A Little Child
Little child, what ails thee
In a world so tiny?
Why are thy sweet lips cross
Thy pearly eyes so dim,
And why do tears now film
Thy lashes long?
Ah, thou hast soiled thy smock
Thy nice and pretty frock,
And undone thy pearl button!
What odds! I reason
Thy Daddy does not mind
For he was once a child
And played in forests wild.
Men will be boys, boys men,
Girls mothers, mothers girls,
And life itself thus renews.
— R.E.G. Armattoe
Summary
“A Little Child” by R.E.G. Armattoe is a 16-line poem that uses the sadness of a child over seemingly insignificant issues to highlight the innocence and fragility of childhood, as well as the inevitability of life’s cycle which the child is part of.
The speaker, who is evidently an adult, comforts a young child, who is upset over small troubles like soiling their clothes and unbuttoning their frock. These issues which have made the child’s “sweet lips cross” and “pearly eyes so dim” are, according to the speaker, insignificant in the grand scheme of life—even though, they are from the perspective of the child.
This goes to show how things that matter in every phase of human existence vary. For the child, the “soiled smock” and “undone pearl button” are enough troubles. For the adult, they are not issues to begin with.
The adult then reminds the child that everyone goes through similar experiences; that the child’s father would understand because he was once a child himself. The speaker goes on to talk about how life renews itself, as children grow into adults and the cycle continues; that childhood moments, even those of distress, are a natural and recurring part of existence. In the speaker’s words:
(Line 14-15)
Men will be boys, boys men,
Girls mothers, mothers girls,
The above two lines from R.E.G. Armattoe’s “A Little Child” avers that children will become adults, and adults will become children once again in their old age when “soiled smock” and “undone pearl button” may then matter again. In other words, old age is a return to infancy.
Further Reading:
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