JKBOSE 9th Class English Solutions chapter – 12 I CANNOT REMEMBER MY MOTHER

In this poem, the poet says that he cannot recollect anything about his mother. His mother died in his early childhood. At the time of her death, the poet was too young to know anything about her. He doesn’t know even how ob she looked like. He recollects his mother only when a tune falls over his ears. Sometimes, when he is playing with his toys, he senses a tune hovering over them. It is the tune of his mother’s song which she used to hum while rocking his cradle.

Sometimes in the early autumn morning, the poet can smell the sweet fragrance of shiuli flowers. This fragrance reminds the poet of his mother. His mother was a religious lady. She used to visit the temple with shiuli flowers for the morning service. The scent of the morning service in the temple seems to the poet to be the scent of his mother.

Whenever the poet sits at the window of his bedroom and looks at the distant blue sky, he recollects his mother. He remembers how his mother used to bend over him and gaze at him silently. At that time, he feels as if his mother is still looking at him from above.

इस कविता में कवि कहता है कि उसे अपनी मां के बारे में कुछ याद नहीं है। उसकी मां का देहांत उसके शिशुकाल में ही हो गया था। अपनी मां की मृत्यु के समय कवि इतना छोटा था कि वह उसके बारे में कुछ भी जान नहीं सकता था। उसे तो इतना भी याद नहीं है कि वह दिखती कैसी थी। उसे अपनी मां की याद केवल तभी आती है जब एक उसके कानों में पड़ती है। कभी-कभी जब वह अपने खिलौनों के साथ खेल रहा होता है तो उसे अपने खिलौनों पर फैली एक धुन का आभास होता है। यह धुन उसकी मां के उसी गीत की धुन है जिसे वह उसका पालना झुलाते समय गुनगुनाया करती थी।

कभी-कभी शरद ऋतु में प्रातः के समय कवि को शियुली के फूलों की मीठी सुगन्ध आती है। यह सुगन्ध कवि को उसकी मां की याद दिलाती है। उसकी मां एक धार्मिक स्त्री थी । वह सुबह की पूजा के लिए शियुली के फूल लेकर मन्दिर जाया करती थी। मन्दिर में सुबह की पूजा की सुगन्ध कवि को अपनी मां की सुगन्ध प्रतीत होती है।

जब कभी कवि अपने शयनकक्ष की खिड़की में बैठता है और दूर नीले आसमान की ओर देखता है, तो उसे अपनी मां की याद आती है। उसे याद आता है कि किस प्रकार उसकी मां उस पर झुक कर उसे चुपचाप निहारा करती थी। उस समय उसे ऐसा महसूस होता है जैसे उसकी मां अब भी उसे ऊपर आसमान से देख रही है।

The poet had lost his mother in his early childhood. He remembers nothing about his mother. At the time of her death, he was too young to know anything about his mother. He had not got worldly senses yet. He does not remember how she looked like. However, he has a faint recollection of her. A few things remind him of his mother.

I cannot remember my mother

only sometimes in the midst of my play

a tune seems to hover over my playthings,

the tune of some song that she used to

hum while rocking my cradle.

Explanation : The poet had lost his mother in his infancy. So he remembers nothing about her. When his mother died, he was too young to know anything about her. However, he has a faint recollection of his mother. In these lines, the poet says that he recollects his mother when a tune falls over his ears. Sometimes, while playing with his toys, he senses a tune hovering over them. It is the tune of his mother’s song which she used to hum while rocking his cradle.

1. Name the poem and the poet.

2. Who does the poet talk about in these lines ?

3. The poet remembers his mother when he is ……. (sleeping/ dreaming/playing)

4. What tune seems to hover over the poet’s playthings ?

5. Write a word from the stanza that means ‘toys’.

6. Do you think the poet has really forgotten his mother ?

1. The name of the poem is I Cannot Remember My Mother’. The name of the poet is Rabindranath Tagore.

2. The poet talks about his dead mother in these lines.

3. playing.

4. The tune of his mother’s song which the poet’s mother sang while rocking his cradle.

5. playthings.

6. No, the poet has not really forgotten is mother.

I cannot remember my mother

but when in the early autumn morning

bad the smell of shiuli flowers floats in the air

the scent of the morning service in the temple

comes to me as the scent of my mother.

Explanation : In these lines, the poet says that he cannot remember his mother. She had died in his early childhood. So the poet does not remember anything about her. At that time, he was too young to know about her. However, a few things remind him of his mother. The poet says that sometimes the fragrance of shiuli flowers reminds him of his mother. Whenever in the early autumn morning the poet smells the sweet fragrance of shiuli flowers, he recollects his mother. His mother used to visit the temple with shiuli flowers for the morning service. The scent of the morning service in the temple seems to the poet to be the scent of his mother.

(A) (i) When do Shiuli flowers bloom ?

(ii) What purpose are these flowers used for ?

(iii) What do these flowers remind the poet of ?

(B) Choose the most appropriate options:

(i) The poet’s mother died when ……… .

(a) she was very young (b) the poet was married  (c) she was newly married (d) the poet was a little child.

(ii) The smell of Shiuli flowers ………. .

(a) wakes the poet (b) floats in the air (c) comes from the temple (d) is not so sweet.

(iii) The word ‘floats’ means………..

(a) flies (b) sinks (c) drifts (d) goes up.

(C) What impression do you form of the poets’ mother ?

(A) (i) They bloom in autumn.

(ii) They are used for the morning pooja’ in the temples.

(iii) They remind the poet of his mother.

(B) (i) (d) the poet was a little child (ii) (b) floats in the air (iii) (c) drifts.

(C) I feel that she must have been a very religious lady. It was her custom pooja’ in the temple with Shiuli flowers.

I cannot remember my mother.

Only when from my bedroom window I send

my eyes into the blue of the distant sky,

be I feel that the stillness of my mother’s gaze on my face

has spread all over the sky.

Explanation : Here the poet says that he cannot recollect anything about his mother as she had died in his early childhood. He doesn’t know anything about her. However, he has a faint recollection of his mother. The poet says that whenever he sits at the window of his bedroom and looks at the distant blue sky, he remembers his mother. He recollects how she used to bend over him and gaze at him silently. At that time, the poet feels as if his mother is still looking at him from above, the distant blue sky.

1. What does the poet recollect when he looks into the sky from his bedroom window ?

2. What does he remember about his mother  ?

3. What does the poet feel while looking into the sky ?

4. Give the synonyms of : distant, stillness.

1. The poet recollects his mother.

2. He remembers how she used to bend over him and gaze at him silently.

3. He feels as if his mother is still looking at him from above.

4. distant = far off

   stillness = silence.

Ans.— He is playing with playthings.

Ans.— The poet feels the presence of his mother in almost everything that he does. When he is playing with his playthings, he feels a tune hover over them. To lyhim, it is the tune of his mother’s lullaby. When the smell of shiuli flowers floats in the air, he is reminded of his mother going to the temple in the morning. When he looks outside through his bedroom window, he feels the silent gaze of his mother on his face. He feels her presence in the blue sky also.

Ans.— The poet remembers nothing about his mother. But when he is playing with his playthings, he feels as if a tune was hovering over them. This tune gives the feeling of a mother rocking her child’s cradle and singing a lullaby.

Ans.— The word ‘lullaby’ is used for the cradle song.

Ans.— The poet’s mother is dead. The poet does not remember anything about her. It shows that the mother had died when the poet was only a little child.

Ans.— Almost every sight and smell reminds the poet of his mother. When the smell of shiuli flowers floats in the air, he is reminded of his mother going to the temple in the morning. When he looks outside through his bedroom window, he feels the silent gaze of his mother on his face. He feels her presence in the blue sky also.

Ans.— This poem arouses feelings of pity for the poet. He lost his mother when he was a little child. He does not remember anything about her. Yet he feels her presence in everything about him.

Ans.— The poet hears a tune hovering over his playthings. It is an aural image. He feels the smell of shiuli flowers floating in the air. It is a visual image. He also feels the scent of the morning service in the temple. It is again a visual image.

Ans.— There is no rhyme-scheme in this poem. The length of the lines is also not uniform. Yet the poem charms by virtue of its music. It sweeps the reader with its effortlessness and word-pictures. It is a highly imaginative piece which is the hallmark of all good poetry.