Armazindy

James Whitcomb Riley poems book published in the 1894 book Armazindy and received very negative reviews that referred to poems like "The Little Dog-Woggy" and "Jargon-Jingle" as "drivel" and to Riley as a "worn out genius". Most of his growing number of critics suggested that he ignored the quality of the poems for the sake of making money.

• Poetry

								
TO HENRY EITEL

CONTENTS

                                                    PAGE

    ARMAZINDY

        ARMAZINDY                                      3

        THE OLD TRUNDLE-BED                           15

        NATURAL PERVERSITIES                          17

        THE OLD SCHOOL-CHUM                           20

        WRITIN’ BACK TO THE HOME-FOLKS                22

        THE BLIND GIRL                                25

        WE DEFER THINGS                               28

        THE MUSKINGUM VALLEY                          29

        FOR THIS CHRISTMAS                            31

        A POOR MAN’S WEALTH                           32

        THE LITTLE RED RIBBON                         34

        “HOW DID YOU REST, LAST NIGHT?”               35

        A GOOD-BYE                                    37

        WHEN MAIMIE MARRIED                           38

        “THIS DEAR CHILD-HEARTED WOMAN THAT IS DEAD”  40

        TO A POET-CRITIC                              41

        AN OLD-TIMER                                  42

        THE SILENT VICTORS                            44

        UP AND DOWN OLD BRANDYWINE                    51

        THREE SINGING FRIENDS                         56

        A NOON LULL                                   59

        A WINDY DAY                                   60

        MY HENRY                                      62

        THE SONG I NEVER SING                         64

        TO EDGAR WILSON NYE                           67

        LITTLE DAVID                                  68

        OUT OF THE HITHERWHERE                        69

        RABBIT IN THE CROSS-TIES                      71

        SERENADE—TO NORA                              72

        THE LITTLE WHITE HEARSE                       74

        WHAT REDRESS                                  76

        DREAMER, SAY                                  77

        WHEN LIDE MARRIED HIM                       79

        MY BRIDE THAT IS TO BE                        81

        “RINGWORM FRANK”                              85

        AN EMPTY GLOVE                                87

        OUR OWN                                       89

    MAKE-BELIEVE AND CHILD-PLAY

      The Frog                                      93

        “TWIGGS AND TUDENS”                           95

        DOLORES                                      113

        WHEN I DO MOCK                               114

        MY MARY                                      115

      Eros                                         118

        ORLIE WILDE                                  119

        LEONAINIE                                    128

        TO A JILTED SWAIN                            130

        THE VOICES                                   131

      A Barefoot Boy                               134

        THE YOUTHFUL PATRIOT                         135

        PONCHUS PILUT                                136

        A TWINTORETTE                                139

        SLUMBER-SONG                                 140

        THE CIRCUS PARADE                            141

        FOLKS AT LONESOMEVILLE                       143

        THE THREE JOLLY HUNTERS                      144

        THE LITTLE DOG-WOGGY                         146

        CHARMS                                       148

        A FEW OF THE BIRD-FAMILY                     150

        THROUGH SLEEPY-LAND                          151

        THE TRESTLE AND THE BUCK-SAW                 153

        THE KING OF OO-RINKTUM-JING                  154

        THE TOY PENNY-DOG                            156

        JARGON-JINGLE                                157

        THE GREAT EXPLORER                           158

        THE SCHOOL-BOY’S FAVORITE                    159

        ALBUMANIA                                    162

        THE LITTLE MOCK-MAN                          165

        SUMMER-TIME AND WINTER-TIME                  168

        HOME-MADE RIDDLES                            169

        THE LOVELY CHILD                             171

        THE YELLOWBIRD                               172

        ENVOY                                        173

ARMAZINDY

ARMAZINDY

  Armazindy;—fambily name
  Ballenger,—you’ll find the same,
  As her Daddy answered it,
  In the old War-rickords yit,—
  And, like him, she’s airnt the good
  Will o’ all the neighborhood.—
  Name ain’t down in History,—
  But, i jucks! it ort to be!
  Folks is got respec’ fer her—
  Armazindy Ballenger!—
  ’Specially the ones ’at knows
  Fac’s o’ how her story goes
  From the start:—Her father blowed
  Up—eternally furloughed—
  When the old “Sultana” bu’st,
  And sich men wuz needed wusst.—
  Armazindy, ’bout fourteen-
  Year-old then—and thin and lean
  As a killdee,—but—my la!—
  Blamedest nerve you ever saw!
  The girl’s mother’d allus be’n
  Sickly—wuz consumpted when
  Word came ’bout her husband.—So
  Folks perdicted she’d soon go—
  (Kind o’ grief I understand,
  Losin’ my companion,—and
  Still a widower—and still
  Hinted at, like neighbers will!)
  So, app’inted, as folks said,
  Ballenger a-bein’ dead,
  Widder, ’peared-like, gradjully,
  Jes grieved after him tel she
  Died, nex’ Aprile wuz a year,—
  And in Armazindy’s keer
  Leavin’ the two twins, as well
  As her pore old miz’able
  Old-maid aunty ’at had be’n
  Struck with palsy, and wuz then
  Jes a he’pless charge on her—
  Armazindy Ballenger.

  Jevver watch a primrose ’bout
  Minute ’fore it blossoms out—
  Kindo’ loosen-like, and blow
  Up its muscles, don’t you know,
  And, all suddent, bu’st and bloom
  Out life-size?—Well, I persume
  ’At’s the only measure I
  Kin size Armazindy by!—
  Jes a child, one minute,—nex’,
  Woman-grown, in all respec’s
  And intents and purposuz—
  ’At’s what Armazindy wuz!

  Jes a child, I tell ye! Yit
  She made things git up and git
  Round that little farm o’ hern!—
  Shouldered all the whole concern;—
  Feed the stock, and milk the cows—
  Run the farm and run the house!—
  Only thing she didn’t do
  Wuz to plough and harvest too—
  But the house and childern took
  Lots o’ keer—and had to look
  After her old fittified
  Grandaunt.—Lord! ye could’a’ cried,
  Seein’ Armazindy smile,
  ’Peared-like, sweeter all the while!
  And I’ve heerd her laugh and say:—
  “Jes afore Pap marched away,
  He says, ‘I depend on you,
  Armazindy, come what may—
  You must be a Soldier, too!’”

  Neighbers, from the fust, ’ud come—
  And she’d let ’em help her some,—
  “Thanky, ma’am!” and “Thanky, sir!”
  But no charity fer her!—
  “She could raise the means to pay
  Fer her farm-hands ever’ day
  Sich wuz needed!”—And she could—
  In cash-money jes as good
  As farm-produc’s ever brung
  Their perducer, old er young!
  So folks humored her and smiled,
  And at last wuz rickonciled

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