--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: imagine that it were given back to me to…" description: "\"“imagine that it were given back to me to be the child who knew departure would be sweet, the boy who drew square-rigged ships, the girl who knew truck..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df2/marilyn-hacker-13845_children_imagine-that-it-were-given-back-to-me-to_561906.png" --- # imagine that it were given back to me to be the child who… ![“imagine that it were given back to me to be the child who knew departure would be sweet, the boy who drew square-rigged ships, the girl who knew truck routes from ottawa to mexico, the me who found a door in latin verse and made a map out of hexameters.” quote by Marilyn Hacker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df2/marilyn-hacker-13845_children_imagine-that-it-were-given-back-to-me-to_561906.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df2/marilyn-hacker-13845_children_imagine-that-it-were-given-back-to-me-to_561906.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df2/marilyn-hacker-13845_children_imagine-that-it-were-given-back-to-me-to_561906.png) > ““imagine that it were given back to me to be the child who knew departure would be sweet, the boy who drew square-rigged ships, the girl who knew truck routes from ottawa to mexico, the me who found a door in latin verse and made a map out of hexameters.”” [Marilyn Hacker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-hacker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker reflects on a nostalgic longing to reclaim a youthful, imaginative self who saw departure as sweet and navigated the world through creative, poetic maps. **In simple terms:** Yearning for a creative, adventurous past self. Key Takeaway Embrace curiosity and poetic imagination. Themes nostalgia creativity journey identity Mood reflective hopeful inspired Type literary personal creative When to use this quote - writing workshops - travel planning - creative education - personal reflection Key Concepts poetry self‑discovery imaginary geography Questions to Reflect On - How can you channel that youthful curiosity today? - What modern “maps” guide your life? A Different Perspective Idealizing the past may ignore present realities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Child Knew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child-knew-729762/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Departure Sweet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/departure-sweet-4656574/) [Imagine Given](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagine-given-3592553/) [Knew Departure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knew-departure-4656573/) [Latin Verse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/latin-verse-4656575/) ## Related quotes > [“The success of my rule does not rely on my ability to recite obscure Latin verse.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-thomas/the-success-of-my-rule-does-not-rely-on-my-ability-to-recite-obscure/) [Sherry Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-thomas/) > [“Sometimes I close my eyes and paint these walls a different color. I imagine I’m wearing warm socks and sitting by a fire. 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The whole idea is regarded as a novelty, or an oddity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-hacker/the-phenomenon-of-university-creative-writing-programs-doesn-t-exist/) [Marilyn Hacker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-hacker/) > [“From Orient Point The art of living isn't hard to muster: Enjoy the hour, not what it might portend. When someone makes you promises,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-hacker/from-orient-point-the-art-of-living-isn-t-hard-to-muster-enjoy-the/) [Marilyn Hacker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-hacker/) > [Translation makes me look at how a poem is put together in a different way, without the personal investment of the poem I'm writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-hacker/translation-makes-me-look-at-how-a-poem-is-put-together-in-a/) [Marilyn Hacker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-hacker/) > [As a teacher you are more or less obliged to pay the same amount of attention to everything. 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