--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This child is not mine as the first was…" description: "\"This child is not mine as the first was; I cannot sing it to rest; I cannot lift it up fatherly, And bless it upon my breast. Yet it lies in my little ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/992/james-russell-lowell-561_bless_this-child-is-not-mine-as-the-first-was_710962.png" --- # This child is not mine as the first was; I cannot sing it… ![“This child is not mine as the first was; I cannot sing it to rest; I cannot lift it up fatherly, And bless it upon my breast. Yet it lies in my little one's cradle, And sits in my little one's chair, And the light of the heaven she 's gone to Transfigures its golden hair.” quote by James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/992/james-russell-lowell-561_bless_this-child-is-not-mine-as-the-first-was_710962.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/992/james-russell-lowell-561_bless_this-child-is-not-mine-as-the-first-was_710962.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/992/james-russell-lowell-561_bless_this-child-is-not-mine-as-the-first-was_710962.png) > “This child is not mine as the first was; I cannot sing it to rest; I cannot lift it up fatherly, And bless it upon my breast. Yet it lies in my little one's cradle, And sits in my little one's chair, And the light of the heaven she 's gone to Transfigures its golden hair.” [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A mother reflects on caring for a child that is not biologically hers, expressing love and spiritual connection despite lack of blood ties. **In simple terms:** A mother loves a child not her own. Key Takeaway Embrace love beyond biology. Themes parenthood love identity spirituality loss Mood tender contemplative Type poetic philosophical When to use this quote - adoption - step-parenting - foster care - blended families Key Concepts maternal instinct selfless care transcendence Questions to Reflect On - What defines a parent beyond genetics? - How do you nurture identity in such bonds? A Different Perspective May overlook challenges of legal and social aspects of non-biological parenting. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bless/) [Breasts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breasts/) [Chairs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chairs/) [Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child/) [Child Sing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child-sing-5608131/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Cradle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cradle/) [Cradle Sits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cradle-sits-5608129/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/golden/) [Golden hair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/golden-hair/) [Gone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gone/) [Hair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hair/) [Heaven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heaven/) [Lifts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lifts/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Little Cradle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/little-cradle-5608130/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Mines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mines/) ## Related quotes > [Most long lives resemble those threads of gossamer, the nearest approach to nothing unmeaningly prolonged, scarce visible pathways of some worm from his cradle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/most-long-lives-resemble-those-threads-of-gossamer-the-nearest/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > ['Tis sorrow builds the shining ladder up, Whose golden rounds are our calamities, Whereon our firm feet planting, nearer God The spirit climbs, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/tis-sorrow-builds-the-shining-ladder-up-whose-golden-rounds-are-our/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [“Strike, with hand of fire, O weird musician, thy harp strung with Apollo's golden hair; fill the vast cathedral aisles with symphonies sweet and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-g-ingersoll/strike-with-hand-of-fire-o-weird-musician-thy-harp-strung-with-apollo/) [Robert G. 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