Captain Cook (To My Brother) (Letitia Elizabeth Landon)

This section provides analysis for the poem Captain Cook (To My Brother) by Letitia Elizabeth Landon. Letitia Elizabeth Landon’s poem "Captain Cook (To My Brother)" delves into themes of childhood, nostalgia, and the passage of time. Through the persona of a speaker addressing her brother, the poem reflects on their shared youthful fantasies, the sense of wonder they derived from stories of exploration, and the eventual loss of these dreams as they grow older. The poem draws upon historical and imaginative references, specifically the voyages of Captain Cook, to explore how childhood dreams and the sense of belonging they foster can fade with time, but still hold a lasting emotional significance. You can read the poem below followed by detailed analysis. 

Captain Cook (To My Brother) by Letitia Elizabeth Landon

Do you recall the fancies of many years ago, 
When the pulse danced those light measures that again it cannot know? 
Ah! we both of us are alter’d, and now we talk no more 
Of all the old creations that haunted us of yore. 

Then any favourite volume was a mine of long delight, 
From whence we took our future, to fashion as we might, 
We liv’d again its pages, we were its chiefs and kings, 
As actual, but more pleasant, than what the day now brings. 

It was an August evening, with sunset in the trees, 
When home you brought his Voyages who found the fair South Seas. 
We read it till the sunset amid the boughs grew dim;
 All other favourite heroes were nothing beside him. 

For weeks he was our idol, we sail’d with him at sea, 
And the pond amid the willows the ocean seem’d to be. 
The water-lilies growing beneath the morning smile, 
We call’d the South Sea islands, each flower a different isle. 

No golden lot that fortune could draw for human life, 
To us seemed like a sailor’s, mid the storm and strife. 
Our talk was of fair vessels that swept before the breeze,
 And new discover’d countries amid the Southern Seas. 

Within that lonely garden what happy hours went by, 
While we fancied that around us spread foreign sea and sky. 
Ah! the dreaming and the distant no longer haunt the mind; 
We leave in leaving childhood, life’s fairy land behind. 

There is not of that garden a single tree or flower; 
They have plough’d its long green grasses and cut down the lime-tree bower. 
Where are the Guelder roses, whose silver used to bring, 
With the gold of the laburnums, their tribute to the Spring. 

They have vanish’d with the childhood that with their treasures play’d; 
The life that cometh after dwells in a darker shade. 
Yet the name of that sea-captain, it cannot but recall 
How much we lov’d his dangers, and how we mourn’d his fall.

Analysis of the Poem

Context and Overview

Letitia Elizabeth Landon (1802–1838), often known as "L.E.L.," was a popular poet and novelist in the early 19th century. Much of her work explores themes of love, loss, and the complexities of the human condition. In "Captain Cook (To My Brother)," Landon reflects on the impact of childhood imagination, the sense of belonging created through shared experiences, and the inevitable disillusionment that comes with maturity. The poem addresses both the specific historical figure of Captain James Cook and the broader idea of childhood adventures, highlighting how these early, idealised experiences shape our understanding of the world.

Form and Structure

The poem consists of several stanzas with varying lengths, and it uses a predominantly regular rhyme scheme. The rhyme pattern in each stanza is mostly ABAB, although some variations in the pattern occur, suggesting a slightly shifting emotional tone. This formal structure complements the reflective nature of the poem, as it moves between past and present, between the joy of childhood and the melancholy of its loss.

The shifting rhythm and rhyme scheme, coupled with the absence of a regular meter, reflect the sense of nostalgia and emotional fluctuation as the speaker reflects on their childhood fantasies and the passing of time. The poem’s relaxed pace mirrors the leisurely, carefree moments of the past, while its gradual progression into more somber tones reflects the bittersweetness of growing up.

Imagery and Language

The poem is rich in vivid imagery, much of it tied to nature and the speaker’s childhood experiences. The opening lines recall the past with the speaker addressing their brother: “Do you recall the fancies of many years ago, / When the pulse danced those light measures that again it cannot know?” This evokes the joy and light-heartedness of youth, where the “pulse danced” with energy and enthusiasm. However, the wistful tone of the second line, “that again it cannot know,” implies a loss of this innocence and youthful vitality, suggesting that the passage of time has altered them both.

The image of the favourite volume—the book of Captain Cook’s voyages—symbolises the boundless imagination of youth. The speaker recalls how their childhood selves “lived again its pages,” positioning them as active participants in the adventures. The idea of “fashion[ing] our future” from the book reflects how children use literature and imagination to shape their sense of identity and their aspirations for the future. This imaginative engagement with the text is more “pleasant” than reality, suggesting that childhood is viewed as a time of idealism, where fantasy is preferred over the “day now brings.”

The nostalgic tone becomes more pronounced in the third stanza, where the speaker recalls the specific moment when their brother brought home the book: “It was an August evening, with sunset in the trees, / When home you brought his Voyages who found the fair South Seas.” The image of the “sunset in the trees” conjures a serene, almost magical moment, reinforcing the idealised perception of the past. The “pond amid the willows” is imagined as the ocean, and “the South Sea islands” are symbolised by the “water-lilies.” This fantastical transformation of their garden into a distant, exotic landscape captures the way children use their imagination to create a sense of wonder and belonging.

The themes of adventure and exploration continue in the speaker’s idealisation of Captain Cook’s voyages. The mention of “fair vessels” and “new discovered countries” reflects the allure of the unknown, as well as the sense of possibility that comes with youth. The childlike perception of a sailor’s life being more appealing than any material wealth (“No golden lot that fortune could draw for human life”) suggests that for the speaker, the ideal life was one of adventure and discovery, filled with the thrill of exploration.

Themes of Childhood, Belonging, and Loss

The theme of childhood as a time of joy, creativity, and wonder is central to the poem. The speaker’s memories of their childhood experiences with their brother create a sense of belonging—both to each other and to the shared imaginative world they built together. Their engagement with Captain Cook’s voyages is an example of how the bonds formed in childhood are rooted in mutual experiences, stories, and fantasies. The reference to “we sail’d with him at sea” and “the pond amid the willows the ocean seem’d to be” highlights how their imagination brought them a sense of belonging to something larger than themselves—an adventurous world that transcended their immediate surroundings.

However, the latter part of the poem shifts toward a more melancholic reflection on the passage of time. The line “Ah! the dreaming and the distant no longer haunt the mind” suggests that the speaker has grown up and lost the ability to engage with the world in the same way. The childhood sense of wonder has faded, and the “life that cometh after dwells in a darker shade,” marking the loss of innocence and the harshness of adulthood.

In the final stanza, the speaker laments the changes that have occurred in their physical surroundings, particularly in the garden: “There is not of that garden a single tree or flower; / They have plough’d its long green grasses and cut down the lime-tree bower.” The garden, once a space of imagination and childhood belonging, has been altered, symbolising the loss of childhood itself. The “Guelder roses” and “laburnums” that once symbolised the beauty of spring now stand as symbols of what has been lost. The flowers and trees, like the childhood dreams they represent, have faded away, leaving behind a more barren, less magical reality.

Summary

Captain Cook (To My Brother) is a poignant reflection on the passage of time, the loss of childhood innocence, and the bittersweet nature of nostalgia. Landon uses the figure of Captain Cook and the imagery of exploration and adventure to evoke a time when life seemed full of possibilities and wonders. The shared experiences between the speaker and her brother—embodied in their imaginative engagement with Cook’s voyages—create a sense of belonging rooted in both family and the expansive world of childhood dreams. However, as the poem progresses, this sense of belonging is overshadowed by the inevitable transition into adulthood, where the dreams of the past give way to the harsher realities of the present. The poem captures the melancholy of growing up, and yet, it also preserves the memory of a time when the world was full of infinite possibilities and the bonds of childhood were unbreakable.

You can find analysis of all the Edexcel Belonging Poetry Anthology Poems here.