ICSE Class 9 English Poem I Remember Summary, Line by Line Explanation, Theme, Poetic Devices along with difficult word meanings from Treasure Chest Book
I Remember, I Remember – Are you looking for Theme, Summary and Poem Explanation for ICSE Class 9 English Poem I Remember, I Remember from Treasure Chest (A Collection of ICSE Poems and Short Stories) book. Get Summary, Theme, Explantion, Poetic Devices along with difficult word meanings.
- Introduction to I Remember, I Remember
- I Remember, I Remember Summary
- Poem Explanation
- I Remember, I Remember Question Answers Class 9 ICSE
I Remember, I Remember ICSE Class 9 English
By Thomas Hood
Introduction to I Remember, I Remember
“I Remember, I Remember” by Thomas Hood was published in William Michael Rosetti’s The Poetical Works of Thomas Hood in 1903. The poet has romanticized childhood as a phase of his life that was filled with bliss and timelessness. He has contrasted childhood to gloomy and uncertain adulthood. The poet is aware that he cannot return to his childhood days.
I Remember, I Remember Summary
At a Glance
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The poem “I Remember, I Remember” by Thomas Hood is a journey through the poet’s memories, contrasting the joy of his childhood with the unhappiness of his present life.
The poem starts with a sense of nostalgia. The poet fondly remembers the house where he was born, the sun peeping in every morning, and how it never felt like a long day back then. Now, he longs for the night to take him away which hints at current unhappiness.
The poet continues to remember more details from his childhood. He remembers beautiful flowers – red and white roses, violets, and lily cups – and describes them as being “made of light,” highlighting their beauty and innocence. He remembers a special birthday when his brother planted a laburnum tree, and how exciting it is that the tree is still alive.
The poet remembers swinging and feeling his spirit soar like a bird. This sense of freedom and joy stands in stark contrast to how he feels now in adulthood.
The poet recalls seeing tall fir trees and naively believing they touched the sky. He acknowledges this as “childish ignorance,” but his current “wisdom” in adulthood brings him no joy. He feels farther away from happiness and a sense of wonder than he did as a child.
The overall message of the poem is that the poet cherishes his childhood memories but feels a deep sense of loss in his present life. The poem highlights the value of childhood innocence and the bittersweet nature of memory.
Poem Explanation
Poem:
I remember, I remember,
The house where I was born,
The little window where the sun
Came peeping in at morn;
He never came a wink too soon,
Nor brought too long a day,
But now, I often with the night
Had borne my breath away!
Word Meaning:
peeping in: looking in secretly through a small opening
morn: morning
borne: carry
borne my breath away: to carry my life away; to cause death
Explanation:
The poet reflects on his childhood days spent in the house in which he was born and brought up. He remembers a little window in his house through which sunlight would peep in. He would see the sun rising and setting everyday at the same time. The poet has personified the sun by describing it as “He never came a wink too soon, Nor brought too long a day”. In the present, the poet wishes that his life had ended when he was still a child. This suggests that the poet believed that his childhood was better than adulthood.
Poem:
I remember, I remember
The roses, red and white,
The violets, and the lily-cups,
Those flowers made of light!
The lilacs where the robin built,
And where my brother set
The laburnum on his birth-day,-
The tree is living yet!
Word Meaning:
Explanation:
The poet remembers the beautiful garden in his house full of colourful varieties of flowers. He talks about the red and white roses, the violets, the lily-cups and lilacs with the robin’s nest. He found flowers so delicate that he believed that they were made of light. The poet then remembers the laburnum tree that his brother had planted on one of his birthdays.
This stanza shows how children have the simplicity to find and enjoy the little joys of life in nature.
Poem:
I remember, I remember,
Where I was used to swing,
And thought the air must rush as fresh
To swallows on the wing;
My spirit flew in feathers then,
That is so heavy now,
And summer pools could hardly cool
The fever on my brow!
Word Meaning:
swallows: a kind of bird
feathers: soft light parts on the body of a bird
fever on my brow: suggestive of misery and gloominess
Explanation:
The poet talks about the carefree life of childhood. He remembers the swing from his childhood, which would lift both him and his spirits up. While enjoying the breeze that he could experience when he was on the swing, he wondered if the swallow birds also felt the same rush of air while flying. As a child, he was free from the burdens of adult life. The dip in the summer pools that cooled him as a child can barely do the same thing now that he is an adult.
Poem:
I remember, I remember,
The fir trees dark and high;
I used to think their slender tops
Were close against the sky;
It was a childish ignorance,
But now ‘tis little joy
To know I’m father off from heaven
Than when I was a boy!
Word Meaning:
fir trees: forest trees with leaves like needles
feathers: soft light parts on the body of a bird
fever on my brow: suggestive of misery and gloominess
Explanation:
The poet talks about the carefree life of childhood. He remembers the swing from his childhood, which would lift both him and his spirits up. While enjoying the breeze that he could experience when he was on the swing, he wondered if the swallow birds also felt the same rush of air while flying. As a child, he was free from the burdens of adult life. The dip in the summer pools that cooled him as a child can barely do the same thing now that he is an adult.
Poem:
I remember, I remember,
The fir trees dark and high;
I used to think their slender tops
Were close against the sky;
It was a childish ignorance,
But now ‘tis little joy
To know I’m father off from heaven
Than when I was a boy!
Word Meaning:
fir trees: forest trees with leaves like needles