Lesson 2 - William Wordsworth
Why I Like William Wordsworth:
"Nature never did betray the heart that loved her." The heart that really did love her, the heart of Poet Laureate from 1843 to 1850, William Wordsworth, was never truly betrayed. The many graceful poems that waltzed out from his pen during his lifetime were all intimately connected with nature, and his poems were either about environmental nature, nature of London, and human nature.The first type of poems are poems about environmental nature. The best and most famous example of this is the poem "I wandered lonely as a cloud". Though the poem is generally very simple( a poet sees a field of joyful daffodils and thinking about it warms his heart) there is a deeper meaning about environmental nature. The poet is described as a cloud and the field of daffodils as people As such, this shows the inherent unity of man and environmental nature.
The second type of poems are poems about the nature of London, his native state. Perhaps the most direct is the sonnet "London 1802". Outwardly, it seems to be lamenting John Milton's death, but the sonnet actually points out that London has deteriorated to a horrible standard, where religion, the army, literature and the home cannot help people to find inward happiness, and only John Milton can lift London out of its miserable state. Despite this type of morally and politically outraged sonnets being common in this period of time, it can be said that "London, 1802" can be ranked as one of the best.
The final type of poems are poems about human nature. An example of such a poem, also close to William Wordsworth's heart, is "It is a Beauteous Evening, Calm and Free". William Wordsworth, while visiting Revolutionary France, fell in love with Annette Vallon and had a daughter with her. However, due to the Reign of Terror in France after that, William was separated from his daughter and lover. When he finally saw his daughter after ten years, he went on walks on the beach with his daughter in Calais. This poem would then show the aspect of human nature, about how absence makes the heart grow fonder.
According to Wordsworth, "Nature never did betray the heart that loved her". Wordsworth loved her, wrote about her, and it should be fitting that his love for her won the love of others.
Three Poems:
I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced, but they
Out-did the sparkling leaves in glee;
A poet could not be but gay,
In such a jocund company!
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced, but they
Out-did the sparkling leaves in glee;
A poet could not be but gay,
In such a jocund company!
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
London, 1802
Milton! thou should'st be living at this hour:
England hath need of thee: she is a fen
Of stagnant waters: altar, sword, and pen,
Fireside, the heroic wealth of hall and bower,
Have forfeited their ancient English dower
Of inward happiness. We are selfish men;
Oh! raise us up, return to us again;
And give us manners, virtue, freedom, power.
Thy soul was like a Star, and dwelt apart:
Thou hadst a voice whose sound was like the sea:
Pure as the naked heavens, majestic, free,
So didst thou travel on life's common way,
In cheerful godliness; and yet thy heart
The lowliest duties on herself did lay.
England hath need of thee: she is a fen
Of stagnant waters: altar, sword, and pen,
Fireside, the heroic wealth of hall and bower,
Have forfeited their ancient English dower
Of inward happiness. We are selfish men;
Oh! raise us up, return to us again;
And give us manners, virtue, freedom, power.
Thy soul was like a Star, and dwelt apart:
Thou hadst a voice whose sound was like the sea:
Pure as the naked heavens, majestic, free,
So didst thou travel on life's common way,
In cheerful godliness; and yet thy heart
The lowliest duties on herself did lay.
It Was a Beauteous Evening, Calm And Free
It is a beauteous evening, calm and free,
The holy time is quiet as a Nun
Breathless with adoration; the broad sun
Is sinking down in its tranquility;
The gentleness of heaven broods o'er the Sea;
Listen! the mighty Being is awake,
And doth with his eternal motion make
A sound like thunder--everlastingly.
Dear child! dear Girl! that walkest with me here,
If thou appear untouched by solemn thought,
Thy nature is not therefore less divine:
Thou liest in Abraham's bosom all the year;
And worshipp'st at the Temple
God being with thee when we know it not.
Acknowledgements:
Labels: LA e-learning
posted by DL at
6:08 PM
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