Don't harbour grudge against children- THE HINDU

The Toys

                                                                                                        BY COVENTRY PATMORE

My little Son, who look'd from thoughtful eyes

And moved and spoke in quiet grown-up wise,

Having my law the seventh time disobey'd,

I struck him, and dismiss'd

With hard words and unkiss'd,

His Mother, who was patient, being dead.

Then, fearing lest his grief should hinder sleep,

I visited his bed,

But found him slumbering deep,

With darken'd eyelids, and their lashes yet

From his late sobbing wet.

And I, with moan,

Kissing away his tears, left others of my own;

For, on a table drawn beside his head,

He had put, within his reach,

A box of counters and a red-vein'd stone,

A piece of glass abraded by the beach

And six or seven shells,

A bottle with bluebells

And two French copper coins, ranged there with careful art,

To comfort his sad heart.

So when that night I pray'd

To God, I wept, and said:

Ah, when at last we lie with tranced breath,

Not vexing Thee in death,

And Thou rememberest of what toys

We made our joys,

How weakly understood

Thy great commanded good,

Then, fatherly not less

Than I whom Thou hast moulded from the clay,

Thou'lt leave Thy wrath, and say,

"I will be sorry for their childishness."

Interpretations from the NET:

The Toys-A Poem by Coventry Patmore, England, (1823-1896).

Coventry Patmore was a British poet and articles writer who had a deep concern for religion. Through his poems, he reacted to the spiritual degeneration of his times. His poem Toys gives a graphic picture of the sorrows of childhood and the fatherly relationship of God to man.

The poet's motherless child spoke and behaved like grown-up people, which the poet disliked. For disobeying him for the seventh time, the poet beat him and sent him to bed without the usual kisses. He ought to have been more tolerant towards the motherless child. Fearing grief should hinder the child's sleep, he visited his bed to find him in deep slumber. His darkened eyelids and wet eye lashes were proof that he had been sobbing for a long time. The poet felt remorse for his act of unkindness. He kissed away his son's tears while he himself wept, for he could see what gave comfort to the child in his grief, in his place. They were his toys arranged neatly on a table beside his bed. They were simple but enough to comfort him- a box of counters, a red-veined stone, a piece of glass abraded by the beach, six or seven shells, a bottle with blue bells and two French copper coins. True, it is everyone's childhood. One will wonder why the modern so-called poets can't create poetry of such pure emotions.

Just as the poet punishes the child for some puny misdoings, God can certainly punish the poet for his multitude of wrongs but He does not do it. He forgives instead. That is the fatherly goodness of God to man. Once he has wept as a child, God's tenderness and kindness is dawns on his mind. The poet repents that he had never been as good a father to his child as God has been to him. Man has been moulded by God from the clay, even then he has not understood the goodness of God. When man at last lies with tranced breath in his death bed not troubling God anymore, He still does not wish to punish him. Such good is God. So when that night the poet wept and prayed, he prayed God to leave aside His anger and forgive him for his childishness.

This poem is autobiographical - based on a moment of anger towards his son followed by regret, grief and a prayer to God.

Symbolism is in the eyes of the beholder. The father in this setting does not represent God any more than the son represents Jesus. What makes this poem live is the sadness in the human condition, that repeats itself ad infinitum. Who has not felt the unexpected wrath of someone they worship? Who has not hurt those whose very existence is intimately connected to his own? Who has not suffered the remorse of having acted hastily, foolishly and even viciously-characteristics so remote from what God is. This is not about life eternal, but about life temporal.

The poem Toys is very symbolic in its setting. Even though the poet speaks of his little son, from a broader perspective, the poem underlies the 'comfort' man resorts to, when God admonishes him... When man is buffeted for his faults, or when he encounters certain undesirable happenings in his life, he immediately resorts to other resorts to comfort and solace him, thus moving away from his creator. But still, God, much akin to Francis Thompson's 'Hound of Heaven, ' in all His grace forgives man for his shortcomings and kisses him (blesses him with His heavenly comfort) . The creator's concern for His creation and the creation's antipathy to the love of God are manifested in this poem. The slumber of the child represents the forgetfulness and the sheer childish callousness of children towards elders (here God) . The lines "ranged there with careful art, To comfort his sad heart" are of particular significance because, man in his love of the world, forgets whatever blessings he has derived from the Almighty and turns to the world in times of distress. The poem has a great import on the love of God and the antipathy of man

Date Posted5/17/04 Mon
Author:jim clark london england
Subject: The Toys by Coventry Patmore 1823 - 1896

Coventry Patmore 1823 - 1896 was born in Essex south east England the son of an author Peter George Patmore. A convert to Catholicism in later life he became a member of the the pre-Raphaelite movement he was a contributor to "The Germ" the movements publication. 

This touching genteel poem will surely strike a chord with any of us who have ever been thoughtless enough to scold a child or anybody for that matter only to leave us wishing we could undo our words. perhaps this is a plea for us to strive to be more kind, more forgiving and to stop and think before we say something we may later regret for the pain it may cause....particularly as in the context of this poem of a fathers regrets at scolding his child whose mother has to make matters even sadder passed away.... 

E C(9/18/2007 11:59:00 AM)

Symbolism is in the eyes of the beholder. The father in this setting does not represent God any more than the son represents Jesus. What makes this poem live is the sadness in the human condition, that repeats itself ad infinitum. Who has not felt the unexpected wrath of someone they worship? Who has not hurt those whose very existence is intimately connected to his own? Who has not suffered the remorse of having acted hastily, foolishly and even viciously-characteristics so remote from what God is. This is not about life eternal, but about life temporal.

"Cogito ergo sum"