Elizabeth Barrette (ysabetwordsmith) wrote,
Elizabeth Barrette
ysabetwordsmith
  • Mood: busy

Poem: "Jack and the White Cow"

This poem came out of the September 6, 2011 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired and sponsored by janetmiles.  Notes regarding motifs from European folklore appear after the poem.


Jack and the White Cow



The white cow listened
to all of Jack's troubles
because he never forgot
to measure her grain or
to fill her trough with fresh water or
to warm his hands before milking her.

When farm ran out of money,
the white cow said to Jack,
"Soon your mother will tell you
to sell me, and you must do so."

Jack cried on her creamy shoulder
one last time, and led her to market.
He took the magic beans
from the gnarled hand of the old woman
and then trudged home.

"What do you think will become of him?"
the witch said to the white cow.

The white cow flicked her red ears
and replied, "Why, he will become a hero.
He'll save the land from the ravaging giant,
come home with armloads of gold,
and doubtless marry a pretty girl."

The witch laughed.
"You find heroes in the strangest places!"

"It is no stranger to find a hero on a farm,"
said the white cow, "than to find a faery cow
or a handful of magic beans."

"I suppose so," said the witch.
"Now come with me: I know of
a peasant girl about to begin her journey,
and you can be one of the tasks along her way."

* * *

This poem combines many motifs from traditional European folklore. It begins with a riff off of "Jack and the Beanstalk." The white red-eared cow is a creature of Faery, and like the cat of "Puss in Boots" she gives good advice to a kind master. Previously we discussed the idea of the hag or witch as a challenger and maker of heroes, and how fairytales 'reset' similar to video games, in the poem "Hag-Ridden." Various fairytales reference milking a cow as a task, and set girls on quests; "Frau Holle" is one such, and the tasks can vary from one telling to another.
Tags: cyberfunded creativity, fantasy, fishbowl, poem, poetry, reading, writing
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  • 10 comments
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kelkyag

kelkyag

September 8 2011, 17:12:12 UTC 9 years ago

Yes, the back sides of faery tales are interesting and very different places.

(I'd not run into the red-eared white cow before -- nifty!)
ysabetwordsmith

Yes...

ysabetwordsmith

September 8 2011, 21:09:33 UTC 9 years ago

The white red-eared cows appear in some historical accounts and many stories about the fey. In particular, they are said to give prodigious amounts of milk. Sometimes they talk, grant wishes, or do other things typical of magical beasts. References seem to span a couple of different versions: albino or dark-eyed white cows whose ears show the blood flow enough to look pink or red; and dark-skinned white cows with fawn spots over the ears and/or top of the head.