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The night before the exam. Read this section. Everything important from the poem in one place.
30-Second Revision:
I Cannot Remember My Mother
is a poem by
Rabindranath Tagore
. The poet’s mother died when he was a small child, so he
cannot remember her face
. But he feels her in three ways: a
tune
floating over his toys while he plays (the lullaby she hummed), the
smell
of shiuli flowers and the temple on an autumn morning, and the
calm of the wide blue sky
that feels like her gentle gaze. The line
“I cannot remember my mother”
comes back at the start of every stanza (a refrain).
Message: a mother’s love never dies; it stays in the world around the child.
Poem at a Glance
| Element | Answer |
|---|---|
| Poet | Rabindranath Tagore (a famous Indian poet and Nobel Prize winner) |
| Form | A short lyric poem in free verse (a poem about feelings) |
| Number of Stanzas | 3 stanzas |
| Subject of the Poem | The poet’s memory of his mother, who died when he was very young |
| Central Idea | Though the poet cannot remember his mother’s face, he feels her love through sound, smell and sight |
| Refrain | “I cannot remember my mother” (begins all three stanzas) |
| Three Senses Used | Sound (a tune), Smell (shiuli flowers + temple), Sight (the blue sky) |
| Tone (poet’s attitude) | Loving, tender, calm, with a gentle sadness |
| Mood (reader’s feeling) | Calm, peaceful, touched, a little sad |
| Rhyme Scheme | Free verse (no fixed end rhyme). Its music comes from the refrain and gentle flow |
| Central Theme | A mother’s undying love and memory |
| Key Message | A mother’s love is never lost; it stays in everything around the child |
Key Subjects in the Poem
| Subject | What It Stands For |
|---|---|
| The Poet (Rabindranath Tagore) | A small child who lost his mother. He speaks of his quiet, loving memory of her |
| The Mother | Loving and caring. She is felt through a tune, a smell and the sky, even though she is gone |
| The Tune / Lullaby | The song she hummed to rock his cradle. It stands for her love and care (sound) |
| The Shiuli Flowers | Their sweet smell and the temple scent feel like the mother (smell) |
| The Blue Sky | Its wide calm feels like the mother’s gentle, endless gaze (sight) |
Key Vocabulary (Memorise These)
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| hover | to float or stay gently near a place |
| playthings | toys |
| hum | to sing softly with the lips closed |
| cradle | a small bed for a baby |
| autumn | the season before winter (after the rains) |
| shiuli | a night-blooming flower (also called Parijat / Harsingar) |
| scent | a smell or fragrance |
| morning service | the morning worship / prayers in a temple |
| gaze | a long, steady look |
| stillness | calm quietness; no movement |
| refrain | a line that is repeated in a poem |
Three Lines Every Exam Answer Should Have
When writing long answers on this poem, remember these
three golden lines
:
- “Tagore shows us…” - Connect the answer to the poet’s love for his mother.
- “Through this sense (sound / smell / sight)…” - Name the sense and the image that brings the memory back.
- “This shows that…” - End with the message that a mother’s love never dies.
