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Childhood
By- Markus Naito
Stanzas for Comprehension
(1)
Read the stanza carefully and answer the questions that follow :
When did my childhood go?
Was it the day I ceased to be eleven,
Was it the time I realised that Hell and Heaven.
Could not be found in Geography.
And therefore could not be,
Was that the day!
Word-Notes
when did my childhood go–the poet wonders when he outgrew his childhood and became an adult. This change is as much a matter of physical growth as of mental growth. Childhood denotes innocence whereas an adult becomes worldly-wise and even wicked; ceased–stopped: realised–with age came wisdom and understanding. He was convinced that hell and heaven are just myths and unreal. They do not exist on earth; in Geography–on world map; could not be-hence they have no fixed location anywhere on the earth.
मेरा बचपन कब खत्म हो गय ा? क्या उस दिन मैं वयस्क हो गया जब मैंने 11 वर्ष पूरे कर लिए तथा मेरी सोचने, समझने तथा प्रश्न पूछने की बुद्धि विकसित हो गई I शायद उस समय मैं व्यस्त हो गया था जब मुझे पता चला कि स्वर्ग और नर्क का कोई भौगोलिक अस्तित्व नहीं है, और इसलिए वे काल्पनिक ही है I क्या उसी दिन मेरा बचपन पीछे छूट गया और मैं जवान हो गया ?
Questions
(i) Give the title of the poem and the name of the poet.
(ii) What according to the poem is involved in the process of growing up?
(iii) What is the poet’s feeling towards childhood?
Ans.
(i) The title of the poem is ‘Childhood’. The poet’s name is Markus Natten.
(ii) As the poet grew up, he began to think, question and challenge the things which had been taught to him by grown-ups. Now he has realised that heaven and hell do not exist in reality.
(iii) The poet is somewhat sad at the loss of his childhood innocence, simplicity and honesty.
(2)
When did my childhood go?
Was it the time I realised that adults were not
all they seemed to be,
They talked of love and preached of love,
But did not act so lovingly,
Was that the day!
Word-Notes
when did …? —at what point of time did I outgrow my childhood and become a grown-up person?, समय और आयु के किस मोड़ पर मेरा बचपन पीछे छूट गया मैं वयस्क हो गया ?; I realised … be—he became a grown-up person with an understanding to distinguish between right and wrong, between good and evil. He discovered that the grown-up people were not always truthful. They did not practise what they preached; preached—taught, वयस्क लोग मुखौटा लगाए रहते हैं वे प्यार का उपदेश तो देते हैं पर प्यार-भरा व्यवहार नहीं करते I
पता नहीं किस मोड़ पर या समय पर मेरा बचपन पीछे रह गया और मैं जवान हो गया I शायद उस समय यह परिवर्तन हुआ जब मैंने देखा कि वयस्क वैसे वास्तव में सीधे-सादे या सज्जन नहीं होते जैसे दिखते हैं I वे बातें तो प्यार की करते हैं, उपदेश भी यही देते हैं पर स्वयं नफरत में डूबे रहते हैं, प्यार भरा आचरण नहीं करते I शायद तभी मैं बुद्धि से वयस्क हो गया था I
Questions
(i) What is the poet’s first shocking observation about the grown-ups?
(ii) What does the poet put on the top of human virtues?
(iii) What does he regret?
Ans.
(i) The poet notes with regret that the grown-ups tend to become liars and hypocrites.
(ii) Love is the noblest human virtue.
(iii) He deplores that grown-ups do not practise what they preach.
(3)
When did my childhood go?
Was it when I found my mind was really mine,
To use whichever way I choose,
producing thoughts that were not those of other people
But my own, and mine alone
Was that the day!
Word-Notes
go–was left behind, got lost,खो गय ा; my mind was really mine—when I began to think independently and clearly; producing … people—when the poet refused to accept and repeat blindly what others told him when he began to apply his own mind and created original ideas; was that the day!—the poet is unsure about the time of his transition from childhood to adulthood.
किस मोड़ या समय पर मेरा बचपन पीछे छूट गया और मैं दुनियादारी सीखकर बड़ा हो गया I क्या वह उस समय हुआ जब मैंने महसूस किया कि मेरे पास अपना एक मस्तिष्क है जिसका उपयोग मैं अपनी इच्छानुसार कर सकता था मैं अन्य लोगों की बातों पर विश्वास न करते हुए स्वयं मौलिक एवं स्वतंत्र चिंतन करने लगा I शायद वही दिन मेरे जीवन में परिवर्तन ले आया I
Questions
(i) Does the poet really miss his childhood or welcome his teenage?
(ii) What did the poet discover with his growing-up?
(iii) Why do you consider free thinking as most valuable?
Ans.
(i) The poet takes the middle path in this stanza. Childhood stands for purity and innocence. But its loss is compensated by the gain of understanding in adulthood. He can now think freely and originally.
(ii) The poet discovered his faculty to think, rationalise and distinguish between right and wrong.
(iii) Free thinking means to be able to think on your own. Only a brainless person would accept blindly whatever he is told or taught.
(4)
Where did my childhood go?
It went to some forgotten place,
That’s hidden in an infant’s face,
That’s all I know.
Word-Notes
where … go?–In the first three stanzas, the poet shows his curiosity to know when he joined the class of the grown-up people. Now he wonders where his childhood could be discovered; forgotten–unknown, which he doesn’t remember; hidden–reflected, can be seen; infant–baby, one remains innocent and even ignorant in early age. A baby alone is angelic, pure in thought and action. The innocent expression on a child’s face gives him a clue where his childhood is still hiding and alive.
मेरा बचपन कब मुझसे बिछुड़ गया, यह तो मैं निश्चित रूप से नहीं बता सकता I पर वह अब कहाँ पर छुपा बैठा है, कहाँ पर मैं उसकी झलक पा सकता हूँ, यह मैंने सोच लिया है I वह तो ऐसे स्थान पर चला गया है जिसकी याद भी मुझे अब नहीं है I वह तो बच्चे के चेहरे में छिपा हुआ है, बच्चे के चेहरे में ही मेरे अपनी बचपन का प्रतिबिंब दिखता है, मैं तो बस इतना ही जानता हूँ I
Questions
(i) What painful discoveries does the poet make as he grows in years?
(ii) Why does he hold childhood so dear?
(iii) Where can one see childhood in pure form? Ans.
Ans.
(i) The poem deals with the problems of growing up. As the poet grows up, he realises that heaven and hell do not exist and that grown-ups do not practise what they preach.
(ii) Childhood is dear to the poet because up to a certain age, the child is free from so many vices and hypocrisy. As the child grows up, he loses his innocence.
(iii) Now that the poet has outgrown his childhood, he can never regain it. He can at best get a glimpse of his childhood innocence in the face of an infant.
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