Poems

As I went to Bonner

Mother Goose 1806 – 
 
 

As I went to Bonner
I met a pig
Without a wig,
Upon my word and honor.

 
 
Analysis (ai): The poem follows a simple ABAB rhyme scheme with tetrameter couplets followed by a couplet that varies in stress; its brevity and nursery-rhyme form align with early English children’s verse, adhering to the oral traditions of the 17th century.
  • Narrative and Content: A speaker walking to Bonner encounters a wigless pig, swearing truthfully to the sighting. The scenario is absurd, grounded in non-sequitur logic typical of nonsensical verse, but lacks the extended whimsy seen in later nursery rhymes.
  • Historical Context: From a period when animal symbolism carried social or political weight, the pig—often associated with filth or satire—might reflect class commentary, particularly if read as critiquing social pretensions tied to wigs, symbols of rank in 17th-century England.
  • Comparison to Other Works: Unlike more narrative or moralistic nursery rhymes, this piece resists closure or lesson; it lacks the cumulative structure or rhythm of many Mother Goose rhymes, making it more elliptical than counterparts like “Humpty Dumpty” or “Jack and Jill.”
  • Less-Discussed Interpretation: Rather than mere nonsense, the poem may parody legal or chivalric declarations (“upon my word and honor”) through juxtaposition with an absurd claim, suggesting early satire of speech conventions.
  • Place in Author’s Oeuvre: Among the earliest attributed Mother Goose texts, this fragment stands out for its minimalism and unresolved premise, differing from later, more developed verses that include actions, consequences, or moral tags.
  • Engagement with Contemporary Concerns: Written well before 1900, it does not engage modernist or contemporary formal concerns, though its absurdity prefigures 20th-century avant-garde interests in illogic and linguistic play.

Mother Goose

1806 –
 

Mother Goose is a character that originated in children’s fiction, as the imaginary author of a collection of French fairy tales and later of English nursery rhymes. She also appeared in a song, the first stanza of which often functions now as a nursery rhyme. The character also appears in a pantomime tracing its roots to 1806.

About Mother Goose
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