A Child's Garden Poem by Rudyard Kipling

A Child's Garden

Rating: 3.2


R. L. Stevenson


Now there is nothing wrong with me
Except -- I think it's called T.B.
And that is why I have to lay
Out in the garden all the day.

Our garden is not very wide
And cars go by on either side,
And make an angry-hooty noise
That rather startles little boys.

But worst of all is when they take
Me out in cars that growl and shake,
With charabancs so dreadful-near
I have to shut my eyes for fear.

But when I'm on my back again,
I watch the Croydon aeroplane
That flies across to France, and sings
Like hitting thick piano-strings.

When I am strong enough to do
The things I'm truly wishful to,
I'll never use a car or train
But always have an aeroplane;

And just go zooming round and round,
And frighten Nursey with the sound,
And see the angel-side of clouds,
And spit on all those motor-crowds!

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
John Richter 06 January 2015

Exactly why Kipling was a master! What a wonderful poem, written in the mind of a child - who wishes to impishly scare nursey with the sound of his imaginary airplane - which he would probably never grow old enough to fly. I can not think of a more lovely, quaint, yet emotionally sad backdrop for a poem...... Absolutely wonderful. On the outskirts of the county I grew up in is a turn of the 20th century building - beautiful - though now abandoned. During the early part of the 20th century it served as our Tuberculosis hospital. TB was looked upon as contagious as Ebola might be today, and any child contracting the disease had a great likelihood of dying from it.

23 4 Reply
Pia Pincenzo 05 July 2016

Well said, for the layman and the dreamer both.........

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Ayushi Dhar Chowdhury 21 January 2022

Oh dear..... Why did the children contracting T.B. had a great likelihood of dying from it? Could not they survive at all?

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Anne Marie Higgins 09 March 2022

I love your comment. I agree it is said from a child's point of view. This poem made me quite emotional. It shows just how much the poet empathizes and

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Ayushi Dhar Chowdhury 21 January 2022

Such an emotional poem. Such happen to children who die at a very early age, as they suffer from deadly diseases like T.B., cancer etc. All their dreams remain unfulfilled.... So sad!

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Dr Antony Theodore 14 December 2020

But when I'm on my back again, I watch the Croydon aeroplane That flies across to France, and sings Like hitting thick piano-strings. Making it lively with examples. tony

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John Harrison 13 July 2020

Written beautifully. A tribute to Stevenson's " A Child's Garden of Verse" .

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Shaun Cronick 02 June 2020

And of course Hilaire Belloc to add to Roald Dahl.

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Shaun Cronick 02 June 2020

The late great Roald Dahl must surely have read this and been influenced by it.

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M NM m NM m'n n 08 July 2022

Mnn

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