I Remember, I Remember

I Remember, I Remember
 
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 heaven
     Than when I was a boy.
 
by Thomas Hood (1827)
 
Thomas Hood was born on 23 May 1798 in London, England. He was a poet, a writer, a humorist, an engraver, and an illustrator. His poems were published in periodicals such as “Punch” and “The London Magazine.” He is known for his poem “The Song of the Shirt.” Thomas Hood passed on at 44 years of age on 3 May 1843 in London, England.