"Childhood" is a reflective poem by the renowned Indian poet Markus Natten, included in the Hornbill textbook. The poem is a meditation on the loss of childhood — that mysterious moment when a child becomes aware of the world in a new way and realises that childhood has slipped away. The poet asks a simple but profound question: when did his childhood go, and where did it go? The poem explores this question through a series of introspective reflections on the moment of growing up.
The poem is structured as a series of speculations. The poet considers four possible moments when childhood might have ended: when he stopped being able to identify himself completely with his own name and started seeing himself from outside; when he realised that adults were not always truthful and that heaven and hell could not be located in geography books; when he understood the hypocrisy of adults and the difference between what people say and what they do; and finally, when he recognised the individuality of the human mind — that each mind is a unique, private world that no one else can fully enter.
In the final stanza, the poet turns to a deeper question: where did his childhood go? He rejects the answer that it went to "some forgotten place" or that it hid in some forgotten cranny. Instead, he suggests that childhood is not lost at all — it exists in the infant, the innocent child within every person. The poem ends with the gentle, affirmative idea that childhood lives on in every new infant, in the freshness and innocence of each new life.
Markus Natten is a Norwegian poet whose work has been widely anthologised. His poem "Childhood" is among his most famous works and is included in school curricula in many countries. Natten's poetry is characterised by its philosophical depth, its simple language and its exploration of universal human experiences. In "Childhood," he examines the loss of innocence and the nature of self-awareness with remarkable clarity, making the poem both accessible and profound for young readers.
The poem opens with the poet wondering when his childhood went. He speculates that it might have gone "when I was eleven," when he stopped identifying himself wholly with his own name. At that moment, he began to see himself from the outside, as if he were a separate person observing his own self. This moment of self-consciousness marked the end of the simple, unselfconscious world of childhood.
The poet's second speculation is about the loss of innocence regarding adults. He wonders if childhood went when he realised that adults were not always truthful and did not practise what they preached. He mentions "geography" and "hell and heaven" — he had been taught that heaven and hell could be found in geography books, but he gradually understood that this was not true, and that adults could be hypocritical.
The poet's third speculation concerns the discovery of hypocrisy. He realises that adults say one thing and do another. This understanding of the world's double standards, of the difference between words and deeds, marks another step away from the innocence of childhood.
The poet's fourth and final speculation is the most profound. He wonders if childhood went when he realised that "the mind of man" is a uniquely private world — that each individual has thoughts, feelings and perceptions that no one else can ever fully share or understand. This recognition of the essential privacy and individuality of the human mind completes the loss of childhood.
In the final stanza, the poet asks where his childhood has gone. He considers and rejects the idea that it went to some forgotten place or hid in some unknown cranny. He concludes that childhood does not disappear forever — it exists in the infant, in every newborn child. The innocence and wonder of childhood live on, renewed in each new life.
The speaker of the poem. He looks back at his childhood and asks when and where it went. He is introspective, philosophical and nostalgic, reflecting on the moments of growing up — self-consciousness, the loss of innocence about adults, the discovery of hypocrisy, and the recognition of the privacy of the mind.
The remembered self of the poet at around eleven years of age. The child represents innocence, wonder and simplicity, before the onset of adult self-consciousness and disillusionment.
Referenced indirectly. The poet's reflections reveal his growing awareness of adult hypocrisy — that adults say one thing and do another, and that they are not always truthful.
Mentioned in the final stanza. The infant symbolises the renewal of childhood, the place where the poet's lost childhood truly lives on.
The poem explores several important themes. The central theme is the loss of childhood and innocence. The poet reflects on the inevitable transition from childhood to adulthood, marked by the loss of a simple, innocent view of the world. A second theme is self-awareness and the development of identity. The poet's moment of seeing himself from outside marks the beginning of self-consciousness, a key step in growing up.
A third theme is the disillusionment with adults and the discovery of hypocrisy. The poet realises that adults are not always truthful and do not always practise what they preach, a painful part of growing up. A fourth theme is the privacy and individuality of the human mind — the recognition that each person's inner world is unique and cannot be fully shared. Finally, the poem offers the hopeful theme that childhood is not truly lost but lives on in every infant, suggesting the eternal renewal of innocence.
Stanza 1: 1. Rhetorical Question: The poem opens with "When did my childhood go?" which sets up the poem's reflective structure. 2. First-person perspective: The use of "I" makes the poem personal and universal at once. 3. Imagery: The image of seeing oneself "from outside" creates a vivid picture of self-consciousness.
Stanza 2: 4. Symbolism: "Hell and heaven" and "geography" symbolise the child's confusion between literal and metaphorical truth, and the loss of simple faith in what adults teach. 5. Enjambment: Lines flow into each other, mirroring the continuous thought process.
Stanza 3: 6. Antithesis: The contrast between what adults "say" and what they "do" highlights hypocrisy. 7. Repetition: The repeated question "when did my childhood go" reinforces the theme and rhythm.
Stanza 4: 8. Metaphor: The human mind is described as a private world that cannot be entered by others, symbolising individuality. 9. Personification: Childhood is given agency — it can "go," "hide" and "find" places.
Stanza 5: 10. Rhetorical Question and Affirmation: The poet asks where childhood went and answers that it lives on in the infant, ending on a note of hope and renewal.
| Stanza | Speculated moment of childhood's end |
|---|---|
| Stanza 1 | When the poet stopped identifying wholly with his name and saw himself from outside |
| Stanza 2 | When he realised adults were not truthful and hell/heaven were not in geography books |
| Stanza 3 | When he discovered the hypocrisy of adults (they say one thing, do another) |
| Stanza 4 | When he realised the privacy and individuality of the human mind |
| Stanza 5 | Where did it go? It lives on in the infant |
| Device | Example |
|---|---|
| Rhetorical Question | 'When did my childhood go?' |
| Symbolism | 'Hell and heaven' as literal vs metaphorical |
| Antithesis | What adults say vs what they do |
| Metaphor | The mind as a private, unenterable world |
| Personification | Childhood 'went', 'hid', 'is found' |
"Childhood" is a tender and thoughtful poem about the inevitable passage from innocence to self-awareness. Markus Natten asks when and where childhood goes, and his speculations trace the quiet moments of growing up — the first self-consciousness, the loss of simple faith in adults, the discovery of hypocrisy, and the recognition of the privacy of the human mind. Each of these moments marks a small death of childhood.
Yet the poem ends with a beautiful affirmation: childhood is not lost forever. It lives on in the infant, in every new life that begins with the same wonder, trust and freshness. The poem teaches us that while we must all grow up, the spirit of childhood — curiosity, innocence and the capacity for wonder — is never truly destroyed; it is passed on, renewed in each generation. It is a gentle and hopeful meditation on one of life's most universal experiences.