Autobiography poem examples
- Autobiographical poems by famous poets
- In my childhood trees were green.
- This is a haunting poem about the tragic death of the poet's mother, a loss he never fully came to terms with, and one that cast a long shadow over him for the.
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Poem of the Week: “Autobiography” by Louis MacNeice
Samhain is upon us, so we’re celebrating by sharing poems with a sinister bent in honor of this Celtic predecessor of Halloween. In this week’s poem, Louis MacNeice explores the darker side of youthful memory. MacNeice reflects on the early loss of his mother, a loss which remains as a sort of specter for the child in the poem, one that he can’t fully rid himself of. The sense of unease created by the poem’s refrain perfectly sets the tone for Samhain.
Autobiography
In my childhood trees were green
And there was plenty to be seen.
Come back early or never come.
My father made the walls resound,
He wore his collar the wrong way round.
Come back early or never come.
My mother wore a yellow dress;
Gently, gently, gentleness.
Come back early or never come.
When I was five the black dreams came;
Nothing after was quite the same.
Come back early or never come.
The dark was talking to the dead;
The lamp was dark beside my bed.
Come back early or never come.
When I woke
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Louis MacNeice
Irish poet and playwright (1907–1963)
Louis MacNeice | |
|---|---|
MacNeice on the cover of Selected Poems, edited by Michael Longley (1988) | |
| Born | Frederick Louis MacNeice (1907-09-12)12 September 1907 Belfast, Ireland |
| Died | 3 September 1963(1963-09-03) (aged 55) London, England |
| Resting place | Church of Ireland, Carrowdore |
| Citizenship | Irish, British |
| Alma mater | University of Oxford, Marlborough College |
| Occupation(s) | Irish poet and playwright |
| Spouse(s) | Hedli Anderson (m. 1942–1960), Mary Ezra (m. 1930–1936) |
| Children | Daniel MacNeice, Brigid Corinna MacNeice |
Frederick Louis MacNeiceCBE (12 September 1907 – 3 September 1963) was an Irish poet, playwright and producer for the BBC. His poetry, which frequently explores themes of introspection, empiricism, and belonging, is considered to be among the greatest of twentieth century literature. Despite being renowned as a member of the Auden Group, he was also an independently successful (albeit occasionally overlooked) poet with an influential body of work, which is replete
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Louis MacNeice was buried with his mother, his sister and his grandfather in Carrowdore Churchyard, Co Down (Photograph: Albert Bridge)
Patrick Comerford
Recently, The Irish Timesinvited me to review Solitary and Wild, David Fitzpatrick’s new biographyof Bishop Frederick MacNeice, father of the poet Louis MacNeice (1907-1963).
Frederick Louis MacNeice (1907-1963) was an Irish poet and playwright. He was part of the generation of the “’30s Poets,” who included WH Auden, Stephen Spender, and Cecil Day-Lewis.
Louis MacNeice was born in Belfast in 1907, the youngest son of Bishop Frederick MacNeice and Elizabeth Margaret (‘Lily’) MacNeice, both originally from Co Galway.
When Louis MacNeice was six, his mother was admitted to a Dublin nursing home and she died in 1914 when he was seven. He would later blamed her illness and subsequent death on his own difficult birth.
MacNeice was educated at Sherborne and at Marlborough, where he was a contemporary of John Betjeman and shared a study with Anthony Blunt, and at Merton College, Oxford.
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