he theme of childhood in Dylan Thomas’s poem “Fern Hill”. ✪✪✪
Or, Discuss how Dylan Thomas recreates childhood in “Fern Hill”.
Dylan Thomas’s (1914 – 1953) “Fern Hill” (1945) is one of the most beautiful poems about childhood in English poetry. The poet remembers his early life at Fern Hill Farm, the home of his Aunt Annie Jones in Wales. Through music, colour, and nature, he recreates the joy, innocence, and wonder of being a child. Childhood, for Thomas, is a golden time, bright, free, and full of magic.
Childhood as a Time of Joy and Freedom: At the beginning of the poem, the poet recalls his carefree life at Fern Hill Farm. He says he was,
“Young and easy under the apple boughs.”
He played happily among the trees and fields. Everything around him was green and full of light. He says,
“Time let me hail and climb
Golden in the heydays of his eyes.”
Time allowed him to live freely and joyfully. He climbed trees. He ran in the meadows. He felt the beauty of life. The farm was his world of joy and discovery. Childhood here is full of laughter, play, and love.
The Child as the Prince of Nature: The young Dylan Thomas feels like a prince in his little world. He proudly says,
“I was prince of the apple towns.”
The fields, wagons, and barns were his kingdom. The foxes, pheasants, calves, and horses were his loyal friends. The child and nature are one. At Fern Hill Farm, he lived close to the animals, rivers, and sunlight. He says,
“The sabbath rang slowly
In the pebbles of the holy streams.”
Even nature seemed holy to him. The whole farm glowed with peace and harmony. His childhood was a royal and sacred time.
The Magical World of Day and Night: Childhood for Dylan Thomas is also full of wonder. The days were bright and the nights were full of dreams. During the day, he played among the tall hay and sang in the sunlight. At night, the stars watched over him. This shows the magical imagination of a child. The world of Fern Hill was alive and full of music. Everything, the moon, owls, and nightjars, became part of his dreamlike happiness.
The Divine Beauty of Childhood: Dylan Thomas compares his childhood mornings to the creation of the world. He says,
“It was Adam and maiden,
The sky gathered again.”
The farm looked like paradise. The light, the dew, and the sun made everything pure and shining. He felt as if God had just created the world again. At Fern Hill Farm, childhood becomes holy, like the first morning of the world. His innocence and nature’s freshness create a picture of divine beauty.
The Loss of Childhood and the Power of Memory: In the last stanza, the poet realizes that this golden time could not last forever. Time, which once felt kind, becomes powerful. He says,
“Time held me green and dying
Though I sang in my chains like the sea.”
Childhood slowly fades, and the boy becomes a man. Yet, he still remembers those days with love and gratitude. Time may take away youth, but memory keeps it alive. The song of his childhood continues in his heart.
In “Fern Hill,” Dylan Thomas paints childhood as a bright world of joy and innocence. At Fern Hill Farm, surrounded by nature and love, the child lives freely. Time ends his youth, but its golden memory lives forever.
Continue Reading
Subscribe to access the full content
Upgrade to Premium