The Child’s Faith Is New

The Child’s Faith Is New - meaning Summary

Innocence Versus Worldly Sorrow

The poem contrasts a child’s unshakable, expansive faith with the adult experience of disillusionment. As a child, belief is immediate, wide and unquestioning, crediting the world with grandeur. Maturity narrows perception: doubts, learned caution, and sorrow replace naive estimations. The closing image shows grown people trained to expect pettiness and limitation—anticipating ordinary men instead of majestic rulers—signaling the loss of imaginative trust.