CHILDHOOD

written by: - Markus Natten

PAAVAI VIDHYASHRAM

By
R. Logeshwar
1)
 Childhood Introduction

Childhood is written by Marcus

Natten. In this poem, the poet thinks
over his lost childhood. He wonders
about the moment where he lost his
innocence and realized that the
world is not what he seemed it to be.
He recalls when his thoughts
changed and he realized the
hypocrisy of the people around him.
He finally settled down to the idea
that his childhood went to some
forgotten place and is hidden in the
face of an innocent infant….
 Childhood Summary
Childhood Summary – In the poem,
the poet wonders when he lost his
childhood and the innocence he had.
He became conscious that he no
longer sees the world as he did
earlier and he can sense the
hypocrisy in people. He recalled
many instances in his life when he
could have lost his childhood. He
wondered if it was the day he ceased
to be eleven or he realized that Hell
and Heaven didn’t exist in this world
and no one could find them in the
geography. Next, he talks about the
possibility when he realized that
adults are not what they seemed to
be and they are hypocrites. They talk
and preach of love but their actions
don’t say so. Was it the day when he
realized that his mind was his own
and capable of producing his own
thoughts? No one could own that
and he is an individual with his
particular personality. In the last
stanza, he talks about the
whereabouts of his childhood. He
concludes that it had gone to some
forgotten place and it can only be
found in the innocent face of an
infant.
Childhood Poem Explanation
Para 1
When did my childhood go?
Was it the day I ceased to be eleven,
Was it the time I realised that Hell and
Heaven,
Could not be found in Geography,
And therefore could not be,
Was that the day!
Ceased – come to an end
~In the above lines, the poet wonders
about when his childhood came to an
end. He asked himself was it the day he
was no longer eleven years old? Was it
the day when he realized that Hell and
Heaven existed and yet could not be
found in geography or on the map. He
realized they are imaginary places that
actually do not exist in this world.
 Para 2
When did my childhood go?
Was it the time I realised that adults were
not
all they seemed to be,
They talked of love and preached of love,
But did not act so lovingly,
Was that the day!

Preached – talked or spoken

~In the above stanza, the poet again
repeats the same question about when did
his childhood go? He wonders about the
day when he started seeing the world with
a new perception that adults are hypocrites
and are not how they seemed to be. The
adults who talked of love and preached of
love and yet never behaved so lovingly.
They are double-faced in reality. Was that
the day when his childhood go?
 Para 3
When did my childhood go?
Was it when I found my mind was really
mine,
To use whichever way I choose,
Producing thoughts that were not those of
other people
But my own, and mine alone
Was that the day!

~In the third stanza, the poet deliberates on

the same question about when he lost his
childhood. He asked himself about
possibilities. He wonders about the day he
realized that his mind was his own and
could use it the way he wants. When he
realized that he could produce his own
thoughts which were not bound by anyone.
When he sensed his own individuality and a
separate personality. Was that the day he
lost his childhood?
 Para 4
Where did my childhood go?
It went to some forgotten place,
That’s hidden in an infant’s face,
That’s all I know.
Infant – newborn baby
~In the last stanza, the poet remorse
about his lost childhood. He
concludes that his childhood had
gone to some forgotten place which
will never come back. He cherished
his innocence which vanished now
and could be only seen in a baby’s
face. He only has sweet memories of
his childhood which would soon fade
away. He also conveyed a message
that the innocence of childhood
stays till the time one is an infant
and that is all he knows.