William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth, the great
nature poet, was born on 7 April 1770 at Cockermouth in Cumberland. He lost his
father and mother at a very early age. Thanks to the generosity of his uncle
was given a good education. He was educated at Hawkshead
School and St.
John’s College , Cambridge , His meeting
with Samuel Taylor Coleridge in 1795 was turning point in his life, in the
sense that he decided to devote his life completely to poetry. Wordsworth and
Coleridge together published The Lyrical Ballads in 1798. In 1843 he succeeded
Robert Southey as poet Laureate and remained in office till his death on 23
April 1850.
Though Wordsworth has written
long poems, he is at his best in the shorter poems like ‘Tintern Abbey’ and
‘Intimations of Immortality’. By writing a number of short poems like ‘The
Daffodils’, ‘The Solitary Reaper’ etc.: he has shown in practice that beautiful
poems can be written on ordinary subjects and in ordinary language; but they
can be made beautiful with the colouring of the poet’s imagination. According
to Wordsworth ‘Poetry is the spontaneous
overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in
tranquility’.
The Daffodils – William Wordsworth
The poem is based on an actual
incident in which Wordsworth had actually seen the breathtaking scene of
thousands of daffodils tossing their heads in the cool breeze. But it was only
after two years that he recollected the scene and wrote this poem. It tells a
story, which also is recorded by Dorothy Wordsworth in her journal of
Wordsworth’s coming upon thousands of daffodils while walking in the Lake
District.
Once, Wordsworth was walking
alone through a beautiful landscape. All of a sudden he saw a large number of
daffodils by the side of a lake. They were fluttering and dancing in the
breeze. They were as numerous as the stars and stretched in a never ending
line. It seemed to the poet that he saw at least ten thousand flowers at a
glance. The waves of the lake were also dancing, but the daffodils surpassed
them. After watching such a fascinating scene a poet like Wordsworth could not
but be happy. At that moment he did not realize that the beautiful sight was
going to be a source of joy for him in the future also. Afterwards on many an
occasion, he tried to recollect the scene. Every time he did it his heart was
filled with joy.
Upon Westminster
Bridge
This poem was an inspiration by a
view of London from Westminster Bridge. It was written on the roof of a coach
on September 3, 1802 when Wordsworth was on his way from London to Dover.
Wordsworth’s sister who accompanied him writes. “Left London between five and
six o’clock in the morning. A beautiful morning. the city, St. Paul’s, the
river with its multitude of boats made beautiful sight as we crossed Westminster
Bridge, the houses not over hung by their clouds of smoke, and were spread
endlessly. Yet the sun shone brightly with such a pure light that there was
something like the purity of one of Nature’s own grand spectacles.”
No other scene is more beautiful
than the sight of London in the morning sun. He, who is not experienced by such
a majestic and impressive scene, is indeed a dull soul. The city of London has
clothed itself in the bright light of the morning as a garment. There are no
signs of its noisy people and their bustling activities. Ships, towers, domes,
theatres and churches can be clearly seen spreading into the open fields. There
is nothing now to hide the view of these wild fields and a clear sky overhead.
All these objects look bright and shining because the air is free of
smoke.
The rays of the sun had never
shown more beautifully over the valleys, rocks and hills in all those country
scenes. The poet though, had visited many scenes earlier. Never before had the
poet experienced such intense quietness as at this time. The river Thames flows freely without being
disturbed by the activities of boats, ships and sailors. Addressing God, the
poet rejoices that houses and their occupants are now at rest. He feels as
though the mighty heart of London city has stopped beating and it is lying calm
and still.
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