Skip to content
Linespedia

An Impromptu Fairy-Tale

By James Whitcomb Riley

Topics: classic

When I wuz ist a little bit          o' weenty-teenty kid      I maked up a Fairy-tale,          all by myse'f, I did: -      I      Wunst upon a time wunst         They wuz a Fairy King,      An' ever'thing he have wuz gold - ,         His clo'es, an' ever'thing!      An' all the other Fairies         In his goldun Palace-hall      Had to hump an' hustle -         'Cause he wuz bosst of all!      II      He have a goldun trumput,         An' when he blow' on that,      It's a sign he want' his boots,         Er his coat er hat:      They's a sign fer ever'thing, -         An' all the Fairies knowed      Ever' sign, an' come a-hoppin'         When the King blowed!      III      Wunst he blowed an' telled 'em all:         "Saddle up yer bees -      Fireflies is gittin' fat         An' sassy as you please! -      Guess we'll go a-huntin'!"         So they hunt' a little bit,      Till the King blowed "Supper-time,"         Nen they all quit.      IV      Nen they have a Banqut         In the Palace-hall,      An' ist et! an' et! an' et!         Nen they have a Ball;      An' when the Queen o' Fairyland         Come p'omenadin' through,      The King says an' halts her, -         "Guess I'll marry you!"

AI analysis available. Enable JavaScript to interact.

About this line

"When I wuz ist a little bit..."

James Whitcomb Riley's contribution to classic is further solidified by the brilliance found in "An Impromptu Fairy-Tale"... ### Why We Love This Line At Linespedia, we believe that poetry is the ultimate sanctuary for the soul...

Attribution & Rights

Author:James Whitcomb Riley

"When I wuz ist a little bit..." by James Whitcomb Riley

For usage rights, copyright concerns, or to report an issue with this content, please visit our Copyright & Report page.

Related lines

"Writ in between the lines of his life-deed         We trace the sacred service of a heart         Answering the Divine command, in every par"

"Crowd about me, little children -         Come and cluster 'round my knee     While I tell a little story         That happened once with me."

"O the night was dark and the night was late,         And the robbers came to rob him;      And they picked the locks of his palace-gate,"

"O her beautiful eyes! they are as blue as the dew         On the violet's bloom when the morning is new,         And the light of their love"

"Here morning in the ploughman's songs is met     Ere yet one footstep shows in all the sky,     And twilight in the east, a doubt as yet,     S"

"The Text is taken from Percy's Reliques (1765), vol. i. p. 71, 'given from two MS. copies, transmitted from Scotland.' Herd had a very similar bal"

James Whitcomb Riley

About James Whitcomb Riley

James Whitcomb Riley (1849–1916) was an American poet known as the "Hoosier Poet." His dialect poems—including "Little Orphant Annie" and "When the Frost Is on the Punkin"—celebrate rural Indiana life and childhood nostalgia.

Full Bibliography
Continue Reading

"Writ in between the lines of his life-deed        ..."

Weekly Poetic Insight

Join our literary Sanctuary

Get the most inspiring lines, poetic analysis, and secret shayaris delivered to your inbox every Sunday.