GRADE 8 ENGLISH

I REMEMBER, I REMEMBER
BY THOMAS HOOD

POEM
https://g.co/kgs/MeSYKn (Refer to the link for a voice-over of the 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 wish the night
Had borne my breath away!

I remember, I remember,
The roses, red and white,
The vi'lets, and the lily-cups,
Those flowers made of light!
The lilacs where the robin built,
And where my brother set
The laburnum on his birthday,—
The tree is living yet!

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!

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 farther off from heav'n
Than when I was a boy.
 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Thomas Hood (1799-1845) was a British poet and a writer of humorous prose of the early
nineteenth century. He started his career by writing articles for various newspapers and
magazines and later became the editor of a magazine. Hood wrote regularly for The
London Magazine, Athenaeum, and Punch. His best-known works are “The Bridge of
Sighs" and "The Song of the Shirt".

CENTRAL IDEA

I Remember, I Remember’ is based on the theme of childhood, innocence and recollection of

joys. It was first published in 1844. In the poem, the poet recalls his childhood memories and
compares his childhood joy with his gloomy present. The poet nostalgically remembers the
days when he was a young boy. According to the poet, the time passes leaving only memories
behind. The poet believes that a child doesn’t have worries in his or her life. That is why
children can take full advantage of the joys around them without getting bothered about the
tensions of the world. Therefore, to relive those moments in life, the poet takes a plunge into
his childhood memories.

PARAPHRASING

Let’s understand stanza-wise paraphrasing of the 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 wish the night
Had borne my breath away!

In the first stanza, the poet is nostalgic about his childhood days. He remembers the house
where he was born and the bedroom window from where every morning the sun used to come
peeping in. The sun was never late even by a second, yet the day never seemed too long.
Today, however, when the poet is old, he is unhappy and wishes that he had died before
attaining adulthood. The contrast between the past and the present is clear through the
portrayal of sun and daytime which depicts the brighter and happier part of his life i.e.
childhood, whereas the night reflects the darkness in his present life. The poet has repeated ‘I
remember’, to lay emphasis, as if we should hear, a faint sigh in the poet’s voice while he
recalls his childhood years.
I remember, I remember,
The roses, red and white,
The vi'lets, and the lily-cups,
Those flowers made of light!
The lilacs where the robin built,
And where my brother set
The laburnum on his birthday,—
The tree is living yet!

In the second stanza, the poet talks about all the different flowers (violets, lily-cups, roses and
lilacs) he remembers from his childhood days which added so much beauty to life, where
birds built their nests and the tree under which his brother celebrated his birthday. The poet
has fond memories of the laburnum tree which is still standing all these years later.

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!

The third stanza focusses on Hood’s recollections of playing on a swing, and the way he
moved through the air in a light and carefree manner. His spirits too were like the swallows (a
bird)- light and carefree. But today his soul is weighed down and heavy by various things
(cares and worries) which did not trouble him as a boy. No cool waters can calm it anymore
as it is hot with tension and anxiety.

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 farther off from heav'n
Than when I was a boy.

In the final stanza, Hood recalls how as a little boy, the tall fir trees seemed to him as if
touching the heavens above. Today, he’s older but not necessarily wiser. He knows that the
fir trees aren’t touching heaven in the sky, but he misses his childhood ignorance and feels
‘farther off from heaven’ now than when he was a boy. Although, he has gained practical
real-world knowledge, it has come at the cost of the innocence which had kept him closer to
heaven and God.

The poet is looking at the past with nostalgia which gives the impression that the present is
painful for the poet.

POETIC DEVICES USED IN THE POEM

1. ALLITERATION - Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line in

quick succession. For example, the sound of /r/ in “I remember, I remember” and the sound
of /r/ in “The roses, red and white” and the sound of /f/ in “My spirit flew in feathers then”.

2. IMAGERY - Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses
and create an image in the reader’s mind. For example, “The house where I was born”, “The
fir trees dark and high”.

3. METAPHOR -It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between

different persons and objects. There is only one metaphor used in the stanza where it is stated
as, ‘tis little joy. The speaker metaphorically compares his present state with his colourful
childhood.

4. REFRAIN -The lines that are repeated again at some distance in the poems are called
refrain. The verse, “I remember, I remember” is repeated with the same words. It has become
a refrain as it has been repeated in all stanzas of the poem.

5. PERSONIFICATION - Personification is a figure of speech in which a thing – an idea or

an animal is given human attributes. For example - 'the sun came peeping in at morn’.

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

Let’s test our understanding of the poem.

Q1. What does the poet remember about the house where he was born?

Q2. Which lines from the poem prove that the poet was happier as a young boy ?

Q3. What memories does the poet have about the tree?

Q4. Why did the poet feel closer to heaven as a child?

Q5. What does the poet’s nostalgia about the past tell you about the poet and his present life?