William Wordsworth As A Poet Of Nature

With Reference To Tintern Abbey

Posted Date: 09 Aug 2011 |Updated: 09-Aug-2011 |Category: Education |Author: Bru |Member
Level: Gold|Points: 10 |

William Wordsworth is considered as the High Priest of Nature. His

works are characterized by his credo of reflecting a great admiration and
love towards Nature. William Wordsworth devoted his life to poetry
and used his feeling for nature to express him self and how he
evolved.
Wordsworth had two simple ideas that he put into his writing of
poetry. One was that “poetry was the spontaneous overflow of
powerful feelings.” The second idea was that poets should describe
simple scenes of nature in the everyday words, which in turn would
create an atmosphere through the use of imagination (Compton 2).
Wordsworth is deeply involved with the complexities of nature and
human reaction to it. To Wordsworth nature is the revelation of god
through viewing everything that is harmonious or beautiful in nature.
He launched his poetic career with the publication of An Evening Walk
and Descriptive Sketches. He is also known for his collaboration with
Samuel Taylor Coleridge in the publication of Lyrical Ballads which
heralded the Dawn of Romanticism in the history of English Literature.

Childhood[edit]

Wordsworth was born on 7 April 1770 in Cockermouth, the second of five children.[6] Wordsworth's
parents were John Wordsworth, and Ann Cookson..William's mother died when he was 7 years old and he
became an orphan at the age of 13 years.
His sister, the poet, and diarist Dorothy, to whom he was close all his life, was born the following year, and the
two were baptized together. They had three other siblings: Richard, the eldest who became a lawyer; John,
born after Dorothy, who would become a poet and enjoy nature with William and Dorothy until he died in an
1805 shipwreck; and Christopher, the youngest, who would become a scholar. Although he lived at his father's
mansion, Wordsworth, as with his siblings, had little involvement with their father, and they would be distant
with him until his death in 1783.[7]
Wordsworth's father, although rarely present, did teach him poetry, including that of Milton, Shakespeare,
and Spenser. In March 1778, Ann died of an illness, possibly pneumonia, at Penrith., he was taught to read by
his mother and attended a tiny school in Cockermouth of low quality.[11]
William Wordsworth And His Love Of
Nature
Considered one of England's greatest poets, he was a key element in the Romantic Movement;
know especially for his love of nature, his poetry also resonated with deep philosophic questions.
Although often viewed as a 'nature poet' his poetry is not simply concerned with scenic and
descriptive evocations of nature, but also with the issues of Man, Human Nature and Man's
relationship with the natural world.Wordsworth's monumental poetic legacy rests on a large
number of important poems, varying in length and weight from the short, simple lyrics of the
1790s to the vast expanses of The Prelude, thirteen books long in its 1808 edition.

"Wordsworth argues that poetry should be written in the natural language of common
speech, rather than in the lofty and elaborate dictions that were then considered poetic."Many of
Wordsworth's poems such as "Tintern Abbey" and the "Intimations of Immortality" deal with the
subjects of childhood and the memory of childhood in the mind of the adult, childhood's lost
connection with nature, thus which can be preserved only in memory.
“Tintern Abbey”:
William Wordsworth considers himself as a Poet of Nature or rather a pantheist. His
poem, Tintern Abbey which is an autobiographical work throws light on the poet's love
for Nature. He describes the plain beside the River Wye in Tintern Abbey as well as his
state of mind and perception about Nature. His devotion and love towards Nature is
expressed without any barrier or restraint coming in between.

The poet considers himself as a worshipper of nature in Tintern Abbey. It seems nature
brings out the best that's inherent in the poet. The sight of the "sportive woods run wild"
gives him a sense of freedom and sublimity. According to the poet, nature is an all
engulfing entity, and he considers himself as a follower of nature.

The poet believes in the restorative power of nature and says that, nature can restore
and mend the sick with her 'soothing palm'. Amidst the 'dins' and noise of the 'hectic city'
the poet conjures up the image of the 'serene Wye' which always unfailingly revives his
tired limbs and soul. He feels the healing power of nature in his 'heart' and senses it
flowing through his blood. He is a part of nature and at one with her. Nature has a way
of repairing and restoring herself when damaged and bruised, and Wordsworth as a
devoted follower of nature has succeeded in losing himself in perfect harmony with her.

In the poem, Tintern Abbey he also describes his growth and development along with
the forces of nature. Nature had played a dominant role during his growing years. Even
when still a young boy he had discovered the generously given joy and blessings of
nature. In the presence of nature, he became an untamed boy, full of energy and
lightness. There had been a time when he had 'like a roe' bounded over the hills and
plains following the path of nature "more like a man running from something he dreads".
These experiences of free-spiritedness and submission to the lure and beckons of
nature gave him immense enlightenment and relieve from the stress and burns of
reality.

His love for nature during his youth went a notch higher. It was more like a man's love
for his sweetheart. Nature was like a beautiful maiden and Wordsworth, no doubt,
sported a healthy blush on the cheeks whenever he is in the presence of nature. "The
sounding cataract" and the deep and dark woods haunted him "like a passion". This
love for nature still went another notch higher when he attained manhood. The love and
interpretation of nature grew more profound at this stage. He discovered nature as a
living entity 'whose dwelling is the light of the setting sun, the round ocean, and the
living air'. Nature, he realized was an omnipotent force. What he experienced during his
youthful days was replaced by the 'serene mood' and the 'sublime feelings'. He began
to see nature as his source for emancipation and deliverance, 'knowing that, nature
never did betray the heart that loved her' .

“The Tables Turned” (1798) :

In view of the economic and social changes of the Romantic period, society was often regarded
as repressive and controlling force dominating both man and nature. Writers of British
Romanticism such as Shelley, Coleridge and Wordsworth incorporated and worked out themes
of nature and its beauty and relationship to man in their writings.

. Having been published more than 200 years ago, the ideas and concepts the poet formulated are
still of great importance, in particular in current times of progressing globalization,
environmental pollution and degeneration of nature. Therefore, the lyrical ballad “The Tables
Turned” (1798) was chosen, in which the poet not only represents the facets of nature, but also
demands to stop analytical thinking and investigation in order to get deeply engaged in the
splendour nature offers. Subsequently, the focus is on the sacred and divine qualities
Wordsworth attributes to nature and on his idea of nature being a moral educator of man and
source of ultimate truth.

His poem “The Tables Turned”, is characterized by the veneration the poet shows in nature.It is
salient that Wordsworth enhances the word “nature” by capitalizing its initial letter, an act that
can be ascribed to the importance the poet attached to nature:

”Let Nature be your teacher.

She has a world of ready wealth,”

Moreover, one notices that the poet genders nature as “female”, which shows he looks upon
nature as the great mother of all comparable to Gaia, the Ancient Greek goddess of Earth who
gives shape and form to anything. This can be interpreted as a reference of Wordsworth’s belief
in the divinity and sublimity of nature. Furthermore, it can be seen as way to illustrate the poet’s
idea of nature having its own presence and existence which is independent from human
existence, though as important and worth being preserved and protected. By conveying the
feelings and emotions he experienced in nature, Wordsworth intents to let the readers participate
in this sublime emotional state and in the uplifting power of nature, considering his poetry to
function as mediator between nature and man.

Furthermore, the setting sun, the wide fields and the singing birds are described in a way that
show the deep emotional impact and movement Wordsworth experiences in nature and in
exploring its wonders and richness which seem to overwhelm him. The idea of nature not only
being a place where one is able to find tranquillity, awe, wis- dom and transcendent experiences
but also as poetic inspiration can to my mind be perceived es- pecially in the illustration of the
sun setting behind a mountain. The sun (l.5), symbol of creative and divine power (Battistini
2002: 192) spreading its splendour and vigour through the world emphasizes the interpretation
that it is nature and its impulses that vest Wordsworth with the in- spiration and strength for
writing poems. Furthermore, since the sun is additionally associated with eternity and
permanence, one can regard its “freshening lustre mellow” (l.6) as a constant factor in the poets’
life, giving hope and guiding his way, even in times of darkness and sorrow.

“Daffodils”:

According to Wordsworth, nature is the relevation of God through viewing everything that is
harmonious and beautiful in nature. Daffodils by Wordsworth is a poem which celebrates the beauty of
nature along with the bliss of Solitude. William Wordsworth developed his love for nature when he went
to the hawkshead grammar school. It is that place when he experienced total freedom with which he
roamed the Hills and valleys . He relied on his memory and reconstructed his experience of his feelings.
He wrote "Daffodils" after a long time by getting inspired by the beauty the cheerfulness of the Golden
Daffodils .According to him poetry is spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings arising from emotions
recollected in tranquility .He tells us that the Impressions of the nature are so strong that even a
memory of them had made him cheerful when he was downhearted.

The main theme of the poem is nature. Daffodils ordinary flowers outline with remarkable qualities. The
Daffodils appeared to be Golden in colour which symbolised love ,compassion and the magical effect
that it creates on the poet's mind. The poem Daffodils is one of the finest example of poets true love for
nature .He has compared himself to a cloud and Daffodils As human beings dancing and waving in the
wind .He also referred the Daffodils as the continuous shining and twinkling stars in The Milky Way .The
daffodils out do the glorious, shinning waves in happiness. This depicts the Unity between man and
nature and that influence of nature on man is everlasting .

“Stray Pleasures”:

In the poem “Stray Pleasures” Wordsworth writes about spring and things that are visible in
spring. The showers of the Spring Rouse the birds, and they sing; If the wind do but stir for his
proper delight, Each leaf, that and this, his neighbor will kiss; Each wave, one and t’other, speeds
after his brother: They are happy, for that is their right!
In the previous passage Wordsworth touches several different aspects of nature. Wordsworth
writes of leaves, rain and waves. These things are typically considered nature, but things such as
the birds are typically not. This is what Wordsworth does so wonderfully, considered everything a
part of nature and conveys this to the reader. Another talent that Wordsworth has is convincing
the reader that everything is alive. Ordinarily the reader would consider such things as showers a
part of nature but not alive. Wordsworth gives nature to things that are not nature and life to
things that are not alive. He writes of the waves as they come in to shore and as one crashes
another one follows. He calls the second one the brother to the first. This is amazing use of words
and imagery

Conclusion:

Hence, in Tintern Abbey we see that, Wordsworth had the right knowledge about
nature which gave him enough reasons to become a pantheist or a "Worshipper of
nature". There is no doubt that, nature happened to be the force and inspiration in
moulding and creation of a legendary figure in the History of English Literature-
William Wordsworth.

The circumstances under which Wordsworth wrote the poem “The Tables Turned”, are
described as “years of hardship” due to the poet’s separation from his wife Annette Vaillon and
his daughter, nature can be seen as perennial, reliable element in his life, offering joyful
emotions and wisdom as well as inspiration and hope.In contrast to this negative illustration of
culture and of human society, the poet portrays nature as its counterpart.

In the poem “Daffodils”, which is based on the theme of nature shows how nature influences man
and also that Wordsworth was a poet of nature.

Wordsworth has secured the reputation of being one of the great Romantic poets. His

verse celebrates the moral influence exerted by nature on human thought and feeling.

Wordsworth's images and metaphors mix natural scenery, religious symbolism (as in

the sonnet "It is a beauteous evening, calm and free, in which the evening is described

as being "quiet as a nun"), and the relics of the poet's rustic childhood--cottages,

hedgerows, orchards, and other places where humanity intersects gently and easily with

nature.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

reader's declaration that five years have passed since he last visited this location,

encountered its tranquil, rustic scenery, and heard the murmuring waters of the river. He

recites the objects he sees again, and describes their effect upon him: the "steep and

lofty cliffs" impress upon him "thoughts of more deep seclusion"; he leans against the

dark sycamore tree and looks at the cottage-grounds and the orchard trees, whose fruit

is still unripe. He sees the "wreaths of smoke" rising up from cottage chimneys between

the trees.