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.