Have you seen the movie Goodbye, Christopher Robin? It’s an interesting behind-the-scenes look at the context of the world-famous Winnie-the-Pooh books. I learned a lot about A.A. Milne’s life and career and Christopher Robin’s upbringing. It’s definitely a bittersweet movie.
One thing I had heard before was that Christopher Robin was mocked because of his father’s poem “Vespers.” Let’s take a look at it.
The Poem
Little Boy kneels at the foot of the bed,
Droops on the little hands little gold head.
Hush! Hush! Whisper who dares!
Christopher Robin is saying his prayers.
God bless Mummy. I know that’s right.
Wasn’t it fun in the bath to-night?
The cold’s so cold, and the hot’s so hot.
Oh! God bless Daddy – I quite forgot.
If I open my fingers a little bit more,
I can see Nanny’s dressing-gown on the door.
It’s a beautiful blue, but it hasn’t a hood.
Oh! God bless Nanny and make her good.
Mine has a hood, and I lie in bed,
And pull the hood right over my head,
And I shut my eyes, and I curl up small,
And nobody knows that I’m there at all.
Oh! Thank you, God, for a lovely day.
And what was the other I had to say?
I said “Bless Daddy,” so what can it be?
Oh! Now I remember it. God bless Me.
Little Boy kneels at the foot of the bed,
Droops on the little hands little gold head.
Hush! Hush! Whisper who dares!
Christopher Robin is saying his prayers.
Context
A.A. Milne was a successful essayist and playwright before he entered the world of children’s literature. “Vespers” was his first published work for children. It was illustrated, as were the rest of his poems and stories for children, with the “elegant monochromatic pencil illustrations” of his friend Ernest Shepherd.
The image above is a handwritten manuscript of the poem along with sketches by Shepard. “James Richards, a specialist on the period at Christie’s auction house,… believes the drawing, probably originally a working drawing for the publishers showing how the poem would be set out, is probably Shepard’s earliest version of the bear that would become immortal, and the most extensive joint manuscript work by the two men.” According to the auction listing, the manuscript sold for 35,000 GBP in July 2015.
Publication
“Vespers” was published in Vanity Fair in January 1923 (if you subscribe you can read the issue here) and subsequently became the last poem in Milne’s first book of children’s poetry, When We Were Very Young.
The Movie
If you’re interested in the movie I mentioned in my intro, you can watch the trailer below.
Sources
- “Manuscript featuring AA Milne poem and EH Shepard sketch to go on auction” by Maev Kennedy via The Guardian
- “How Winnie-the-Pooh Became a Household Name” by Patrick Sauer via Smithsonian Magazine
When I was in kindergarten, we were taught the poem Vespers but it was in a song format. The words were slightly different but most of them were identical. I can still remember the tune, even though that was 57 years ago! But I don’t remember much else that I learned that year! Rhyming and singing remain very popular with me to this day! I watched part of the movie Christopher Robin, but just found it too sad. Thanks for reminding me of vespers!
That’s so interesting! I’ve never heard a tune for it.
Loved this movie & will soon watch again!!
This song was sung to me my entire childhood by my mother, who had it sung to her as a child by her mother. I loved finding this history.
I’m so glad! Thanks for leaving a comment.
Thank you for this. My brother just forwarded it to me. We both love this poem and remember it from when we “were very young”. I loved Pooh, still do, and adore the real drawings (NOT Disney) of the incomparable Shepard (sic).