I REMEMBER, I REMEMBER

1) (i) When did the sun come “peeping”? Why?

The sun would come peeping in the wee hours of morning. The sun was disciplined and punctual and
always rose and set on time. We, human beings, should also follow the meticulous path of the sun.

(ii) What do the lines “never came a wink too soon” imply? What is the poet trying to indicate?
The line “never came a wink too soon” implies that the sun was an immaculate character that followed
the path of punctuality. It had a consistent and dependable nature. The sun would rise and set at just the
right time. This adds an aura of balance in the first stanza, and curates a perfect equilibrium between ‘day’
and ‘night’.

(iii)Why does the poet wish the “night had borne his breath away”?
The poet’s adulthood was fraught with agony, a plethora of excruciating pains. On the contrary, his
childhood was brimming with joys and thrills. The sufferings of his adulthood were becoming increasingly
intolerable and childhood was unreachable. This was why the poet wished that the night had taken his
breath away when he was at the prime of happiness.

(iv)Describe in your own words, the imagery portrayed in this extract.

The picture painted by this extract is of a picturesque house in a children’s story book. The beauty of the
imagery lies in its simplicity; a simple house filtered with bright rays and the sun’s undying warmth. With
that, also comes to the mind, the image of a little boy with a face radiant with childhood innocence staring
out of the window with joy and a little awe.

(v)Give the significance of the first line of this extract in the poem.
The first line of poem is “I Remember, I Remember”. It is very significant because as soon as the reader
begins reading the poem, they are made aware of the fact that the poet was reminiscing about a point in
his life and wanted to accentuate his longing for the same. The significance of the world ‘remember’ also
lies in the fact that it creates a divide within the poem. The poet was very much stuck in the present; he
was ‘remembering’ the past but could never return to it.

2) (i) What does “flowers made of light” mean?

In his childhood a plethora of flowers would greet him in his beauteous garden. The roses, violets and lily
cups were surpassingly beautiful yet fragile. The poet has metaphorically compared the flowers ‘made of
light’ to his childhood memories. Childhood was ephemeral and flitting, a time when memories (flowers)
were light and delicate.

(ii)What does the building of its nest by a robin in the lilacs suggest? How is the poet affected by its
absence now?
-The building of its nest by a robin in the lilacs suggests that the poet had a childhood that was vibrant
with colours. The robin’s choice to build its nest in the lilacs highlights the inherent beauty of nature and
its nurturing aspect.
The absence of the nest evoked in the poet a sense of nostalgia and longing for the past, symbolizing a
loss of innocence and a more somber present reality.
 (iii)What memories does he have of his brother? Which ‘tree’ is living? What does this signify?
The poet had memories of his brother setting a laburnum tree on his birthday. The laburnum tree was still
living which signifies that despite the passage of time and the changes in the poet’s life, there was still a
tangible connection to the past. Although his life was withering away, his memories continued to live.
The living tree serves as a symbol of continuity and endurance, representing the lasting presence of
cherished memories and relationships. It also symbolizes the vitality of nature. It reinforces the poet’s
nostalgia and the significance of their brotherly bond, even in the poet’s present day reflections.

3) (i) What does the poet think when he was swinging? What figure of speech is used in line 3 of the
extract?
When the poet was swinging, he thought that the air rushing past them must feel as fresh as it did for
swallows flying in the sky. The poet would imagine the exhilarating sensation of the wind and the freedom
it would represent.
“And thought the air must run as fresh to swallows on the wing” is a simile as the poet has directly
compared the feeling of the air rushing past them while swinging to the fresh sensation experienced by
the swallows on the wing.

(ii)What do you understand by swallows on the wing? Who are swallows? Why are they mentioned
here?
‘Swallows on the wing’ refers to the flying movement of the swallows.
Swallows are small migratory birds known for their graceful flight and aerial acrobatics.
They are mentioned in the poem to evoke a sense of freedom, agility, and natural beauty. The mention of
the swallows serves as a comparison to the poet’s experience of swinging. It emphasizes the poet’s
longing for the carefree and exhilarating sensations of childhood, where their spirits felt light and their
connection to nature was ever so strong.

(iii)How did the poet’s spirit fly? What is the state of his spirits now?
The poet’s spirit metaphorically flew when they were swinging. The air rushing past him and gently
caressing his face felt light and fresh. Childhood was a time where sensations were carefree and
exhilarating, a time when their spirits felt light.
In contrast, the state of the poet’s spirits in the present in described as ‘heavy’. The line ‘that is so heavy
now’ suggests that the poet’s current state of being was burdened and weighed down by the heavy
weight of adulthood, responsibilities and complexities of life.

(v) “And summer pools could hardly cool the fever on my brow!” Explain what the poet meant by these
lines.
The fever experienced here is not only the literal fever, but also the metaphorical. Through this line, the
poet expresses that even the refreshing summer pools were unable to calm the inner turmoil that he felt.
The phrase ‘fever on my brow’ symbolizes his internal restlessness, turmoil and uneasiness. The poet’s
inner burdens were so vehement that not even the potential calming effect of water could ease his
troubles. These lines convey a sense of emotional unrest that that could not be soothed rather persisted
despite external circumstances.
4) (i) What did the poet think about the fir trees as a child?
As a child, the poet thought that the slender tops of the fir trees would closely touch or reach the sky. He
would gape at the humongous height of the trees. The poet perceived the trees as tall and dark, with their
tops seemingly connected to the heavens. This perception reflects the innocent imagination and wonders
of childhood, where the heavens and the natural world seemed intertwined, the boundaries between
them blurred.

(iii)What does he refer to as “childish ignorance”? What is the ‘joy’ referred to in the extract?
‘Childish ignorance’ implies a sense of naivety and innocence. As a child, the poet thought that the
branches of the fir tree were close to heaven. The inability of the poet to count the fathoms between him
and heaven is referred to as ‘childish ignorance’. It is a phrase used by the poet to throw light upon the
fact that children are ignorant of the follies and mishaps pervading the world as well as the universal
truths.
The ‘joy’ referred to in the extract is the poet’s previous belief and perception as a child that the slender
tops of the fir trees were closely touching or reaching the sky. Children perceive the world in their own
ignorant way, a world filled with prolific elation and euphoria. The joy referred to in the extract is that joy
of being unaware and oblivious to the sufferings in the world as well as the joy of perceiving things in their
own rapturous way. Now that the poet was an adult, he derived little joy from knowing that heaven was
farther away than it had seemed to him as a child. Childish ignorance is bliss and it is due to that bliss that
they are protected from the harsh realities of life.

(v)Why is the line “Than when I was a boy significant?”

The line “Than when I was a boy” is significant as it emphasizes on the fact that the poet was not a little
boy anymore but a grownup with his own share of troubles and problems of the world. It also hints at the
‘changes’ faced when he left his otherworldly ‘fantastical’ world and entered the ‘real world’ when his
childhood ended. Change is a powerful thing and it is the very essence of change in this sentence that
makes this line salient.

(iv)Why did the poet feel closer to heaven earlier? Why does he feel farther off from heaven now?

With the innocence of childhood, he thought that it was easier to reach god and had the thought that the
tall trees touched heaven. As an adult, he knew that the distance between him and heaven was
unfathomable. He had to live life on earth first, struggle and work extremely hard to reach his ‘happy
ending’, something that seemed unreachable and impossible to him then.

(v)The last three lines suggest that the poet has lost his youthful joy and optimism. Do you agree?
Elaborate with reference to the poem.

Yes, I do agree that the poet had lost all his youthful joy and optimism. As a child, heaven seemed easily
attainable but as an adult his life had been darkened with problems and expectations to meet. He was not
his carefree self anymore but rather, felt the weight of adulthood on him. He was smothered by his
sufferings and thought that wading through his troubles was impossible. He started to wish that the night
had taken his breath away when he was a boy so that he would not have to live through his pessimistic
adult life. He also had the perception that heaven was too far away and way farther to him than it was
when he was a child.

-X-X-
THEMES - Saudade

“A happy childhood is perhaps the most fortunate gift in life.” ~ Dorothy Richardson

The poet’s childhood was here and then a gone, a shard of life, a brief, brilliant flash of stardust that ignited the sky.
The poet’s camaraderie with life dwindled from a blossoming to a withered flower, once childhood left.

The poem is the epitome of nostalgic yearning, of saudade, that left me in a vortex of emotions. The poet has
romanticised the bliss and timelessness of youth and contrasted it to his days of adulthood that were brimming with
uncertainty and afflictions. The aching joys he felt as a child were in the past and nothing could recompense those
dizzy raptures. The poet would reminisce about his childhood with a scintillating sense of euphoria as well as longing
and anguish that would just keep proliferating.