A Fairy Tale.

By Henry Austin Dobson

Narrative Poem
    "On court, hélas! après la vérité;     Ah! croyez-moi, l'erreur a son mérite."     Voltaire.     Curled in a maze of dolls and bricks,     I find Miss Mary, ætat six,     Blonde, blue-eyed, frank, capricious,     Absorbed in her first fairy book,     From which she scarce can pause to look,     Because it's "so delicious!"     "Such marvels, too. A wondrous Boat,     In which they cross a magic Moat,     That's smooth as glass to row on--     A Cat that brings all kinds of things;     And see, the Queen has angel wings--     Then OGRE comes"--and so on.     What trash it is! How sad to find     (Dear Moralist!) the childish mind,     So active and so pliant.     Rejecting themes in which you mix     Fond truths and pleasing facts, to fix     On tales of Dwarf and Giant!     In merest prudence men should teach     That cats mellifluous in speech     Are painful contradictions;     That science ranks as monstrous things     Two pairs of upper limbs; so wings--     E'en angels' wings!--are fictions:     That there's no giant now but Steam;     That life, although "an empty dream,"     Is scarce a "land of Fairy."     "Of course I said all this?" Why, no;     I did a thing far wiser, though,--     I read the tale with Mary.

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Poem Details

Language: English
Keywords: Public Domain
Source: Public Domain Collection
Rights/Permissions: Public Domain
Analysis & Notes:
The poem critiques the tension between childhood innocence and adult skepticism, using a conversational voice to challenge the moralist's dismissive stance toward fairy tales. The loose iambic rhythm and irregular rhyme scheme alternating between couplets and quatrains mirror the playful yet probing tone, while the opening epigraph from Voltaire sets up the debate between truth and error. The speaker initially mocks the child’s enchantment with fantastical stories, listing absurdities like talking cats and winged queens, but the volta arrives when they confess to joining in the joy instead of imposing rationalism. This shift underscores the poem’s central insight: the value of suspending disbelief, a theme reinforced by the final line’s gentle irony. The poem’s power lies in its refusal to lecture, instead letting the child’s wonder speak for itself.

Exploring Narrative Poetry

Narrative poetry is a form of poetry that tells a story, often making use of the voices of a narrator and characters as well. Unlike lyric poetry, which focuses on emotions and thoughts, narrative poetry is dedicated to storytelling, weaving tales that captivate readers through plot and character development.

Narrative poems are unique in their ability to combine the depth of storytelling with the expressive qualities of poetry. Here are some defining characteristics:

  • Structured Plot: Narrative poems typically have a clear beginning, middle, and end, following a plot that might involve conflict, climax, and resolution, much like a short story or novel.
  • Character Development: Characters in narrative poems are often well-developed, with distinct voices and personalities that drive the story forward.
  • Descriptive Language: The language used in narrative poetry is vivid and descriptive, painting a clear picture of the scenes and events, while also conveying the emotions and atmosphere of the story.

From ancient epics like "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey" to more modern narrative poems, this form continues to engage readers by blending the art of storytelling with the beauty and rhythm of poetry.