Author: Eugene Field

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    O hapless day! O wretched day!
    I hoped you'd pass me by--
    Alas, the years have sneaked away
    And all is changed but I!
    Had I the power, I would remand
    You to a gloom condign,
    But here you've crept upon me and
    I--I am thirty-nine!

    Now, were I thirty-five, I could
    Assume a flippant guise;
    Or, were I forty years, I should
    Undoubtedly look wise;
    For forty years are said to bring
    Sedateness superfine;
    But thirty-nine don't mean a thing--
     bas with thirty-nine!

    You healthy, hulking girls and boys,--
    What makes you grow so fast?
    Oh, I'll survive your lusty noise--
    I'm tough and bound to last!
    No, no--I'm old and withered too--
    I feel my powers decline
    (Yet none believes this can be true
    Of one at thirty-nine).

    And you, dear girl with velvet eyes,
    I wonder what you mean
    Through all our keen anxieties
    By keeping sweet sixteen.
    With your dear love to warm my heart,
    Wretch were I to repine;
    I was but jesting at the start--
    I'm glad I'm thirty-nine!

    So, little children, roar and race
    As blithely as you can,
    And, sweetheart, let your tender grace
    Exalt the Day and Man;
    For then these factors (I'll engage)
    All subtly shall combine
    To make both juvenile and sage
    The one who's thirty-nine!

    Yes, after all, I'm free to say
    I would much rather be
    Standing as I do stand to-day,
    'Twixt devil and deep sea;
    For though my face be dark with care
    Or with a grimace shine,
    Each haply falls unto my share,
    For I am thirty-nine!

    'Tis passing meet to make good cheer
    And lord it like a king,
    Since only once we catch the year
    That doesn't mean a thing.
    O happy day! O gracious day!
    I pledge thee in this wine--
    Come, let us journey on our way
    A year, good Thirty-Nine!

    Sept. 2, 1889.

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Type of Poem: Lyric Poem

Date Written:

Date Published:

Language: English

Keywords: Public Domain

Source: Public Domain Collection

Publisher:

Rights/Permissions: Public Domain

Comments/Notes: This poem is a contemplative exploration of age, self-perception, and the passage of time. From the onset, the poet sets a tone of melancholy mixed with a slight sense of humor, lamenting the arrival of his thirty-ninth year. The lament shifts between sorrow and jest, creating a nuanced, layered narrative that reflects the complexities of growing older.

While the poet initially regards his age with regret, he later embraces it with a sense of joy and acceptance, reflecting a journey of self-acceptance that resonates universally. The use of age-specific stereotypes, such as the wisdom expected at forty or the carefreeness at thirty-five, adds an element of satire to this introspection. The repetition of "thirty-nine" throughout the poem also serves to emphasize this fixation on age, highlighting the societal pressure and personal anxiety surrounding the aging process.

The structure of the poem, composed of rhymed quatrains, creates a rhythmic, musical quality that adds a sense of playfulness to the solemn themes, while the use of apostrophe, addressing different groups such as "healthy, hulking girls and boys," "dear girl with velvet eyes," and "little children," allows the speaker to articulate his thoughts and feelings more directly and personally.

Throughout the poem, the poet's tone evolves from despair to acceptance and finally to celebration. His change of heart about turning thirty-nine, from viewing it as a "hapless day" to a "gracious day," suggests a reassessment of his own life and circumstances. This shift in perspective, facilitated by the love and vitality of those around him, underscores the poem's central theme: that age is less about numerical value and more about one's attitude and experiences. This realization provides a sense of closure to the poem, transforming it from an elegy of youth into a toast to life's continuing journey.