda, thanks so much for your wonderful compliments! It does my heart good to know you enjoy my blog and especially that you love the Classic Poetry feature. I’ve had such fun going through the poems I was introduced to way back when I was a schoolgirl, and picking out ones I hope my readers will love as much as I do. (Including anything by James Whitcomb Riley. He’s always been a big favorite of mine!)

      I truly appreciate your stopping by today and sharing your thoughts on this series in general, and this poem, in particular. I’m doubly happy it got your day off to a good start! Here’s to the rest of it being absolutely wonderful, too! 😀 3

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    • So glad you liked it, Denise. Riley never fails to make me smile … or tear up a wee bit.

      Thanks so much for stopping by today and sharing your thoughts. Here’s to a great rest of your Moon’s Day! 😀 ❤

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  14. What a delightful poem, Marcia. It made me long for the good ol’ days gone by. I hadn’t heard of Riley before. HIs history is intriguing and a little unusual since he ended his career on a good note. So many of them don’t. Thanks for the introduction to Riley and his wonderful poem.

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    • I’m happy to introduce you to Riley, Diana, and hope you’ll check out my two previous shares of his work (Little Orphant Annie, and When the Frost is On the Punkin). He’s been a favorite of mine since my school days, and it’s such fun to share him here on the blog. He was amazingly successful, as you say, and best of all, lived to see it happen, too.

      Glad you enjoyed the post today, and thanks so much for stopping by to share your thoughts. Hope you have a wonderful rest of the week! 😀 ❤

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  17. I have visited two of the historic homes he lived in during his life in the Hoosier state. They have a place where he stayed with friends in Indianapolis, and his boyhood home.

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    • Oh, how cool, HHL! I’d love to visit those. A long, long time ago, I lived in Ft. Wayne for two years. Wish I’d visited while out there, but alas. I doubt I’ll be getting back that way again. (If I’m wrong about that, I’ll definitely add those homes to my itinerary.)

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing that with us! Have a super day! 😀 ❤

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