Tuesday, April 8, 2014

A Song About Myself


Paraphrase

“A song about myself”

 

There was a naughty boy,
A naughty boy was he,
He would not stop at home,
He could not quiet be-
He took
In his knapsack
A book
Full of vowels
And a shirt
With some towels,
A slight cap
For night cap,
A hair brush,
Comb ditto,
New stockings
For old ones
Would split O!
This knapsack
Tight at's back
He rivetted close
And followed his nose
To the north,
To the north,
And follow'd his nose
To the north.

The poet describes his childhood days. He calls himself a naughty boy. He would not stay at home. He could not be quiet. He took a knapsack carrying a book full of vowels, shirt, towels, a slight cap for a night cap, hair brush, comb and new stockings for old ones would be split open. Carrying this knapsack tightly on his back he went straight following his nose to the north.
There was a naughty boy
And a naughty boy was he,
For nothing would he do
But scribble poetry-
He took
An ink stand
In his hand
And a pen
Big as ten
In the other,
And away
In a pother
He ran
To the mountains
And fountains
And ghostes
And postes
And witches
And ditches
And wrote
In his coat
When the weather
Was cool,
Fear of gout,
And without
When the weather
Was warm-
Och the charm
When we choose
To follow one's nose
To the north,
To the north,
To follow one's nose
To the north!


The poet describes himself as a naughty kid who would write nothing but poetry. He would always carry an ink stand in one hand and a pen as big as ten pens in the other hand. Armed with this he would run away to the mountains, fountains where there are ghosts, witches and ditches. He wrote with his coat on when the whether was cool in fear of gout and without his coat when weather was warm. This is the charm when you follow your nose to the north.
There was a naughty boy
And a naughty boy was he,
He kept little fishes
In washing tubs three
In spite
Of the might
Of the maid
Nor afraid
Of his Granny-good-
He often would
Hurly burly
Get up early
And go
By hook or crook
To the brook
And bring home
Miller's thumb,
Tittlebat
Not over fat,
Minnows small
As the stall
Of a glove,
Not above
The size
Of a nice
Little baby's
Little fingers-
O he made
'Twas his trade
Of fish a pretty kettle
A kettle-
A kettle
Of fish a pretty kettle
A kettle!

He describes how naughtily he kept little fishes in three washing tubs to spite at the maid. He was not afraid of his good Granny when he would get up early and go fishing to the brook by any means.  He would bring home Miler’s thumb, Tittlebat, Minnows small as the size of a little baby’s thumb found at the stalls. He would trade  with a pretty kettle of fish.
There was a naughty boy,
And a naughty boy was he,
He ran away to Scotland
The people for to see-
There he found
That the ground
Was as hard,
That a yard
Was as long,
That a song
Was as merry,
That a cherry
Was as red,
That lead
Was as weighty,
That fourscore
Was as eighty,
That a door
Was as wooden
As in England-
So he stood in his shoes
And he wonder'd,

The poet goes on to say that how naughtily he ran away to Scotland to find what was there for people to see. He says while being there
He found that the ground was as hard, the yard was as long, song was as merry, cherry was as red, lead was as weighty, fourscore was as eight and the door was as wooden as in England. He stared at his shoes and wondered how everything he saw and experienced was the same as in England.  

 

 

Critical Analysis

“A song about myself” is a poem written by John Keats. This is a genuine autobiographic reminiscence when the poet was living with his grandmother after the death of his parents. The poem is about the poet’s naughty childhood days. He never used to sit still. He would do nothing but scribble poetry. He would wander about in his inquisitive mind. He would do naughty stuffs like go fishing early morning at the brook and trade all the fishes he caught. He would keep the fishes in three washing tubs to annoy the maid. He wanted to see Scotland to know how different it was from England. So he went to the north with his knapsack with a book of vowels and other articles of his use. Once he reached there he realized that Scotland is no different from England.

There is a sense of adventure and fun feeling while reading the poem. The imageries bring about the poet’s images of his childhood. There is inconsistency in the rhyme scheme. The poem is a play of sound and language. Using a simple ordinary language the poet has achieved creativity in poetry. Restructuring and playing with the language has a playful musical effect on the poem. Keats is successful in making a simple story powerful and impressive.

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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