EnglishCBSE Class 9 · I Cannot Remember My Mother

I Cannot Remember My Mother (Kaveri Unit 4): The Three Senses and the Refrain

Updated 17 October 2026 · Fact-checked

In I Cannot Remember My Mother, Rabindranath Tagore's speaker lost his mother too early to remember her face. Yet each stanza, opening with the same refrain, shows her presence through a different sense: a tune over his toys (hearing), the scent of shiuli flowers (smell) and the stillness of her gaze in the sky (sight). Love lives in feeling and not only in pictures.

Each stanza repeats the refrain, then finds his mother through a new sense, moving from small toys to the vast sky.

Illustration drawn for QuestionBuddy.

Understand I Cannot Remember My Mother: Sound, Scent, Sight and the Refrain

The refrain. Every stanza begins "I cannot remember my mother". The repetition stresses the loss, and each stanza then turns to what he still feels, using "only sometimes", "but when" and "only when". The poem has three stanzas and no rhyme scheme; its music comes from the repetition and gentle rhythm.

Stanza 1: hearing. In the middle of play, a tune seems to hover over his toys. It is the tune of a song she used to hum while rocking his cradle. He does not recall her face, but his ear remembers her voice. The setting is indoors, at play.

Stanza 2: smell. Early on an autumn morning, the smell of shiuli flowers (coral jasmine) floats in the air. The scent of the morning service in the temple comes to him as the scent of his mother. Flowers, worship and mother blend into one fragrance. The setting is outdoors.

Stanza 3: sight. Looking out of his bedroom window at the blue of the distant sky, he feels that the stillness of his mother's gaze on his face has spread all over the sky. Her look, loving and calm, is now as large and constant as the sky.

The movement of the poem. The poem moves from the small and near (toys, a cradle song) to the vast and far (the sky). The mother's presence therefore seems to fill the whole world around him.

Devices. The refrain, imagery of sound, smell and sight, personification of the tune that "hovers", and a metaphor in the sky holding the mother's gaze. Sensory imagery is the chief device.

Tone. The tone is tender and wistful, but it ends with comfort.

Central idea. Love leaves traces deeper than conscious memory, and a lost mother stays with her child through sound, scent and sight.

I Cannot Remember My Mother: Sound, Scent, Sight and the Refrain: key facts

Three senses: Hearing a tune over the toys
Smell shiuli flowers and temple service
Sight stillness of her gaze in the sky; One sense per stanza.
Movement: Toys small and indoors
Garden and temple outdoors
Sky vast; From near to far.
Refrain: I cannot remember my mother
only sometimes / but when / only when
a sensory memory; Same opening, different ending.
Devices: Refrain
Sensory imagery
Personification: tune hovers
No rhyme scheme; Name and quote.

Hearing	a tune over the toys
Smell	shiuli flowers and temple service
Sight	stillness of her gaze in the sky

Toys	small and indoors
Garden and temple	outdoors
Sky	vast

How to answer I Cannot Remember My Mother: Sound, Scent, Sight and the Refrain questions

Use this for questions on memory or imagery.

1State the refrain and what it shows.
2Name the sense in the stanza.
3Quote the image.
4Explain how it brings the mother back.
5Close with love beyond memory.

I Cannot Remember My Mother: Sound, Scent, Sight and the Refrain in real life

The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

A scent that remembers

Suppose a boy smells fresh-baked bread from a window and suddenly recalls his late grandmother in her kitchen, although he cannot recall her face.

Which stanza of the poem does this match? Answer in 2 lines.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

A scent brings back a person.
It is memory without a clear picture.

Answer: It matches the second stanza, where the scent of the shiuli flowers and the temple service brings back the mother, though the speaker cannot remember her.

Memory hook: A smell can hold a person.

Tricks to remember I Cannot Remember My Mother: Sound, Scent, Sight and the Refrain

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

S-S-S
Sound, Scent, Sight: stanzas 1, 2 and 3.
Use it when: The three senses.
Toys to sky
The poem travels from toys to the sky.
Use it when: Movement.
But after cannot
Cannot… yet a sense remembers: each "cannot remember" is followed by a sensory memory.
Use it when: Structure.

I Cannot Remember My Mother: Sound, Scent, Sight and the Refrain: solved examples

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.

Example 1: Refrain · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

The refrain of the poem is
(a) I cannot remember my mother (b) a tune seems to hover (c) the scent of shiuli (d) the stillness of the sky

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

It opens every stanza.

Answer: (a) I cannot remember my mother

Example 2: The tune · 2 marks · Short answerBoard level

Which sense is used in the first stanza and what does the tune remind the speaker of? Answer in 40-50 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Hearing (1).
The song she hummed while rocking his cradle (1).

Answer: The first stanza uses the sense of hearing. In the middle of play, a tune seems to hover over the speaker's toys. It reminds him of the song his mother used to hum while rocking his cradle. He cannot recall her face, but he still remembers her voice.

Example 3: Shiuli · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

Why does the poet mention the scent of shiuli flowers and the temple service together? Answer in 40-50 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Smell (1).
Flowers, worship and mother blend into one fragrance (1).
Memory through scent (1).

Answer: The scent of shiuli flowers floats in the early autumn morning, and the scent of the temple's morning service comes with it. The poet joins them to show that flowers, worship and his mother are blended into one fragrance. The smell brings her presence back, even though he cannot picture her.

Example 4: The sky · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

What does the speaker feel when he looks at the blue of the distant sky? Answer in 40-50 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Stillness of her gaze (1).
Spread all over the sky (1).
Her love is vast and constant (1).

Answer: When he looks out of his bedroom window at the distant blue sky, he feels that the stillness of his mother's gaze on his face has spread over the whole sky. The image shows her loving look as vast and constant, and it gives him the feeling that her presence surrounds him.

Example 5: Memory beyond pictures · 6 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

"Memory lives in the senses, not in pictures." How does the poem prove this? Answer in 100-120 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Claim and refrain (1).
Evidence from three stanzas (3).
Conclusion (1).
Expression (1).

Answer: The speaker repeats that he cannot remember his mother, so he has no picture of her face. Yet each stanza shows that she is still with him. In the first, a tune hovers over his toys and recalls the song she hummed at his cradle. In the second, the scent of shiuli flowers and the temple service becomes the scent of his mother. In the third, the stillness of her gaze seems to spread through the blue sky. Each memory comes from a sense: hearing, smell and sight. The poem thus proves that love can be stored in feelings and sensations that remain even when the mind cannot recall a face.

Where students lose marks in I Cannot Remember My Mother: Sound, Scent, Sight and the Refrain

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

Mistake: Saying the poet remembers his mother
The refrain says he cannot.
Wrong working
The speaker remembers his mother clearly.
Right working
He cannot remember her but feels her presence.
Do this: Quote the refrain.
Usually costs: 1 mark
Mistake: Mixing the senses
Each stanza has one sense.
Wrong working
The scent comes in stanza 1.
Right working
Sound is in stanza 1, smell in 2, sight in 3.
Do this: Use S-S-S.
Usually costs: 1 mark
Mistake: Giving a rhyme scheme
The poem has none.
Wrong working
The poem rhymes ABAB.
Right working
There is no rhyme scheme; music comes from repetition.
Do this: State "no rhyme scheme".
Usually costs: 1 mark
Mistake: Missing the central idea
The question asks for meaning.
Wrong working
Only listing the senses.
Right working
Love leaves traces deeper than memory.
Do this: End with the idea.
Usually costs: 1 to 2 marks

Exam tips

Always quote the refrain.
Label each stanza with its sense.
Use the words "hover", "scent" and "stillness" accurately.
Say there is no rhyme scheme.
End with the idea of presence beyond memory.

Practice questions on I Cannot Remember My Mother: Sound, Scent, Sight and the Refrain

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level
Which flower is named in the second stanza?
(a) rose (b) lotus (c) shiuli (d) marigold
Hint
It is also called coral jasmine.
Answer
(c) shiuli
Q2 · 2 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Why is the repetition of "I cannot remember my mother" effective? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
Think of loss and what follows.
Answer
The repetition stresses the speaker's loss and makes the reader feel it. Each time it is followed by a sensory memory, so the line also builds a contrast between what is forgotten and what is felt. It gives the poem a gentle, song-like rhythm.
Q3 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Compare the settings of the first and third stanzas. Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
Indoors and sky.
Answer
The first stanza is set indoors, in the middle of play, where a tune hovers over toys. The third looks out of the bedroom window to the vast blue sky. The movement from the small, near world of play to the wide sky suggests that his mother's presence is all around him.
Q4 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
How does the poet use personification in the poem? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
Which thing is said to hover?
Answer
The tune is said to hover over the toys, as if it were a bird or a living presence. This is the main example of personification. The stillness of her gaze spreading over the sky is a metaphor, not personification. Through such images the poet makes his mother seem present in everything around him.
Q5 · 6 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
Suppose a friend has lost a grandparent and says memories are fading. Write a few lines of comfort (100-120 words) using the idea of the poem.
Hint
Use senses and love beyond memory.
Answer
I am sorry for your loss. You say that your memories are fading, but a poem I studied gives me a thought to share. Rabindranath Tagore's speaker cannot remember his mother, yet a tune, a scent and the stillness of the sky bring her back to him. Memory is not only a picture in the mind; it also lives in senses and feelings. You may find your grandparent in a song they hummed, a food they cooked or a quiet look. Love leaves traces deeper than any picture. So please do not worry; those memories will return in unexpected ways.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

1.Who wrote the poem?Show answer
Rabindranath Tagore.
2.In which unit?Show answer
Kaveri Unit 4.
3.How many stanzas?Show answer
Three.
4.Which flower is named?Show answer
Shiuli (coral jasmine).
5.What hovers over the toys?Show answer
A tune.
6.What spreads over the sky?Show answer
The stillness of her gaze.

I Cannot Remember My Mother: Sound, Scent, Sight and the Refrain: frequently asked questions

What is the refrain?

I cannot remember my mother.

What senses are used?

Hearing, smell and sight.

Is there a rhyme scheme?

No; the music comes from repetition and gentle rhythm.

What is the central idea?

Love leaves traces deeper than conscious memory.