A Thanksgiving Poem

When I think of Thanksgiving, my mind goes back to a poem that I learned in elementary school. The poem was written by Lydia Maria Child, a children’s magazine editor who was also prominent in the anti-slavery movement of the 19th century. The poem was called “Thanksgiving Day” although most of us know it best by its first line. The poem was first published in Flowers for Children, volume 2 in 1844. This version comes from Children’s Literature: A Textbook of Sources for Teachers and Teacher-Training Classes, edited by Charles Madison Curry and Erle Elsworth Clippinger (Chicago: Rand McNally, 1921).

THANKSGIVING DAY
Over the river and through the wood,
To grandfather’s house we go;
The horse knows the way
To carry the sleigh
Through the white and drifted snow.

Over the river and through the wood --
Oh, how the wind does blow!
It stings the toes
And bites the nose,
As over the ground we go.

Over the river and through the wood
To have a first-rate play.
Hear the bells ring,
“Ting-a-ling-ding!”
Hurrah for Thanksgiving Day!

Over the river and through the wood,
Trot fast, my dapple-gray!
Spring over the ground,
Like a hunting-hound!
For this is Thanksgiving Day.

Over the river and through the wood,
And straight through the barnyard gate.
We seem to go
Extremely slow,
It is so hard to wait!

Over the river and through the wood --
Now grandmother’s cap I spy!
Hurrah for the fun!
Is the pudding done?
Hurrah for pumpkin pie!