Poems

I Had a Little Hen

Mother Goose 1806 – 
 
 
 

I had a little hen, the prettiest ever seen,
She washed me the dishes and kept the house clean.
She went to the mill to fetch me some flour,
And always got home in less than an hour.
She baked me my bread, she brewed me my ale,
She sat by the fire and told many a fine tale.

 
Analysis (ai): The poem uses a simple AABB rhyme scheme and iambic meter common in nursery rhymes, aligning with 17th-century oral traditions meant for memorization and child instruction.
  • Tone and Voice: The tone is lighthearted and matter-of-fact, presenting a domestic fantasy where animals perform human tasks, reflecting a whimsical reversal of natural roles.
  • Gender and Labor: The hen embodies an idealized domestic woman—responsible for cooking, cleaning, brewing, and storytelling—mirroring early modern expectations of female labor within the household.
  • Anthropomorphism: Unlike many of Mother Goose’s more chaotic or cautionary tales, this poem assigns competence and reliability to its animal figure, reinforcing ideals of efficiency and obedience.
  • Place in Author’s Oeuvre: While most Mother Goose poems center on moral warnings or absurd consequences, this one stands out for depicting functional harmony rather than disorder or punishment.
  • Comparison to Contemporary Works: Unlike darker contemporaneous rhymes that use animals as symbols of danger or folly (e.g., “Who Killed Cock Robin?”), this hen is benevolent and productive, avoiding satire or tragedy.
  • Historical Context: The poem reflects pre-industrial domestic routines, where flour milling, home-brewing, and oral storytelling were daily practices, offering children a familiar framework through fantasy.
  • Modern Relevance: Though written long before the 20th century, if interpreted anachronistically, the poem could be seen as critiquing gendered domestic labor—though it originally reinforced it without irony.
  • Less-Discussed Angle: The hen’s autonomy—traveling to the mill and returning promptly—subtly introduces concepts of time management and independence rarely attributed to domestic figures in such rhymes.
  • Legacy and Interpretation: The poem’s relative obscurity compared to major Mother Goose staples allows for quieter subversion: a small creature fulfilling large responsibilities without praise or reward, normalizing quiet diligence.

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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