I Cannot Remember My Mother — Class 9 English Chapter 4

Soft images blending — a child at play, white flowers, a wide still sky — all suffused with gentle light

The full poem is below — three stanzas, each opening with the same line: I cannot remember my mother. Tap any line to hear it. Notice that each stanza turns to a different sense — first hearing, then smell, then sight — and through each, the mother returns.

¶Reading for Appreciation — I Cannot Remember My Mother

I cannot remember my mother only sometimes in the midst of my play a tune seems to over my playthings, the tune of some song that she used to hum while rocking my .

I cannot remember my mother but when in the early autumn morning the smell of the flowers floats in the air the scent of the morning service in the temple comes to me as the scent of my mother.

I cannot remember my mother only when from my bedroom window I send my eyes into the blue of the distant sky, I feel that the of my mother's on my face has spread all over the sky.

Tap any underlined word for its meaning. Tap ▶ to hear a sentence.

✦Find the Devices

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. I cannot remember my mother but when in the early autumn morning the smell of the shiuli flowers floats in the air the scent of the morning service in the temple comes to me as the scent of my mother. I cannot remember my mother only when from my bedroom window I send my eyes into the blue of the distant sky, I feel that the stillness of my mother's gaze on my face has spread all over the sky.

Tap a device above to highlight every example in the passage.

✓Check Your Understanding

The poem and the senses — match each stanza to its sense.

Stanza 1 ('a tune seems to hover') appeals mainly to which sense?

Stanza 2 ('the smell of the shiuli flowers') appeals mainly to:

Stanza 3 ('the blue of the distant sky') appeals mainly to:

Quick Check

Q1.Why does the poet repeat 'I cannot remember my mother' at the start of every stanza?