A Little Boy's Dream Poem by Katherine Mansfield

A Little Boy's Dream

Rating: 3.4


To and fro, to and fro
In my little boat I go
Sailing far across the sea
All alone, just little me.
And the sea is big and strong
And the journey very long.
To and fro, to and fro
In my little boat I go.

Sea and sky, sea and sky,
Quietly on the deck I lie,
Having just a little rest.
I have really done my best
In an awful pirate fight,
But we cdaptured them all right.
Sea and sky, sea and sky,
Quietly on the deck I lie--

Far away, far away
From my home and from my play,
On a journey without end
Only with the sea for friend
And the fishes in the sea.
But they swim away from me
Far away, far away
From my home and from my play.

Then he cried "O Mother dear."
And he woke and sat upright,
They were in the rocking chair,
Mother's arms around him--tight.

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
blank blank 24 October 2012

well the poem is supposed to be a dream, a childs dream of winning a pirate fight, and journeying alone in the sea. It feels to me that he has achieved a victory against an enemy; whatever it was that he was fighting against. Instead of a dream it could be a fantastic illustration of a lonely child, fighting his own battles and winning them all alone because even the fish swim away from him. A child maturing earlier than he should becausr of lifes troubles, 'away from home and from play, only the sea as a friend' just a thought, of course

9 8 Reply
eowyn 21 April 2020

Interesting reply. I hope that nowaday children don't get nightmares because of the electrosmog.

0 0
Sawmitra Roy 16 May 2013

life of pi?

6 8 Reply
Kevin Straw 23 October 2012

It's interesting that blank blank doers not like the last stanza, but can he say why he does not like i? . The whole point of the poem is that it IS a dream from which the boy wakes up.

5 6 Reply
blank blank 23 October 2012

i think i'd like it better without the last stanza. maybe it shouldnt have been a dream. its beautiful and then the last stanza ruins it.

2 9 Reply
Chinedu Dike 14 August 2022

An imaginative and thought provoking write

0 0 Reply
Ruta Mohapatra 14 August 2022

Soooo rhythmic and delightful...

0 0 Reply
Chinedu Dike 24 January 2022

Beautiful and very interesting read.

0 1 Reply
Zemmouri Youcef 30 July 2021

I have learnt this poem by heart at the age of forteen and still have it in mind after my 30 years carrier at sea

1 0 Reply
great 27 March 2020

I like it was amazing and imaganitive

2 0 Reply
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