‘My Shadow’ by Robert Louis Stevenson

‘My Shadow’ from A child’s garden of verses by Robert Louis Stevenson.

Theme of the Poem

This poem basically tells how a child gets excited on seeing his own shadow. As a result, the child started observing the shadows more closely and notices how the shadows changes depending on the person and how the shadow follows him wherever he goes. This makes the child even more curious about the child.

Full Poem

I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me,
And what can be the use of him is more than I can see.
He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head;
And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed.

Explanation: Here, the poet says that his little shadow keeps following him wherever he goes. He also wonders what is the use of the shadow. The poet says that the shadow is very much like him in appearance. The poet has noticed that his shadow goes off to bed before him. The poet is curious to know more about his shadow.

The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow –
Not at all like proper children, which is always very slow;
For he sometimes shoots up taller like an India-rubber ball,
And he sometimes gets so little that there’s none of him at all.

Explanation: The poet notices that the shadow keeps changing his shape, which he finds it very funny. He also feels that the shadow does not behave like other children. While children are slow to grow, the shadow changes shape lot faster. Sometimes. it becomes a lot taller and sometimes it becomes very small.

He hasn’t got a notion of how children ought to play,
And can only make a fool of me in every sort of way.
He stays so close beside me, he’s a coward you can see;
I’d think shame to stick to nursie as that shadow sticks to me!

One morning, very early, before the sun was up,
I rose and found the shining dew on every buttercup;
But my lazy little shadow, like an arrant sleepy-head,
Had stayed at home behind me and was fast asleep in bed.

Explanation: The poet says that one morning he woke up early, before sunrise. He found dew on the flowers but could not find his shadow. (This is because there was not enough sunlight to cause a shadow). However, the poet thinks that his shadow was lazy and still sleeping on the bed.

Questions and Answers

Q. Who is ‘he’ in the poem?

Q. Which is the figure of speech used in the poem that gives human characteristics to something inanimate? (simile / metaphor / personification / ellipsis)

Q. What does the poet mean when using the word ‘nursie’?

Q. Why does the poet say the way the shadow grows ‘not at all like proper children’?

Q. In the final verse, why had the shadow ‘stayed at home’?

Q. What is the rhyme scheme in the poem?