Mary Cowden Clarke and Her East End Injun

Abstract

The article concerns the one of the many parodies of Longfellow's "The Song of Hiawatha" published in 1855. It is "The Song of Drop oy Wather, by Harry Wandsworth Shortfellow," written by Mary Cowden Clarke (1809–1898), a decorous Victorian lady. Falk states "The Song of Drop O'Wather could not be consideredcoarse, but it does contain a somewhat detailed account of crime and sin. One wonders if perhaps Mrs. Cowden Clarke in her late years regretted having 'sullied' the public mind."