THE PETER BIRD: Proofs and Revisions

[1894]. First Edition. Manuscript. Handsome presentation of these scarce proofs, the leaves rather fragile with a couple of splits and one page with a detached segment laid in. Near Fine. The proofs of one of Field's best-known poems consisting of 6 long rather fragile printed leaves with the heading "Sharps and Flats" on the top of one page, the title of his weekly newspaper column, neatly bound into a lovely full brown morocco leather folder with gilt lettering on the front cover and silk pastedowns and endpapers. Each leaf has extensive pencil corrections for publication in the Chicago DAILY NEWS on 4 May 1894. With Field's bookplate on the verso of the front silk endpaper. Peter is a little boy in Kentucky who likes to read and ignores his chores and warnings about a witch. One morning he walks into the witch's fog and disappears. His family and neighbors head into the fog calling for him.

Some say the witch in her wrath transmogrified all those good people;
That, wakened from slumber that day by the calling and bawling for Peter,
She out of her cave in a thrice, and, waving the foot of a rabbit
(Crossed with the caul of a coon and smeared with the blood of a chicken),
She changed all those folk into birds and shrieked with demoniac venom:
"Fly away over the land, moaning your Peter forever,
Croaking of Peter, the boy who didn't believe there were hoodoos,
Crooning of Peter, the fool who scouted at stories of witches,
Crying of Peter for aye, forever outcalling for Peter!"

This is the legend of yore told in the state of Kentucky
When in the springtime the birds call from the beeches and maples,
Call from the petulant thorn, call from the acrid persimmon;
When from the woods by the creek and from the pastures and meadows,
When from the spring house and lane and from the mint-bed and orchard,
When from the redbud and gum and from the redolent lilac,
When from the dirt roads and pikes cometh that calling for Peter;
Cometh the dolorous cry, cometh that weird iteration
Of "Peter" and "Peter" for aye, of "Peter" and "Peter" forever!
This is the legend of old, told in the tum-titty meter
Which the great poets prefer, being less labor than rhyming
(My first attempt at the same, my last attempt, too, I reckon!);
Nor have I further to say, for the sad story is ended.

Eugene Field (1850-1895) wrote children's poetry and light, humorous articles written in a gossipy style. Among his best-known light-hearted poems are "Wynken, Blynken, and Nod" and "Little Boy Blue."