SOMETHING CHILDISH BUT VERY NATURAL WRITTEN IN GERMANY

AN ANALYSIS OF POETRY TITLED SOMETHING CHILDISH BUT VERY NATURAL WRITTEN IN GERMANY BY SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE

Something Childish, but very Natural Written in Germany is a poetry about someone who misses his childhood.

In the first stanza,

If I had but two little wings

And were a little feathery bird,

To you I’d fly, my dear.

It implies that he remembers about his fun and happy childhood when he freely imagined about a lot of things.

The second stanza,

But my sleep to you I fly

I’m always with you in my sleep!

The world is all one’s own.

Bu then one wakes, and where am I?

All, all alone.

The first, second, and third line imply that when he was a child he could rely on somebody around him. Whether it was his mom, dad, brother, sister, anyone. Everyone took care of and helped him. No one left him alone.

The fourth and fifth line imply that he realize about reality in life. As he grows up, everybody can leave him alone. He knows that life is not as easy as he thought. He has to struggle alone to live. No one can help him now.

The third stanza,

Sleep stays not, though a monarch bids;

So I love to wake ere break of day;

For though my sleep be gone,

Yet while ‘tis dark shuts one’s lids,

And still dreams on.

It implies that he hopes that he can be a child. He wants to turn back time. He wishes that what he is struggling right now is only a dream. He wishes that if his childhood is only a dream, he doesn’t want to wake up, he wants to keep dreaming.

So, this poetry is about someone who misses his childhood. He remembers about his fun and happy childhood when he could imagine everything that he wanted to. When he was a child, he could rely on everybody around him. His mom, dad, brothers, sisters, anyone. He could ask for help from everybody. Everyone took care of and loved him. But, as soon as he grew up, he knows that he couldn’t forever rely on others. He has to face reality. He has to face real life. He has to struggle. He has to do efforts. Gradually, he realizes that everyone is not always helping and taking care. They leave him alone and he has to stand on by himself. Then, he feels so tired of life, he wishes that it was only a dream. He wants to return to his childhood when everything seems so simple, easy, fun and happy. And he wishes that if his childhood is only a dream, he doesn’t want to wake up. He wants to keep dreaming.

Conclusion

Sometimes, we may feel the same way. We feel tired of life and reality and want to go back to our childhood. However, the reality is not like that.  We have to face our reality. Our childhood remains memories. It is better to keep our childhood our childhood as the sweetest memory and make it precious to help us stronger in fighting and struggling.

-ultrautogia-