ons of the first person pronoun and possessive pronoun, 'I', 'my', and clearly explains that the poet is writing this poem about his own childhood experience. Coleridege, the poet cum parent uses endearing terms of 'Dear Babe', (with a capital letter 'B'), 'With gentle tender gladness, thus to look at thee', 'My babe so beautiful! it thrills my heart' (lines 44, 48), Coleridge declares openly his overwhelming love and intimate relationship with his child.
             The lack of emotional language is evident in first four stanzas of Baillie's poem. The speaker describes matter-of-factly of the characteristics of the infant as a 'helpless thing' that she sees nothing valuable but merely 'shapeless limbs nor step nor grace' with its 'little silly plaint'. She goes as far as calling the 'helpless thing' a 'little varlet' – which does not appear kindly of a mother to do so.
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