Who hasn’t considered what can be possible when you are a royal? Many kids did think about a future life as a royal. In the poem If I were King, A.A. Milne described the wish of a child to be king.
Analysis
It’s a dream transformed into poetry. It’s a great gift when a poet has the ability to do this. It’s done more often than one might think.
The poem is written from the perspective of a child. Some of the used words are typical of how a child would pronounce or write them down. The sentences are short, but straightforward. The older we get, the more words we want to use and sometimes this doesn’t result in clarity.
In a way, this poem is one big protest against all those things that a child should or shouldn’t do. One for every country Milne uses in his poem.
If I were King
I often wish I were a King,
And then I could do anything.
If only I were King of Spain,
I’d take my hat off in the rain.
If only I were King of France,
I wouldn’t brush my hair for aunts.
I think, if I were King of Greece,
I’d push things off the mantelpiece.
If I were King of Norroway,
I’d ask an elephant to stay.
If I were King of Babylon,
I’d leave my button gloves undone.
If I were King of Timbuctoo,
I’d think of lovely things to do.
If I were King of anything,
I’d tell the soldiers, “I’m the King!”— A.A. Milne
Notice that not every country that is or was ruled by a monarch is present in this poem. The home country of The Ministry of Poetic Affairs – The Netherlands (Holland) – isn’t listed in this poem. Milne was not able to write about the king that rules this country and his upcoming birthday: April 27th.
Poetry for kids
You might wonder, why we publish a poem that is intended for kids. We have two very good reasons to do this:
- A. A. Milne was a talented writer and poet.
- We feel that we should share as many different forms of poetry as possible.
Your vision on monarchy
So, let’s have it with your poems about monarchy. What is your vision of monarchy? We are very interested in your work, so do submit it today!
