I Remember,I Remember- Thomas Hood
Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis
Lines 1-4
I remember, I remember,
The house where I was born,
The little window where the sun
Came peeping in at morn;
The first stanza of Thomas Hood’s poem opens with the refrain which makes
up the title. Hood wastes no time and opts for this stylistic technique in order
to introduce his persona to readers from the very beginning. This opening line
then resonates throughout making the pronoun “I” the focal point and the
verb “to remember” or the noun, remembrance the guiding theme of this
piece. With this introduction, Hood elevates his former childhood self. In this
stanza, the reader is made aware of the continuing theme of reminiscence.
Accompanying the poet-speaker on his nostalgic trip through his formative
years, the reader becomes an intricate part of his journey.
The poet begins to expand on the details of the house where he was born. He
begins by mentioning the little window from where the frail sunrays entered
the room every morning. The child, therefore, enjoyed seeing the day go by
from morning to night. As a result, neither the day was extended by a lot nor it
came to an early end. Hood shows how this movement of a perfectly balanced
day never ceased to excite him when he was a child. These memories of the
sun peeking through the window in the morning also reveal the speaker’s
naivety as a child. In a sense, these lines bring forth the poet’s young and
insouciant self in front of readers.
Lines 5-8
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!
Moving from the bright and joyful days of his childhood, the poet delves
deeper into the darker state of his present self. Out of the comfort of his early
childhood days, the poet now wishes for the night to suffocate him—to take
his breath away. This reveals a more delicate relation that the poet has with his
younger self that goes beyond the idea of just a casual fondness for
childhood. His yearning for death is a reflection of his extremely tiring
and difficult present.
The depiction of the sunshine and daytime, which represents the brighter and
happier period of his life, underlines the noticeable gap shared between the
past and the present. The pain that life is causing him is evident in his desire to
be gone with the night. The image of the “night,” therefore, stands for
everything from darkness and hopelessness to suffering and hollowness. It
becomes a symbol that represents Hood’s depressive and gloomy adult self.
Lines 9-12
I remember, I remember,
The roses, red and white,
The vi’lets, and the lily-cups,
Those flowers made of light!
This second stanza of the poem introduces the readers to a new and more
lively setting. The playful and joyous time of the speaker’s life is accurately
portrayed here. In this stanza, he shifts the focus from his house to his garden.
In this setting, he refers to a great variety of flowers that he witnessed
blooming there. He mentions red and white roses, violets, lilies, and even
lilacs. The mention of these flowers and an abundance of color are the two
main elements in this stanza. Together, they bring a subtle richness and
beauty to the entire poem.
Although surpassingly beautiful and full of life, these flowers and their
attributes make them appear utterly delicate and frighteningly fragile. This
point is made stronger when the poet compares them and calls them as being
“made of light” followed by an exclamation mark. The “light” metaphorically
hints at how heavenly and ephemeral those flowers seemed to the speaker
when he was a child.
Lines 13-16
The lilacs where the robin built,
And where my brother set
The laburnum on his birthday,—
The tree is living yet!
In the next few lines, the poet intentionally picks up an incident from his past.
This technique of incorporating episodes from his personal life makes the
poem more reliable and honest. The casual image of a robin’s nest in the lilacs
provides a sense of comfort to readers. It also brings them closer to the
persona and helps them understand him better. This imagery clearly stands
out as the “lilacs” and the “robin” are part of the happy and memorable days
of the speaker’s childhood.
With a controlled pace, the poet continues to dig deeper into his memories. He returns to the
gloomy fragments of the present day. Caressing the memories of these good old days, he
fleetingly discusses the laburnum that his brother planted in the garden on his birthday. He
addresses the fact that even after all these years the memory of the tree, planted years ago, is
still living: “The tree is living yet!” This last line can convey another meaning. The other idea
presented here is that the poet recognizes the “tree” as a tangible reminder of his buried
past—a token from his brother who is no longer alive.
Lines 17-20
I remember, I remember,
Where I was used to swing,
And thought the air must rush as fresh
To swallows on the wing;
The third stanza is propelled by Hood’s experiences associated with nature,
specifically the laburnum tree, which is referred to in the previous stanza.
Hood uncovers something profound that stirs up still more delightful
and nostalgic memories from his past. The gap between his adolescent years
and his life as a grown-up can be seen as widening with each stanza. In these
lines, it is clear that the poet feels the daunting weight of adulthood looming
all over him. In essence, these lines denote that the child within the speaker is
growing more exhausted as he nears maturity.
The poet begins this stanza by saying that he remembers the time in his life
when he used to swing so high and so freely that it could be considered
equivalent to flying. The fresh air, the serene nature, and the overwhelming
emotions experienced during such a simple activity delivered the same
pleasure and calm to the poet that he feels flying is capable of. Therefore, the
entire act of just riding a swing is elevated to the experience of taking an
untroubled flight like swallows in the vast stretch of the sky.
Lines 21-24
My spirit flew in feathers then,
That is so heavy now,
And summer pools could hardly cool
The fever on my brow!
The comparison drawn between his spirit and the lightness of the feathers
moves readers closer to understanding the carefree and relaxed nature of
Hood’s childhood. The metaphor is further extended and even pushed by the
use of alliteration in “My spirit flew in feathers then.” Moving ahead, the poet
swiftly crosses the borders of time and reflects upon his existence in the
current world. Here, the major theme of the poem, that is, the heaviness of
adulthood comes to the forefront in seemingly simple words. The poet, who
remembers losing himself so completely in nature, feels “so heavy now,” that it
seems impossible for him to be free from the clutches of reason and
rationality.
The last two lines also reiterate Hood’s earlier concerns. It informs the
audience how grave the troubles of adulthood are. The present concerns are
so prominent, according to Hood, that no childhood memories of “summer
pools” can cool down the fitful “fever” of his life. This means that the poet
cannot just simply slide back into his comforting memories and avoid the
situation at hand. He feels dejected to think that now nothing can soothe his
aching adult heart.
Lines 25-28
I remember, I remember,
The fir trees dark and high;
I used to think their slender tops
Were close against the sky:
Even though the glorification of the past still continues in these lines, the
stanza finally indicates the end in a state of abject hopelessness. The speaker
laments the loss of naiveté and innocence as an adult, which is the dominant
theme of this poem. His remembrance and his desire to return to his earlier
state stand unattended. In all, readers witness how Hood’s memories of a
perfect childhood and his sense of freedom and independence come to a
shattering halt as soon as he realizes that there is no return to the happy and
blissful days.
Hood begins this stanza by referring to the fir trees that stood dark and high
against the sky. Earlier, these trees gave the speaker something to look up to
as he was of the opinion that they were close to the sky or heaven. The
mysterious and almost magnificent appeal of the fir trees attracted his
innocent mind. Therefore, he demonstrates how he saw the world as a child,
thinking that the world was full of hope and possibilities.
Lines 29-32
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.
It is only now that he realizes how naïve and ignorant he was back then. It was
his ignorance and a childish belief that made him trust that heaven was not far
off. He even considers that the idea of heaven seemed more reachable as a
child because his spirit was in an unaltered and pure state. This “childish
ignorance” has only resulted in little to no joy. He now feels that he is closer to
death and farther from the idea of heaven. Such neglect allowed him to live
contentedly in the past. However, his reasoning and intellect now no longer
bring him comfort. Instead, this makes him feel as though heaven is out of his
reach as compared to when he was a boy. Toward the end, the poem’s tone is
filled with regret and hopelessness.
