CBSE Class 12 English Poem “My Mother at Sixty-Six” Notes: The notes here comprise summary in English & Hindi, understanding the poem, explanation and analysis of the poem “My Mother at Sixty-Six”. Going through the study notes given here would help students a lot in understanding ad preparing the poem for exams.
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Content Topics
- Poem: My Mother at Sixty-Six
- Summary of “My Mother at Sixty-six”
- Summary in Hindi
- Understanding the Poem “My Mother at Sixty-six”
- Explanation of “My Mother at Sixty-six”
- Stanza Wise Explanation of “My Mother at Sixty-six”
- Analysis of “My Mother at Sixty-six”
Poem: My Mother at Sixty-Six by Kamla Das
My Mother at Sixty-Six:
Kamla Das
Driving from my parent’s
home to Cochin last Friday
morning, I saw my mother,
beside me,
doze, open mouthed, her face
ashen like that
of a corpse and realized with pain
that she was as old as she
looked but soon
put that thought away, and
looked out at Young
Trees sprinting, the merry children spilling
out of their homes, but after the airport’s
security check, standing a few yards
away, I looked again at her, wan, pale
as a late winter’s moon and felt that old
familiar ache, my childhood’s fear,
but all I said was, see you soon, Amma,
all I did was smile and smile and
smile……
Summary of “My Mother at Sixty-six”
The Indian poet Kamla Das, who wrote under the pen name of ‘Madhavikutty’, has penned a touching poem about her feelings of love and affection towards her aging mother. During a visit to her mother, as she was on her way back to the airport to return to Cochin, the poet observed her mother who had dozed off to sleep. The ageing face of her mother appeared smoky in colour like ash, with her mouth open resembling a dead body. This made the poet realize the reality of her mother’s age, evoking feelings of pain and sympathy.
To overcome the somber mood, the poet shifted her gaze out of the car’s window, where she saw young trees passing by, and little children running out of their houses into the playgrounds, symbolizing energy, life and happiness – in stark contrast to the ageing face of her mother.
As they arrived at the airport, the poet glanced at her mother once again, and observed her appearing weak and pale, similar to the moon in the winter season, that appears to have lost all its strength. This evoked feelings of pain and fear in the poet, reminding her of her childhood when she used to fear losing her mother even for a few moments. The thought of losing her mother permanently now as she was about to die, was unbearable for the poet. Though the poet did not express her feelings, she smiled and said “see you soon, Amma”, wishing for her mother to live so that they could meet again.
Summary in Hindi
यह एक दुखद कविता है जो भारतीय कवि कमला दास ने लिखी है, जो उन्होंने पेन नाम ‘माधविकुट्टी’ के तहत लिखी थी। इस कविता में, उन्होंने अपनी बूढ़ी होती माँ के प्रति अपनी प्रेम और संवेदना की भावना को व्यक्त किया है।
एक बार कवि अपनी माँ को मिलने गई, जो उस समय कार में बैठी हुई थी जब वह कोच्चि हवाई अड्डे की ओर जा रही थी। उसकी माँ सो चुकी थी, और उनका बुढ़ापा उनके चेहरे पर सफेद रंग की तरह जैसे राख के रंग का लग रहा था। उनका मुंह खुला था और वह एक मुर्दा शरीर की तरह दिख रही थी। कवि को यह अनुभव हुआ कि उसकी माँ बुढ़ी हो गई हैं और उसे उनके लिए दुख और सहानुभूति महसूस होती है। उसकी माँ को प्यार, स्नेह और देखभाल की जरूरत थी।
कवि ने अपनी माँ से नज़रें हटा दीं, क्योंकि वह दुखी महसूस नहीं करना चाहती थीं और कार की खिड़की की तरफ देखने लगीं । उन्होंने बाहर नए पेड़ों को देखा जो गतिशील कार से तेज़ी से गुज़र रहे थे। छोटे बच्चे खेलने के लिए आमंत्रित हो रहे थे और अपने घरों से बाहर भाग रहे थे। ये नज़ारे उनकी माँ की बुढ़ापे की स्थिति से बहुत अलग थे। उन्होंने कमजोरी, थकान और दुख का प्रतीक बनाते हुए अपनी माँ की वृद्धावस्था को दर्शाया है।
जैसे ही वे हवाई अड्डे पहुँचे और कवि विमान में सवार होने जा रही थी , वह अपनी माँ की तरफ मुड़ के देखने लगीं । वह कमजोर और मृदुल दिख रही थीं, जैसे सर्दियों में चाँदनी ख़त्म हो गई हो, जैसे उसने सब अपनी ताक़त खो दी हो। कवि ने अपनी माँ को खोने का दर्द और भय महसूस किया। उन्होंने अपने बचपन को याद किया जब उन्हें अपनी माँ को खोने का डर रहता था। बचपन में वह उससे दूर रहना नहीं चाहती थीं ,कुछ पल के लिए भी नहीं । लेकिन अब उन्हें माँ को हमेशा के लिए खोना का डर था क्योंकि उनकी माँ मर रही थीं और वह उन्हें हमेशा के लिए खो देने वाली थीं। कवि ने अपने भावनाओं को व्यक्त नहीं किया। उन्होंने मुसकुराकर कहा, “जल्दी मिलेंगे, अम्मा,” क्योंकि वह चाहते थे कि उनकी माँ जिंदा रहें और फिर से मिलें।
Understanding the Poem “My Mother at Sixty-six”
“My Mother at Sixty-six” by Kamla Das is a poignant and reflective poem about a daughter’s realization of her mother’s aging and mortality.
The poem is set in India, as the narrator is driving from her parent’s home to Cochin. As she drives, she notices her mother sleeping beside her with her mouth open, and her face looking ashen like that of a corpse. This sight makes the narrator feel a sense of pain and sadness as she realizes that her mother is as old as she looks.
However, the narrator quickly puts that thought away and tries to focus on the world around her. She observes the young trees sprinting and the children spilling out of their homes, trying to distract herself from her thoughts. But even after the airport’s security check, the narrator is still haunted by her realization about her mother’s age and mortality. The poet looks at her mother again and feels the familiar ache of childhood fear. She notices that her mother looks wan and pale, like a late winter’s moon.
The poem ends with the poet bidding farewell to her mother, saying that she will see her soon, and smiling.
The poem captures the universal experience of watching a loved one age and the emotions that come with that realization. The juxtaposition of the mother’s sleep and the world outside, full of youthful energy and vitality, highlights the contrast between life and death, youth and aging. The poem ends on a poignant note, leaving the reader with a sense of the narrator’s grief and acceptance of the inevitable passage of time.
The poem also highlights the complexity of emotions that the poet experiences, as she tries to reconcile her feelings of fear and pain with her love i.e. poet’s inner sadness and her outward smile for her mother.
Explanation of “My Mother at Sixty-six”
The poem “My mother at sixty-six” by Kamla Das is a poignant reflection on the fragility of life, the inevitability of aging, and the pain of separation. The poem is a personal account of the poet’s journey from her parent’s home to the city of Cochin with her mother. The journey becomes a moment of realization for the poet, as she observes her mother dozing off beside her in the car and notices how old and frail she has become.
The poem begins with the poet’s description of her journey from her parent’s home to Cochin. She sees her mother dozing off beside her with an open mouth and an ashen face. The poet realizes that her mother looks as old as she is, and this realization fills her with pain. However, she soon puts that thought away and tries to distract herself by looking out at the young trees and merry children playing outside their homes. The poet is trying to cope with her mother’s aging by denying it and focusing on the beauty of life around her.
The real impact of the situation, however, hits the poet when she reaches the airport’s security check. Standing a few yards away from her mother, she looks at her again and sees her as wan and pale as a late winter’s moon. This sight triggers memories of her childhood’s fear, the fear of losing her mother. The poet’s childhood memories resurface, and she feels an ache in her heart. The poem becomes a powerful meditation on the inevitability of aging and death.
In the end, the poet tries to mask her pain by saying, “see you soon, Amma,” and smiling repeatedly. The poet’s repeated smile is a symbol of her attempt to suppress her emotions and pain. She wants to hold onto her mother as long as she can and not let go. However, the reality of life and aging is too stark to ignore, and the poem ends with a sense of melancholy and sadness.
Overall, “My mother at sixty-six” is a touching and moving poem that captures the pain of aging, separation, and loss. The poem is an expression of the universal human experience of coping with the inevitability of aging and death. The poet’s use of vivid imagery, powerful metaphors, and evocative language makes this poem a poignant and memorable piece of literature.
Stanza Wise Explanation of “My Mother at Sixty-six”
The poem “My Mother at Sixty-Six” by Kamla Das is a poignant reflection on the poet’s emotional response to seeing her aging mother. The poem is structured in a series of stanzas that chart the poet’s emotional journey as she sees her mother in different contexts.
My Mother at Sixty-Six:
Driving from my parent’s
home to Cochin last Friday
morning, I saw my mother,
beside me,
doze, open mouthed, her face
ashen like that
of a corpse and realized with pain
that she was as old as she
looked but soon
The poem begins with the poet driving from her parent’s home to Cochin. She sees her mother dozing beside her in the car, with her mouth open and her face ashen like that of a corpse. The poet realizes with pain that her mother is as old as she looks.
put that thought away, and
looked out at Young
Trees sprinting, the merry children spilling
out of their homes, but after the airport’s
In this stanza, the poet puts that thought away and tries to focus on the young trees and merry children outside. She tries to distract herself from the realization that her mother is aging.
out of their homes, but after the airport’s
security check, standing a few yards
away, I looked again at her, wan, pale
as a late winter’s moon and felt that old
familiar ache, my childhood’s fear,
After the airport’s security check, the poet looks at her mother again and sees her as wan and pale as a late winter’s moon. The poet feels the familiar ache of childhood fear and sadness, as she is reminded that her mother is getting older.
but all I said was, see you soon, Amma,
all I did was smile and smile and
smile……
In the final stanza, the poet acknowledges her feelings but doesn’t express them directly to her mother. Instead, she simply says, “see you soon, Amma,” and smiles and smiles and smiles, hiding her emotions from her mother.
Analysis of “My Mother at Sixty-six”
The poem “My mother at sixty-six” by Kamla Das is a poignant reflection on the relationship between a mother and her adult daughter, and the passage of time that inevitably brings aging and mortality. The speaker is driving with her mother, who is asleep in the passenger seat, and she notices her mother’s face looks ashen and corpse-like. This realization causes the speaker to feel pain, as she acknowledges that her mother is as old as she looks. However, the speaker quickly pushes this thought away and distracts herself by looking out at the young trees and children playing.
The second stanza depicts the moment when the speaker is standing at the airport security check, a few yards away from her mother. She looks at her mother once again and notices how pale and wan she appears, like a late winter’s moon. This sight triggers a wave of emotions in the speaker, as she recalls her childhood fears and the realization that her mother is growing old. However, the speaker keeps her emotions in check and only says, “See you soon, Amma,” while smiling repeatedly.
The poem explores the complex emotions that arise when we confront our parents’ aging and mortality. The speaker’s initial reaction is to push away the painful thought that her mother is aging and instead focuses on the present moment, looking at the young trees and children playing. This reaction is understandable and is often a way of coping with the inevitability of aging and death. However, the speaker’s emotions resurface when she sees her mother again, and the sight of her mother’s frailty and aging triggers childhood fears and sadness.
The poem’s simple language and structure convey a sense of immediacy and intimacy, allowing the reader to feel as if they are sharing the speaker’s thoughts and emotions. The poem ends with the repetition of the word “smile,” which can be interpreted in different ways. On one hand, the repetition of “smile” can be seen as a way for the speaker to hide her true emotions and to put on a brave face. On the other hand, it can be viewed as a gesture of love and warmth towards her mother, a way of reassuring her that everything is okay.
Overall, “My mother at sixty-six” is a moving and relatable poem that explores the complexities of the mother-daughter relationship and the emotions that arise when we confront our parents’ aging and mortality.