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 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 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 Heaven
Than when I was a boy.
Thomas Hood.
7 responses to Thomas Hood – I REMEMBER, I REMEMBER POEM
As a fourth grade student I was in a class where each of us were required to memorize a poem and recite it. We were allowed to choose any poem in our school library. My thought at the time was to find the poetry book of the largest girth in our rural school library. I did. Consequently I was only required to memorize the first stanza and then read aloud the rest of the poem to the class. I’m now in my forties and after working as a museum curator for over 15 years I returned to graduate school to work on a master’s degree in English. I’ve thought of this poem many times over the years, having only the first stanza committed to memory I had never before this moment looked at the poem in its entirety since grammar school. I didn’t have an inkling as to what its meaning was nor the name of its author.
Memorization. It does have a fundemental role in our intellectual development…
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Thomas Hood – I REMEMBER, I REMEMBER POEM
I remember so much, yet forgot how to spell. Fundamental.
The spell check device is a double-edged sword.
T Mellott
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When I was a little boy in Cumberland, England, my mother used to take me for walks, and recited poems. “I Remember ” was one – and I have never forgotten it all my life (I’m now 89 years old)
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Some memoriries last a lifetime
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I was not forced to memorize, but came upon this poem in a collection of poems. I was stunned. I memorized the last stanza so that I can recite it to people and let them know what a masterpiece it is. Dyan Thomas wrote Fern Hill, which is lovely, but maybe more for the intellectual or the academic. This poem is for everyone.
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I memorized this poem in its entirety when I was about 8 years old. I’m 60 now and am surprised that I still remember the poem but not always what I had for dinner last night! The mind is a curious thing. I’ve always loved this poem and, though the meaning has changed for me over the years, it is still a favorite.
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Memories of my father
In the months before my father died at the age of 92 he would often spontaneously recite this lovely poem. As I listened I often wondered about the images going through his mind, no doubt he was recalling in his minds eye visions and precious memories of his childhood. When I read this lovely poem not only do I remember my own childhood but it also brings back memories of those precious days spent around the fire with my father as he gently recited it.
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Thomas Hood – I REMEMBER, I REMEMBER POEM
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