William Wordsworth: Biography & Works


Today’s article focuses on William Wordsworth, a key figure and poet of the Romantic period. We will delve into his biography and explore some of his most renowned works. The discussion will include summaries of selected poems, followed by critical analyses.

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William Wordsworth Biography

William Wordsworth Biography

William Wordsworth was born on April 7, 1770, in Cockermouth, Cumberland, England. Growing up in the picturesque Lake District, this region would later serve as a recurring theme in his poetry. His mother passed away when he was eight, and his father died when he was 13. Consequently, William Wordsworth and his four siblings were sent to live with various relatives. He attended Cambridge University, where he developed a deep love for poetry and literature. William Wordsworth was influenced by the French Revolution and the ideals of the Romantic movement, which emphasized individualism, imagination, and a connection with nature. In 1790, he embarked on a walking tour of France, the Alps, and Italy, further shaping his poetic sensibilities.

In 1793, William Wordsworth published his first poetry collection, “An Evening Walk and “Descriptive Sketches”. However, it was the publication of “Lyrical Ballads” in 1798, co-authored with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, that brought him widespread recognition. This collection marked the beginning of the Romantic movement in English literature and showcased William Wordsworth’s unique style and themes.

William Wordsworth’s poetry often focused on ordinary people and everyday life, exploring the sublime and the power of memory and imagination. He sought to capture the emotional and spiritual aspects of human existence, rejecting the artificiality and constraints of urban life. Some of his most famous poems include “Tintern Abbey,” “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” (also known as “Daffodils”), and “The Prelude”, an autobiographical poem that he continued to revise throughout his life.

In addition to his poetic work, William Wordsworth was a dedicated advocate for the preservation of natural landscapes. He believed that nature had a profound impact on human well-being and sought to protect it from the encroachment of industrialization. William Wordsworth’s reputation as a poet continued to grow, and he received numerous honors. In 1843, he was appointed Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, a position he held until he died in 1850.

William Wordsworth’s poetry continues to be widely read and appreciated for its lyrical beauty, profound insights, and celebration of nature and the human spirit. His work remains influential and continues to inspire generations of poets and readers.

William Wordsworth has composed numerous poems and poetic works. Below is a brief list highlighting some of his extensive oeuvre:

Poetry: Lyrical Ballads, Thanksgiving Ode, The River Duddon, Ecclesiastical Sketches, The Prelude, The Lucy Poems

Poem: Tintern Abbey, The Solitary Reaper, Michael, Daffodils, Immortality Ode, To Milton, The Excursion, Written in March

Poetic Drama: The Borderer

Preface To Lyrical Ballads by William Wordsworth

William Wordsworth's The Preface to Lyrical Ballads

“The Preface to Lyrical Ballads,” largely authored by William Wordsworth with contributions from S.T. Coleridge, was first published in 1798. William Wordsworth added an initial version of the preface, which he expanded two years later, as he believed his poems brought new themes and styles that needed introduction. Some scholars speculate that Coleridge intended to write the preface but never got around to it, thus the task fell to Wordsworth. In this preface, Wordsworth explains that the collection aimed to present poems about everyday life. Notably, each poem experimented with language, usage, or diction, as William Wordsworth sought to determine if conversational language could be effectively utilized in poetry.

In the preface, William Wordsworth outlines the essence and purpose of poetry and pinpoints the attributes of a genuine poet. He emphasizes that poetry should embody spontaneity and an outpouring of intense emotions.

However, although poetry should originate from spontaneity, it should not be composed spontaneously. Wordsworth contends that a poem should be the outcome of extensive and profound reflection. He also cautions against rigid adherence to the poetic conventions of classicism. Wordsworth delineates the poet’s process into four stages. The first stage is observation, where a person, object, or situation provokes strong emotions, which are recorded. The second stage is the collection, where the poet reflects on these observations in a state of tranquility.

In the collection stage, the poet reflects on memories to understand how the emotions they evoke relate to past experiences. The third stage is filtering, where the poet clears the mind of all non-essential elements, making personal experience relevant to a broader audience. The fourth and final stage is composition, where the poet begins to write.

The goal is to express emotions in a way that the reader can understand and contemplate. William Wordsworth then discusses imagination. He starts by explaining how the New Classicists defined imagination as a passive function of the mind that recorded sensations.

In contrast, for Romantics like William Wordsworth, imagination is more creative. Instead of merely associating recorded sensations with other objects, imagination is the power to create new realities and see beyond the material world. Regarding subjects for poetry, William Wordsworth asserts that poetry can capture any subject of interest to the mind. The key is not whether a subject is inherently poetic, but whether the poet can add meaning to it, thus making it poetic. Ordinary themes from common life can be worthy of contemplation.

According to William Wordsworth, this works because people living rustic lifestyles are closer to nature and less influenced by vanity and artificiality. Wordsworth then delves deeper into the function of poetry. Unlike the classicists, who valued art for art’s sake, believing that art should be produced regardless of moral values or concerns, Wordsworth and the Romantics believed in art for life’s sake. William Wordsworth saw poetry’s function as ennobling the reader by teaching moral and philosophical values and ideals.

Finally, William Wordsworth discusses the diction of poetry in greater depth. Diction, the choice of words, phrases, sentence structures, and figurative language, is crucial in all literature. Wordsworth places particular importance on diction in poetry because it is the poet’s primary medium of expression.

Despite this, William Wordsworth argues that the diction of poetry and prose should be the same and criticizes the New Classicists for their artificial and unnatural language. Passion, not ornament, dignity, or meter, should drive diction. He believed poetry should focus on rustic, humble situations using rustic, humble language. According to Wordsworth, this is the true source of poetic truth and beauty.

The Prelude by William Wordsworth

William Wordsworth's The Prelude

“The Prelude” is a collection of poems by William Wordsworth, comprising a total of 13 books. In this discussion, we have focused on Books 1, 2, 4, 6, 11, and 13.

Book One: Introduction, Childhood, and School Time

The first book of William Wordsworth’s *The Prelude* opens with the poet deciding to live outside England, returning to his native Lake District away from the cities. Here, in close communion with the land and nature he knows best, he seeks to develop the philosophical ideas for his poems. Book One explores numerous sources of poetic inspiration.

William Wordsworth contemplates British or classical themes that might inspire his thoughts. Ultimately, he concludes that returning to the River Derwent in northwest England, at the heart of the Lake District, would provide the richest memories to fuel his new poetry. There, he might encounter a dark, invisible workmanship that harmonizes discordant elements into the music he seeks.

Reflecting on his youth, William Wordsworth recalls the thrills and fears he experienced, including an incident where he impulsively took a boat left by a shepherd on the lake shore. He now recognizes this youthful act as thievery, recalling the terror he felt as the cliff seemed to pursue him, reminding him of his wrongdoing until he returned the boat to its rightful place.

The rest of Book One details Wordsworth’s early childhood and his growth as a schoolboy. He describes how he transcended traditional education by opening himself to nature and its existential truths. As he matured, both in age and size, his soul grew under divine inspiration, with nature as his primary companion during his youthful escapades. This stimulating home life introduced him to a world of joy and eternal beauty.

William Wordsworth speaks of his journey ahead as a creative process, of finding the right themes for his poetry. He concludes that glimmers of nature, like the flashing of a shield or the common face of the earth, gave him access to memorable experiences.

Book One of “The Prelude” serves as an exciting and passionate introduction to William Wordsworth, writing at the midpoint of his life. He reflects on the foundational events of his early childhood that shaped the themes he would explore in his poetry. Both fear and joy drive his creative impulse, and he discovers ways to conquer lethargy and fear as an adult. The book frequently acknowledges Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Wordsworth’s friend and fellow poet who inspired him to find his calling. William Wordsworth admits that his theme will be the story of his life, with the road to an epic theme lying plain before him, sought in every aspect of his past. He confesses this realization to himself.

Book Two: School-Time Continued

Book Two of William Wordsworth’s “The Prelude” is titled “School-Time Continued,” further elaborating on Wordsworth’s education.

As a young poet, William Wordsworth highly valued time spent in solitude as a means of gaining knowledge and depth. Simultaneously, he frequently joined other boisterous boys in vigorous explorations of nature’s beauty in the lakes and mountains. Like a baby nursed by its mother, he absorbed fortitude and wisdom from his surroundings, akin to a grateful sponge. This nourishment helped him build his inner self, which he later offered to others. Through friendship and love, he achieved a balance of external and internal experiences, the dual forces of being influenced and taking action, which developed the visionary ability essential to his lifelong journey as a poet.

William Wordsworth wistfully comments on the passage of time as an inevitable change that alters life’s conditions and leads to the beginning of adult disillusionment. In his native market town, a familiar local figure and a cornerstone of his childhood vision has been removed. The modest shop where the shopkeeper sold everyday items has been replaced by a smart assembly room, encroaching on the ground that once belonged to the community. Here, Wordsworth lays the foundation for his lamentation of modern marketplace capitalism, which undermines the indomitable human spirit that ties communities together.

Book Two is a vital part of “The Prelude” because it transitions from childhood to adolescence, preparing to introduce the young Wordsworth into the university atmosphere at Cambridge, where he fully enters the world of others. As time passed and his adventures matured, the poet found meaning in comparing his growth to the nourishment of babies. As he grew into a young man, he could give what he once received. He saw his maturation as a manifestation of the truth that the universe is not merely a state of passive reception but requires a proper balance of action. His growth fueled his poetic vision, making him an agent of the one Great Mind, both creator and receiver. The poet’s imagination receives impressions and transforms them to reflect the great and infinite mind perceived in nature.

William Wordsworth saw himself as distinct from his inspirational friend Coleridge, who had a more urban upbringing and sophistication. After writing this book, Wordsworth rededicated himself to nature. He states in the book that he finds an unfailing source of joy and pure passion in a roundabout fashion. The poet takes the reader through significant moments of his formation, leading to his commitment to making an epic of his life, transitioning from concept to creation.

Book Four: Summer Vacation

Book Four of William Wordsworth’s epic poem *The Prelude* is titled “Summer Vacation.” This book marks the poet’s eventual realization of his special vocation—his calling to poetry. It describes his return to his native area for summer break after spending time at university, where his inner needs were not met in the company of others. As a burgeoning young adult poet, Wordsworth feared that the wisdom and beauty he had absorbed as a child had faded forever. He knew he needed to reconnect with the feelings of his purer youth, with himself, and with others. He feels a kinship with ordinary people and begins to grasp his task to record his thoughts while he can. It is the observational work of the poet to walk the precipice between the universal and the deeply personal and to report back profundity.

“The Prelude” is an epic without a traditional hero, and its lines reveal a sense of modesty and humility toward nature. Wordsworth’s thoughts are in constant flux as he is young and forming his views. He remembers the sense of everything changing around him, moving from a state of quiet unity to a feeling of things passing and blurring his senses, like someone bending from the side of a slow-moving boat on still water, solacing himself with such discoveries as his eye can make during breaks from formal studies. He is forming an understanding of himself and others, though truth and reason remain blurred. The poet still believes that man has the potential to be great and good, but doubts the practice of these virtues.

The period described in the book consists of various turning points and perspectives. The young person attending lectures at a great university is far from certain in any knowledge. “The Prelude” as a whole does not contain grand heroic moments or deeds but maintains ongoing honesty and humility in dealing with things. Wordsworth admits that understanding the nature of a poet would demand more skill and time than he might have. He raises issues and charts his development, yet as his internal charting skills begin to take form, he willingly admits to confusion about the nature of man and himself. In hundreds of lines, he details being part of lively groups of enthusiastic young people, but he separates himself when nature repeats its glories for his eyes and senses, giving him a heart full of chosen feeling, a blessedness in being, as he describes it, a dedicated spirit. During his supposed vacation, he finds a path, not yet clear but in process. After all, we are all works in progress.

Book Six: Cambridge and the Alps

Book Six of William Wordsworth’s “The Prelude” is titled “Cambridge and the Alps.” In this book, the poet recalls the thrilling adventures of his younger self, who, in 1790, set out to explore the European continent with a friend. The grandeur of the immovable mountains inspired him to spend time in France, Switzerland, and Italy, exploring Europe’s highest elevations.

William Wordsworth does not recount the trip step by step or day by day; instead, he conveys the overall impressions the journey made on the young man. The poet experiences the purest sense of both emotion and reason amidst nature’s spectacular splendor, enjoying it both alone and with his hiking companion. They continue their ascent and eventual descent without realizing they have passed through and crossed a mountain. This unawareness makes the accomplishment even more significant and transcendent. The poet comes to understand that traversing the difficult pass unknowingly allows his imagination to reconstruct the scene, making the experience more exciting. Nature triumphs when humans allow it to leave an impression, and imagination acts as a bridge to nature and a source of genuine action. The poet feels an invisible world of greatness and hopes for destiny.

Additionally, being in France during the early, triumphant days of the Revolution brings the poet immense joy. He hopes the revolution will dramatically change the human condition, a hope he attempts to convey in his poetry. However, he is soon deeply disappointed.

Book Six carries a real sense of anti-climax. William Wordsworth undercuts his great achievement of crossing a major mountain pass by accepting an experience that did not fully meet his expectations. Something odd and unexpected permeates the story of the poet and his friend, wandering cluelessly through a famous sight. They are told by an unnamed peasant man that they have passed the highest point on the continent without realizing it. Although Wordsworth was not known for his sense of humor or absurdity, this passage contains situational irony, as the heroic journey reaches a summit of development only to be replaced by generally unsophisticated anti-heroism. The strong contrast between his excitement in France during the Revolution, with its potential for significant change, and his failure to recognize the top of the continent, highlights the unexpected twists of the time.

Book Eleven: Imagination and Taste Impaired and Restored

In Book Eleven of William Wordsworth’s “The Prelude”, titled “Imagination and Taste Impaired and Restored,” the poet transitions from depression and despair over his unfulfilled hopes for the French Revolution to the realization that those hopes would never materialize. With France and England at war, his dream for the betterment of humanity seemed hollow. Wordsworth’s developing love for Mary Hutchinson, whom he had long known and who became his wife and the mother of his children, saved him from this deep despair. Her humility, simplicity, goodness, and love of nature brought him back from his existential misery.

This book introduces the famous image of the “Spots of Time,” which conveys the idea that memory can soothe the mind’s external disturbances, much like how poetry endures beyond the events it records. Wordsworth recalls two specific occurrences: first, coming upon the site of an execution as a small child on horseback, feeling deep fear worsened by the sight of a woman struggling with the wind while carrying a water jug; and next, a particularly depressing view atop Misty Mountain at Christmas, soon after learning that his father had died and he was an orphan. Wordsworth’s faith in human connectedness enables him to later deal with such memories, revisit these places, and transform them into sources of strength.

The concept of “Spots of Time” is one of Wordsworth’s most significant observations and beliefs. It may lack the immediate personal drama of other poetic themes, but it requires deep introspection. As “The Prelude” approaches its final arc of development, Wordsworth synthesizes many key points into a strong, general observation. He has experienced doubts, delusions, disappointments, and fears, but through it all, his goal has remained clear. The “Spots of Time” are vital because they hold invigorating power against false opinion and contentious thought.

This resistance is crucial to Wordsworth because, in his view, he has consistently engaged with opinions and troubling thoughts throughout his life. He believes that if he continues to do this, he will eventually move past the memories he rejects and gain a true understanding of what is genuinely good and lasting. While a “Spot of Time” may seem minute compared to a mountain’s summit, it nevertheless lifts us when we have fallen.

Conclusion: Book Thirteen of “The Prelude”

The final book of William Wordsworth’s “The Prelude” is aptly titled “Conclusion.” It explores the power of imagination as the highest faculty of humans. In 1791, Wordsworth and a friend climbed the tallest mountain in Wales, over 1,000 meters high. More than a decade later, Wordsworth recalls this event. Book Thirteen begins with their guide and a few stray animals as they ascend in bad weather. When the fog suddenly clears, they are greeted with the majestic view of a bright moon above, and an illuminated mist and mountain leading to the sea beyond. The poet sees the scene with incredible delight, finding it an imagined presence of his soul and a confirmation of the presence of God or some other divine force. In such emotions, Wordsworth finds signs of truth and hope. He looks back on his life from an older perspective and justifies his prioritizing love over fear. Wordsworth exalts the role of imagination as the theme of “The Prelude”, a path to endless life and the infinite.

He is so affected by the visual impact of the moon and the mountain that, like a flash, he looks at the scene and recognizes the power of his mind to be free of life’s negativity. He discovers the absolute strength of imagination, which has been his goal throughout all the books of this epic autobiographical poem.

The lyricism and joy of the concluding pages of “The Prelude” cannot be overstated.

Throughout his journey, William Wordsworth has been in deep communion with himself, as well as with Dorothy and Coleridge, his two great influences. He has also examined himself for all his heroic and anti-heroic acts. When the final illumination occurs, it is a critical flash of realization for the poet that the mind itself is a peak he has been forever trying to scale. As the mist falls away and the moon shines with magical force, the validity of Wordsworth’s acceptance of being a poet, a soul dedicated to thousands of words and lines, becomes undisputed. This ending might surprise readers, as much of the poem exalts the beauty found in nature. However, the final aim of “The Prelude” becomes an acceptance of the solace found in a beauty exalted somewhere above and beyond the earth. The long process ends in Book Thirteen with love conquering fear and doubt, so that the mind of man becomes a thousand times more beautiful than the earth on which he dwells, rising above this frame of things. Despite all revolutions in the hopes and fears of men, the mind remains unchanged, exalted in beauty, more divine in substance and fabric.

Tintern Abbey by William Wordsworth

William Wordsworth's Tintern Abbey

The full title of this poem is “Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey on Revisiting the Banks of the Wye During a Tour, July 13, 1798.” It opens with the speaker declaring that five years have passed since he last visited this location, experiencing its peaceful rural scenery and hearing the river’s murmuring voices. He describes the objects he sees again and their effect on him, noting that the steep and lofty cliffs evoke thoughts of deeper seclusion. Leaning against a dark sycamore tree, he observes the cottage grounds and the orchard trees, whose fruit is still unripe. Wordsworth sees the smoke rising from cottage chimneys between the trees and imagines that it might come from wandering dwellers in the woods or a hermit’s cave in the deep forest.

Memory is crucial for sustaining the connection between humans and nature. The subject of “Tintern Abbey” is memory, specifically childhood memories of communion with natural beauty. This theme is significant in Wordsworth’s work, reappearing in poems such as “Intimations of Immortality.”

“Tintern Abbey” marks Wordsworth’s first great statement of his principal theme: that the memory of pure communion with nature in childhood continues to influence the mind in adulthood. When access to that pure communion is lost, the purity of mind present in adulthood compensates for the loss, enabling one to look at nature and hear human music, recognizing nature’s relationship to human life. The poet recalls his thoughtless unity with the woods and river during his youth. Now, five years after his last visit, he is no longer thoughtless but acutely aware of everything the scene offers.

The presence of his sister provides him with a view of himself as he imagines he was in his youth. He knows that this experience will provide them both with future memories, just as his previous experiences have provided him with memories that enhance his current visit.

The speaker describes how the memory of these beautiful forms has affected him during his absence. In times of solitude or in crowded towns and cities, they provided sensations sweet felt in the blood and along the heart. The memory of the woods and cottages offered a tranquil restoration to his mind and influenced his deeds of kindness. He credits the memory of the scene with giving him access to a mental and spiritual state in which the world’s burdens are light, allowing him to become a living soul with a view into the life of things. The speaker acknowledges that his belief in the memory’s impact may be vain, but even if it is, he has turned to these memories in times of distress. In the present moment, the memory of his past experiences in these surroundings overlays his current view, bringing him bittersweet joy. He is happy that his present experience will provide many happy memories for the future.

The speaker recognizes that he is different now from how he was in his youth when he bounded over mountains and through streams. Back then, nature constituted his entire world; waterfalls, mountains, and woods shaped his passions, appetites, and love.

That time is now past, but he does not mourn it. Although he cannot resume his old relationship with nature, he has been rewarded with new gifts. He can now look at nature not with the thoughtlessness of youth, but with an awareness of the “still, sad music of humanity.” He senses the presence of something far more subtle, powerful, and fundamental in the light of the setting suns, the ocean, the air itself, and even in the mind of man. This energy shapes his emotions and spirit, permeating all thoughts and rolling through all things. For this reason, he still loves nature—its mountains, pastures, and woods—for they anchor his purest thoughts and guide the heart and soul of his moral being.

The Solitary Reaper by William Wordsworth

William Wordsworth's Poem The Solitary Reaper

William Wordsworth’s ballad “The Solitary Reaper,” comprising 32 lines, is published in “Poems in Two Volumes”. It features four stanzas of eight lines each, following an ABABCCDD rhyme scheme, except in the irregular first and third stanzas where the first and third lines employ an imperfect rhyme, such as “field” and “herself.” This idiosyncrasy distinguishes the poem from other ballads. The poem depicts a chance encounter in the Scottish Highlands with a woman working in the fields to harvest grain. She sings a melancholy strain in the local Scottish dialect, a haunting and utterly incomprehensible song to the listener and the speaker. The song is memorable to him precisely because of its mysterious nature, reminding him of far-off lands and events, though he cannot explain why or how.

The simplicity of the woman and her strange song leave a deep impression on the speaker, who listens motionless and still to her singing over her sickle bending. As he continues walking up a hill, he carries the memory of the song with him long after he can no longer hear it. The ballad is inherently romantic, highlighting the impact on the senses and memory of something peculiar and unknowable—typical of Wordsworth’s poetry—which embodies his famous description of “emotion recollected in tranquility.”

The woman reaping alone with her sickle seems to call back something profound from her past or that of her people, transforming it into something beautiful in the busy world that the poet often despaired of and disparaged in his works. Such truthful and pure moments of humanity’s simple beauty are rare. This song, the woman’s work, and the memory of the unintelligible tune are deeply felt and meaningful. Wordsworth often wrote about solitary figures, outcasts, orphans, and even people with disabilities, in ways that generally questioned and frequently rejected the judgmental norms of traditional society. Wordsworth sought figures like the singing working woman to represent a purer way of being. His powerful imagination could make something as humble and unknown as this chance to listen to the melancholy strain sung by the woman into material for his poetry. It’s notable that he never actually describes the song or attempts to convey what it sounds like, except to say that it is thrilling and plaintive. Only the impression of it counts, leaving it up to the reader to ponder and perhaps create beauty from the tune.

It’s amazing what the mind does with words. Given so little, readers can visualize so much and be tremendously moved. That is the power of poetry.

Ode: Intimations of Immortality

William Wordsworth's Poem Ode Intimations of Immortality

William Wordsworth’s long multipart poem, *Ode: Intimations of Immortality*, originally called simply “Ode”, appeared in “Poems in Two Volumes”. It spans over 200 lines and features many stanzas of varying lengths and rhymes, encompassing the entire range of human life. Wordsworth prefaces the poem by quoting himself, particularly his famous line: “My heart leaps up when I behold a rainbow in the sky: The child is the father of the man; And I could wish my days to be bound each to each by natural piety.” The opening stanzas of the *Ode* recall happier times when, as a child, everything seemed sunny and hopeful, but which now appear much darker to the poet, who misses the undiluted optimism of childhood. Wordsworth writes, “Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting,” meaning the soul, emerging at birth with the body, has already been part of some other existence and carries traces and shadows of a previous state, nearer to God, who endows each with “clouds of glory.” These glorious clouds accompany the child into earthly life, only to fall away and be replaced with the disappointments of maturity.

Each stage of growing up is described negatively, as taking on the limiting roles and constructions of the self that one must enact as one grows. The poet says he must learn these disappointing lessons while keeping alive special, vague memories and visions of the exalted state he once experienced and hopes to regain.

The poem describes a continual tension between life’s difficulties and the falling away from that immortal sea that brought us hither, which always remains a beautiful ideal. The adult must find his philosophic mind, even in old age, to cope with the inevitable loss of childhood. Nature offers him the refuge he seeks, and he closes the poem by saying: “Thanks to the human heart by which we live, thanks to its tenderness, its joys, and fears; to me, the meanest flower that blows can give thoughts that often lie too deep for tears.”

William Wordsworth worked and reworked this long autobiographical poem over time, and it contains much that is essential to his mode of thought and belief. He understands that children possess unique powers not eternally available to adults. The child is the father or wiser original of the adult. Children do not think of dying or limitations on their time or powers and may see the external world only as part of themselves. As they leave behind childhood and start playing the necessary roles of society and family, they are beset with questions and doubts. The tone of the poem is intensely spiritual, indicating a previous, unknowable existence. The poet claims that growing into maturity involves engaging with the external world more than a child does, still finding their way, since the young believe their potential lies within. The famous line “nothing can bring back the hour of splendor in the grass” reveals an acceptance of loss, as experience takes the place of firsthand excitement.

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud by William Wordsworth

William Wordsworth's Poem I Wondered Lonely As a Cloud

William Wordsworth’s famous poem “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” originally appeared in 1807 in “Poems in Two Volumes”, and a revised edition was published in Wordsworth’s “Collected Poems” in 1815. It consists of four six-line stanzas with an ABABCC rhyme scheme and relates the experience of a solitary narrator walking along a lake bordered by a host of golden daffodils, fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

The narrator is struck by the seemingly joyous mood of the flowers and their energy, creating a cosmic communion between the flowers, the movement of the water, and even the stars twinkling in the Milky Way. When he is lying on the couch in a vacant or pensive mood, the daffodils flash upon his inward eye, filling his heart with such pleasure that it dances with the daffodils. This famous poem contrasts the solitude of the poet with the uncountable multitudes of nature, building upon the differences in states of being. Initially, the poet is lost in loneliness so profound that he compares it to a remote cloud wandering without purpose or direction. Then he is thrust back into life in motion by a crowd of flowers, which come to life and assume motion and emotion.

This lonely gazing of the poet is contrasted with the vivid, vital life of the plants and waves. By the last stanza, his quietude returns, but the solitude he feels is not loneliness but bliss, as he impresses the life of nature upon his imagination.

Strange Fits of Passion Have I Known

William Wordsworth's Poem Strange Fits of Passion Have I Known

“Strange Fits of Passion Have I Known,” a poem by William Wordsworth, was published in the second edition of “Lyrical Ballads” in 1800. It consists of seven stanzas of four lines each, following an ABABCDC rhyme scheme. The poem opens with inviting intimate lines: “Strange fits of passion have I known, and I will dare to tell, but in the lover’s ear alone, what once to me befell.” The poet had loved a girl named Lucy, and while traveling to her cottage, he came under the spell of the evening moon, which descended over the roof. As he approached it in a trance induced by momentary emotions, he voiced an intense fear that she would die.

The poem is an intense mixture of devotion and dread, packed with complex and clashing elements, creating a morbid picture of loving someone so much that there is release and relief in the experience of shadowing love with death. Whoever Lucy is, she lives close to nature, like a flower in daily bloom. The moon itself induces a vision through a dream state, which the poet calls nature’s gentlest boon or gift. He had invested such passion in her life that perhaps inevitably, the realization that all things change, age, and die has to be brought to him as well. In this mixture of the real and the imagined, the ultimately tragic fate of his mortal beloved emerges as a possibility, no matter how intense his love for her may be. They are both creatures of nature and therefore susceptible to the end of life and passion.

My Heart Leaps Up

William Wordsworth's Poem My Heart Leaps Up

Also known as “The Rainbow,” William Wordsworth’s short poem “My Heart Leaps Up” from “Poems in Two Volumes” captures the experiences of youth and maturity in a single nine-line stanza with the unique rhyme pattern ABC CAB CDD. The poem is renowned for its strong reaction to nature.

The sight of a rainbow causes the speaker’s heart to leap, and the poet notes that he felt this way as a child and continues to do so as an adult. He hopes to always appreciate the natural wonders that make life worth living. For Wordsworth, seeing a rainbow has always been magical, and if that sense of wonder ever fades, he might as well not live. The poem ultimately proclaims that childhood shapes the adult, concluding with the famous line: “The child is the father of the man; And I could wish my days to be bound each to each by natural piety.”

This line, “The child is the father of the man,” is arguably Wordsworth’s most famous quote. It is certainly one of the most ubiquitous and oft-quoted lines in English poetry.

The line enhances the poem’s religious overtones, establishing a romantic trilogy parallel to the Christian belief in the Trinity. In Wordsworth’s vision, the child brings the blessing of imaginative response from within, acting as a fathering entity for the adult. These three elements—the child, the adult, and the imagination connecting them—are bound by natural piety. In just a few lines, this poem encapsulates key elements of Wordsworth’s beliefs. The leaping of his heart at the sight of a rainbow comes from the beauty of seeing all the colors of the spectrum with the human eye, the pleasure of such an experience, and the chance for a child to see it for the first time and throughout their life.

As an adult, the poet still marvels at the sight of a rainbow, remembering the first time he saw one. He completes the circle of his life by hoping or praying that he will continue to look on and wonder at such sights into old age. If he cannot, he feels his life will have ended. What’s the point of going on if your heart won’t be entranced by a rainbow? In religious terms, the rainbow represents a covenant or agreement between God and His people, promising freedom from fear of another catastrophe like the Flood survived by Noah and his family, as described in the biblical Book of Genesis. Christians pray with words repeating familiar prayers known since childhood. This concise poem serves as a spontaneous prayer as well.

Unlike William Wordsworth’s themes of bringing faith to the alienated modern man tragically removed from nature, “My Heart Leaps Up” finds reassurance and hope in a spontaneous, magical element of the world around us.

Ode to Duty by William Wordsworth

William Wordsworth's Poem Ode to Duty

William Wordsworth’s poem “Ode to Duty” was included in the second edition of “Lyrical Ballads” published in 1800. It comprises seven stanzas of eight lines each, following an ABABCCDD rhyme scheme, and describes a person caught between the desire to live according to their own will and the realization that higher principles must be followed. Wordsworth prefaces the poem with a quote from the Roman philosopher Seneca: “I am no longer good through deliberate intent, but by long habits have reached a point where I am not only able to do right but am unable to do anything but what is right.” Initially, the poem recognizes duty as coming from the voice of God, requiring obedience to avoid life’s vain temptations. Some people find the proper balance and are not troubled by their self-judgment, yet the poet sees himself as someone who previously neglected higher duty in favor of his wishes, ignoring tasks he should have completed. Now, he has chosen to dedicate himself and finds comfort and peace in following higher duties.

Unusually for William Wordsworth, this poem contains no references to external nature and is fully introspective. “Ode to Duty” provides no specific examples of the poet’s past actions leading to his current realization that he has been too self-indulgent. Instead, he resolves to judge himself more sternly, recognizing higher principles and truths. He explains that some fortunate people don’t question their positions and live carefree lives, but he is not one of them. He is willing to surrender the excesses of freedom for self-control and discipline.

This introspective poem speaks to William Wordsworth’s need to reflect and align with life’s truths through his poetry. The speaker consoles himself with the feeling that he can repose and find satisfaction in following certain powerful and stern laws. Although the reader is not given specifics about these principles, they are assured that the speaker feels them deeply. Thus, readers might also find refuge from the cares and unmet desires of the world in the spirit of self-sacrifice. Despite life’s cares and losses, the poet may have found a path away from blindness toward serenity, and this path may be open to all who rededicate themselves to truth and duty.

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S.M. Rokibul Kabir
S.M. Rokibul Kabir

S.M. Rokibul Kabir is the author of BD JOBZ PREPARATION. He is from Rajshahi, Bangladesh. He has completed Honors and Masters degrees from Rajshahi University in English. Now he is doing LLB from National University. He has been teaching English online for more than three years. His hobby is blogging.

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