Poem 2

The author I chose was William Woodsworth. He is very intriguing as he believes strongly in nature and is a passionate poet. He loves writing poems as shown in his famous quotes such as "Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart." and "In that sweet mood when pleasant thoughts bring sad thoughts to the mind." He is also very philosophical as he believes "Neither evil tongues, rash judgements, nor the sneers of selfish men, nor greetings where no kindness is, nor all the dreary intercourse of daily life, shall e'er prevail against us." And "How does the Meadow flower its bloom unfold? Because the lovely little flower is free down to its root, and in that freedom bold."

After looking through his works, I felt very interested in him as he seems to be a lover of nature. Therefore, I wanted to know more about his background and what had exactly influenced him to become such a nature lover. Also, he has a strong, resolute and independent character as shown in some of his poems. Therefore, I would like to share with you all about his biography and some of his pieces of work.

Firstly, why was he such a resolute character? That was because he hailed the French Revolution with enthusiastic admiration. In addition, he was very devoted to his studies as he felt that “Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive, but to be young was very heaven.” Therefore, he knew that studying was important and studied hard.

Furthermore, in the spring of 1813 he removed from Grasmere to Royal Mount, where he remained for the rest of his life, a period of thirty-seven years. He enjoyed retirement and almost perfect happiness. It was also here when he started to love nature and it was also shown in his lines below.

“Long have I loved what I behold,
The night that calms, the day that cheers;
The common growth of mother-earth
Suffices me--her tears, her mirth,
Her humblest mirth and tears.

The dragon's wing, the magic ring,
I shall not covet for my dower,
If I along that lowly way
With sympathetic heart may stray,
And with a soul of power.”

It was also here when he started writing poems of a higher order, thus greatly extending his circle of admirers.

Now, I shall share with you all some of his poems. The first would be “I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud”. Next up would be “Lines Written In Early Spring” and “Written In March”.

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.”

This poem describes the scene the author sees when he floats around like a cloud. He felt happy with the company of all the flowers. This poem clearly shows his love of nature as he feels that nature is blissful and comforts him when he is lonely, bored or restless. Metaphors and personification is used, as the author is a cloud and the daffodils can toss their heads.

Lines Written In Early Spring
‘I heard a thousand blended notes,
While in a grove I sate reclined,
In that sweet mood when pleasant thoughts
Bring sad thoughts to the mind.

To her fair works did Nature link
The human soul that through me ran;
And much it grieved my heart to think
What man has made of man.

Through primrose tufts, in that green bower,
The periwinkle trailed its wreaths;
And 'tis my faith that every flower
Enjoys the air it breathes.

The birds around me hopped and played,
Their thoughts I cannot measure:--
But the least motion which they made
It seemed a thrill of pleasure.

The budding twigs spread out their fan,
To catch the breezy air;
And I must think, do all I can,
That there was pleasure there.

If this belief from heaven be sent,
If such be Nature's holy plan,
Have I not reason to lament
What man has made of man?”

In this poem, he constantly praises Nature and admires the power of Nature. This clearly shows his love of Nature and this is what makes him an intriguing person because usually, people do not admire nature to this extent.

Written In March
“The cock is crowing,
The stream is flowing,
The small birds twitter,
The lake doth glitter
The green field sleeps in the sun;
The oldest and youngest
Are at work with the strongest;
The cattle are grazing,
Their heads never raising;
There are forty feeding like one!

Like an army defeated
The snow hath retreated,
And now doth fare ill
On the top of the bare hill;
The plowboy is whooping—anon-anon:
There's joy in the mountains;
There's life in the fountains;
Small clouds are sailing,
Blue sky prevailing;
The rain is over and gone!”

This poem shows even more explicitly Wordsworth love of nature. In fact, every single line is describing Nature. There are cocks, streams, birds, fields, cattle, clouds, sky and the rain, being described in detail such that the reader can actually feel and enjoy the peaceful and soothing atmosphere!

Ok, I think that is enough. Everybody out there, read his poems because they are beautiful pieces of work!!

References: http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/william_wordsworth/poems
http://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/wordsworth/section7.rhtml