#ClassicPoetry – #JamesWhitcombRiley – “Granny”

/ Marcia Meara

Thought it was time for me to start getting back to some of my regular features from days gone by. Figured Monday was a good day to start, and Classic Poetry has always run on a Monday, so … here we go. Another classic poem by one of my all-time favorites, James Whitcomb Riley. I know some folks aren’t fond of the dialect, but for me, it’s perfect, and really makes the poem. Hope you like this one. (As someone who is called Granny on a very regular basis, I couldn’t resist it! Happy reading!

Granny
JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY (1859 – 1916)

Granny’s come to our house,
And ho! my lawzy-daisy!
All the childern round the place
    Is ist a-runnin’ crazy!
Fetched a cake fer little Jake,
    And fetched a pie fer Nanny
And fetched a pear fer all the pack
    That runs to kiss their Granny!

Lucy Ellen’s in her lap,
    And Wade and Silas Walker
Both’s a-ridin’ on her foot,
    And ’Pollos on the rocker;
And Marthy’s twins, from Aunt Marinn’s,
    And little Orphant Annie,
All’s a-eatin’ gingerbread
    And giggle-un at Granny!

Tells us all the fairy tales
    Ever thought er wundered—
And ’bundance o’ other stories—
    Bet she knows a hunderd!—
Bob’s the one fer “Whittington,”
    And “Golden Locks” fer Fanny!
Hear ’em laugh and clap their hands,
    Listenin’ at Granny!

“Jack the Giant-Killer” ’s good;
    And “Bean-Stalk” ’s another!—
So’s the one of “Cinderell’”
    And her old godmother;—
That-un’s best of all the rest—
    Bestest one of any,—
Where the mices scampers home
    Like we runs to Granny!

Granny’s come to our house,
    Ho! my lawzy-daisy!
All the childern round the place
    Is ist a-runnin’ crazy!
Fetched a cake fer little Jake,
    And fetched a pie fer Nanny,
And fetched a pear fer all the pack
    That runs to kiss their Granny!

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.

57 thoughts on “#ClassicPoetry – #JamesWhitcombRiley – “Granny””

  1. I love James Whitcomb Riley though I don’t know many of his poems. But I love to recite one which I publish on my blog come Autumn.
    I adore his dialect to pieces in When the frost is on the Punkin. Oh my! Adore!
    Thanks so much for sharing. Will you be doing this in Mondays from now on then? I want to read these gems. Thank you. Lovely post. Xoxox

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    • Hallylooyer back atcha, Selma! I’m very happy to know I’ve got you skippin’! And thanks so much for the link. I will be checking that out shortly, for sure!! Hope you have a great day, and will stop by to check out Classic Poetry Monday often. You never know what I’ll be sharing, including more of JWR now and then.

      Have a super Moon’s Day! 😀 ❤

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    • So glad to introduce you to Riley, Darlene. He’s one of my all time favorites, and I’ve shared a little bit of his work over the last couple of years, here and there. (If you want to take a look, just scroll up a bit to the links I left for Selma.) I’ve loved Riley for many years, since first reading his poetry way back when I was a school girl, and it’s a pleasure to introduce others to his poetry. Happy Reading! 😀 ❤

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  5. Terrific! I’ve not come across the poem nor the poet, but I love the life and relateability of this one. I’m there with them all and loving that granny who does all those granny things that children love best. 😊❤️😊

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    • So glad you enjoyed this one, Trish! He’s one of my very favorites from clear back in what used to be called “Junior High.” I’ve shared a poem or two of his over time (links above if you want to check them out). And of course, any poem celebrating Grannyhood is good with me! 😂

      Thanks for stopping by, my friend. I’m trying to get my life back in order again, and that includes blogging. Have a super Moon’s Day! 😀 ❤

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    • Really happy you enjoyed it, Priscilla. I’ve always loved James Whitcomb Riley, and it’s fun to share some of his work now and then, especially if it introduces him to a new fan. Nice to meet another “Granny,” too. My grandmother thought “granny” was an awful thing to call someone, and insisted on being called “Mama” by everybody, no matter their relation to her. I never minded, but I always knew when my time came, I’d LOVE being called Granny, and I DO!

      Thanks so much for stopping by this morning, and hope your week is off to a super start! 😀 ❤

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    • Glad you enjoyed it, Jeanne. I really do love Riley’s work, and it makes me happy to share it with others, especially if they aren’t really familiar with him. Thanks so much for taking a moment to let me know you liked this one, and here’s to a great day & week ahead! 😀 ❤

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  8. Hi Marcia,

    I¹m happy to see that you¹re getting back to your normal life. I hope that signifies that your health issues have cleared up. It seems to have been a long uphill battle.

    I miss our email exchanges. I would enjoy getting an update from you at some point. I¹m getting ready to send out an update of my own to our Plant High friends and other family and friends. Hopefully that will be later today.

    Dennis

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    Reply

    • It was a pretty severe lung infection, Dennis, and now I’m trying to dig myself out from beneath everything I’ve fallen behind on. Will try to get an email off to you soon so we can catch up a bit. In the meantime, I hope your week is off to a fantastic start! 😀 ❤

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    • I’d like to think my grandkids see me just that way! (At least they DO call me Granny, which I love.) Glad you enjoyed the poem, Nancy, and thanks so much for stopping by to let me know. Hope your week is off to a great start! 😀 ❤

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  11. Riley is a stable her in Indiana. I’ve visited the house where he grew up and the one where he lived with friends at the end of his life. He was an interesting man.

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    • It’s great to know you are very familiar with Riley, HHL, and to find out he’s very well known in Indiana. I’d love to visit where he grew up, etc, but I don’t think we’ll likely be taking a trip to Indiana any time soon. (I did live in Fort Wayne once, many years and another husband ago, so I know what a lovely state it is. But our traveling days are somewhat limited now. *sniff*

      Glad you enjoyed today’s post, and thanks so much for taking the time to let me know. Hope you have a wonderful week ahead! 😀 ❤

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    • So glad you enjoyed it, Jan. Riley is a big favorite of mine, and I had fun deciding which of his many poems to share today. And thanks so much for stopping by and taking a moment to let me know you enjoyed this one.

      Have a great week ahead! 😀 ❤

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    • So glad you enjoyed it, Mae, and I agree 100% on the dialect. A very vivid picture, indeed! I’m also glad you enjoyed learning more about Riley from his bio, etc. Thanks so much for stopping by to let me know, and here’s to a wonderful week ahead, my friend! 😀 ❤

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  16. I don’t recall having read this poem before. So glad you posted it! The dialect is similar to the way I remember older people actually talking in the far western North Carolina mountains when I was a child, only a bit exaggerated. I think the old regional American dialects are slowly going extinct in favor to the dialect used by television newscasters.

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    • I’m glad you enjoyed reading it, Dennis, and think you might enjoy the links to some of his other work that I listed above. He’s always a treat to read and has that dialect thing down pat. Heaven forbid we should all be talking like TV newscasters. Urk. I aim to keep my genteel (hopefully) southern drawl, thanks. 😁❤️

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    • I’m happy to know you enjoyed it, Bette, and thanks so much for sharing it with others. It’s such a great poem, and I am tickled that so many folks have been enjoying it. Hope you have a great rest of the week! 😀 ❤

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  19. That poem is delightful, Marcia. I definitely had to get into the sing-song rhythm to fully appreciate it. And an interesting history. I had no idea that he started out writing verses for signs. Lol. You just never know where life will lead. Thanks for the super fun poem.

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  20. Pingback: Smorgasbord Blogger Weekly – 17th February 2024 – #ClassicalPoetry Marcia Meara, #TMI Diana Peach, #Aging Jill Dennison, #Editing D.L. Finn, #Inventions Beetley Pete, #Nonfiction Jacqui Murray | Smorgasbord Blog Magazine

    • You are very welcome, Michael! I’m happy to know you have found a new poet whose work you will probably enjoy. And you are right. There was definitely more rhyming poetry back in the day than now. I love both forms, so as long as the poem touches my heart, I’m smiling.

      Thanks so much for stopping by and taking time to share your thoughts! 😀 ❤

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