CHAPTER-1

Introduction

William Wordsworth, English poet who, along with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, was an early

leader of English Romanticism. He is best known for his worship of nature and his

humanitarianism. It is a well-known fact that William Wordsworth is rightly considered the

greatest poet of the countryside and of the life of nature in its physical as well as spiritual

aspects. Poets earlier to Wordsworth, like Burns, Cowper, Crabbe and Goldsmith had

exhibited a fine appreciation for the beauties of nature. They were adorers of nature’s

external charms without having any mystical and philosophical approach to its inner life and

spiritual message. It was left to Wordsworth to reveal the inner soul of nature in his poems.

Actually he is the high priest of nature. His delight in nature was not confined like the pre

romantic poets but he went a step higher. He was concerned for less with the sensuous

manifestations that delight most of our nature poets than with the spiritual that he finds

underlying these manifestations. His contribution to the poetry of nature does not lie in the

fact that he could give accurate and closely observed pictures of nature rich and minute in

detail but in the fact that he elevated nature to heights of spiritual glory and made it a better

teacher. William Wordsworth is known as the poet of nature because of his deep love for

nature and his belief in its healing powers. His poetry often depicts nature's beauty and its

influence on people.

As a poet of Nature, Wordsworth stands supreme. He is a worshipper of Nature, Nature’s

devotee or high-priest. His love of Nature was probably truer and tenderer, than that of any

other English poet, before or since. Nature comes to occupy in his poem a separate or

[1]
independent status and is not treated in a casual or passing manner as by poets before him.

Wordsworth had a full-fledged philosophy, a new and original view of Nature.

Wordsworth loves nature as well as human being. He made the most proper combination

between his love of man and love of nature in his works. He entrusted his love of man on the

love of nature and in return, his love of natural scenery and the life of the people living in

nature. He not only wrote so many poems but also developed his own outstanding theory on

poetic creation. In the “Preface to Lyrical Ballads” he ever said. “Low and rustic life was

generally chosen”, “to choose incidents and situations from common life”. Because “the

condition, the essential passions of the heart find a better soil”. In a large number of his

poems, Wordsworth revealed his true compassion and love for the sufferings of the poor and

the unfortunate.

He conceived of Nature as a living Personality. He believed that there is a divine spirit

pervading all the objects of Nature. This belief in a divine spirit pervading all the objects of

Nature may be termed as mystical Pantheism and is fully expressed in Tintern Abbey and in

several passages in Book II of The Prelude. Wordsworth believed that the company of Nature

gives joy to the human heart and he looked upon Nature as exercising a healing influence on

sorrow-stricken hearts. Wordsworth emphasized the moral influence of Nature. He

spiritualised Nature and regarded her as a great moral teacher, as the best mother, guardian

and nurse of man, and as an elevating influence. He believed that between man and Nature

there is mutual consciousness, spiritual communion or ‘mystic intercourse’. He initiates his

readers into the secret of the soul’s communion with Nature. According to him, human beings

who grow up in the lap of Nature are perfect in every respect. Wordsworth believed that we

can learn more of man and of moral evil and good from Nature than from all the philosophies.

In his eyes, “Nature is a teacher whose wisdom we can learn, and without which any human

[2]
life is vain and incomplete.” He believed in the education of man by Nature. In this he was

somewhat influenced by Rousseau. This inter-relation of Nature and man is very important in

considering Wordsworth’s view of both.

Wordsworth believed that we can learn more of man and of moral evil and good from

Nature than from all the philosophies. In his eyes, “Nature is a teacher whose wisdom we can

learn, and without which any human life is vain and incomplete.” He believed in the

education of man by Nature. In this he was somewhat influenced by Rousseau. This inter-

relation of Nature and man is very important in considering Wordsworth’s view of both.

Wordsworth also is much more than a mere reporter of surface beauties. Though

Wordsworth’s poems were imbued with the harmony, the sweetness and the peace of the

nature, we can still find the great reflection of the tremendous social renovation. Through his

meditation in his poems we can clearly see his attitude towards the great changes of the

society and the newly appearance of the bourgeois during the declining of the feudal system.

[3]
 CHAPTER-2

Life and Works of William Wordsworth

educated at Hawks head Grammar School and at Cambridge. In the summer vacation of

1790 he made a pedestrian tour through France and Switzerland, and in November 1791

returned to France to study, spending nearly a year at Orleans and Blois. He was now an

ardent supporter of the Revolution, and was deterred only by the interference of friends at

home from joining the Girondins and probably sharing their fate. Returning to England he

published (1793) An Evening Walk, dealing with the landscape round Hawkshead and

Ambleside, and Descriptive Sketches, the materials of which were furnished by his

Continental travels. Both these poems are in classic couplet and in the current poetic style,

though the large amount of specific detail in the descriptions separates them from the

common run of 18th -century landscape verse. Meanwhile the course of events in France

alienated his sympathies, and the rise of Napoleon completed the overthrow of his

revolutionary faith. A legacy of 900 pounds (1795) made him independent, and he resolved to

devote himself entirely to literature. He went to live at Alfoxden in Somerset, and there

formed a close friendship with Co9leridge, with whom he published a volume of verse,

Lyrical Ballads, in 1798. After a winter in Germany (1798-9), he settled in the Lake district,

first at Grasmere, then at Allan Bank, and finally (1813) at Rydal Mount. He had married

Mary Hutchinson in 1802. For many years he continued to write and publish poetry, though

the public was indifferent and the critics were contemptuous. Little by little, however, opinion

began to change in his favor. The universities of Durham and Oxford honored him with

degrees, his name was placed on the Civil Pension list, in 1843 he succeeded Southey as poet

laureate. He died March 23, 1850.

[4]
CHARACTER

Wordsworth was a man of austere temper, self-centered, a little stiff and hard, a little too

conscious of his genius and his mission, and not rich in the saving grace of humor. His

extreme preoccupation with himself and his own work, and his want of varied contact with

men in the broad highways of public life narrowed his outlook. While his solitary habits, his

long contempt of the critics, and the adulation of a few worshippers combined to make him

more and more self centered . Yet this isolation was itself part of his greatness. He remained

to the end simple and utterly transparent of soul, calmly indifferent to wealth and vulgar

ambitions, with a fine wholesome of rusticity about him fresh as his own mountain breeze, as

Ruskin put it. Absolute sincerity was the keynote of his character, and the plain living and

high thinking which he taught were the rule of his own life. Little of a bookman, he spent

his days in open air, and most of his poetry was composed outdoors. Wordsworth

believed wholeheartedly in the power of the human imagination. His own imagination is on

full display in his vivid imagery and figurative language. He was also constantly reflecting on

his memories and searching for meaning. He often tried to capture in his poetry how the

human mind works.

VIEWS

Wordsworth believed in the didactic power of poetry. In a Letter to Beaumont1 he stated

that “Every great poet is a teacher: I wish either to be considered as a teacher, or as

nothing”. He had the firmest faith in the moral influence of his own poems as attested by his

lines written in a Letter to Lady Beaumont. “To console the afflicted, to add sunshine to

daylight, by making the happy happier, to teach the young and the gracious of every age

to see, to think, and feel, and therefore to become more actively and securely

virtuous: this is their office”…

as attested by the Recluse: “On Man, on Nature, and on Human Life, Musing in

solitude…”. William Wordsworth believed that poetry should be a spontaneous expression of

powerful feelings that come from emotions recollected in tranquility. He also believed that

poetry should be written in the language of everyday people. Wordsworth's poetry often

depicted the power and beauty of the natural world. He believed that through a deep

connection with nature, one could access profound truths about the human condition.

According to a well- defined definition of poetry by Wordsworth that “Poetry is the

spontaneous overflow of powerful passion”. Internal feelings of the poet proceeds poetry. It

is a matter of feeling and temperament. True poetry cannot be written without proper mood

and temperament. It cannot be produced to order. It must flow out freely and willingly from

the soul as it cannot be made to flow through artificially laid pipes. Secondly, poetry is a

matter of powerful feelings. It is never an intellectual process. “Poetry is born not in the mind

but in the heart overflowing with feelings”. Poets are gifted with greater organic sensibility.

According to Wordsworth, good poetry is never an instant expression of powerful

emotions. A good poet must meditate and ponder over them long and deeply. Poetry has its

origin in “emotions recollected in tranquility”. Experience has to pass at least four stages

before successful composition becomes possible. Firstly, there is the observation or

perception to some object, character or event which sets up powerful emotions in poet’s

mind.

[6]
 WORKS:

In 1787, Wordsworth debuted as a writer with the publication of a sonnet in The European

Magazine. In the same year, he enrolled at Cambridge's St John's College. In 1791, he

obtained his bachelor's degree. Wordsworth's first poems were published in the volumes An

Evening Walk and Descriptive Sketches in 1793.

In 1797 Wordsworth moved to Alfoxden in Somerset. There he and Coleridge continued a

friendship that was to influence English poetry for generations. The two poets talked, walked,

and worked together. In 1798 they published their famous collection of Lyrical Ballads. All

but four of the poems were written by Wordsworth. Included were Coleridge’s “The Rime of

the Ancient Mariner” and Wordsworth’s “Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern

Abbey…,” “Michael,” and “The Revery of Poor Susan.”

In his "Preface to Lyrical Ballads", which is called the "manifesto" of English Romantic

criticism, Wordsworth calls his poems "experimental." Wordsworth wrote the poems that

would go into the 1798 and 1800 editions of Lyrical Ballads—poems such as “Tintern

Abbey,” “Expostulation and Reply,” “The Tables Turned,” “Goody Blake and Harry Gill,”

and “Michael.” During 1798 Wordsworth also worked on a piece of prose setting out his

evolving ideas on justice and morality. Called the “Essay on Morals” by later editors, it was

set aside and never finished. Wordsworth seems to have been attempting to work out and

justify his changing political and social ideas—ideas that had begun to develop intuitively

during the process of poetic composition. The poet in Wordsworth was beginning to dominate

the democrat, and the poet found a political philosophy based on power, violence, and reason

anathema.

Wordsworth wrote a preface to the second edition of this book, which stated the two

writers’ philosophy of poetry. It startled the literary world. Wordsworth said that poetry was

the “spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings.” He also said that poets should describe

[7]
simple scenes in everyday words, that they should be true to nature, and that they should use

imagination to create an atmosphere.

In his long poem “The Prelude” Wordsworth relates the story of his mental growth. He tells

how his boyish love of nature’s beauty grew into a recognition of the kinship between nature

and humankind. He expressed his love of nature in his “Ode: Intimations of Immortality”

when he wrote, “To me the meanest flower that blows can give thoughts that do often lie too

deep for tears.”

Wordsworth’s published works include An Evening Walk and Descriptive Sketches (1793),

Lyrical Ballads (1798), Poems, in Two Volumes (1807), The Excursion (1814), The White

Doe Of Rylstone (1815), and The Prelude (1850). Some of his best poems are “The Solitary

Reaper,” “Michael,” “Tintern Abbey,” “Daffodils,” “Ode: Intimations of Immortality,” some

of the “Lucy” poems, “Westminster Bridge,” “The World Is Too Much with Us,” and “To

Milton.”

Wordsworth’s most famous work, The Prelude (Edward Moxon, 1850), is considered by

many to be the crowning achievement of English Romanticism. The poem, revised numerous

times, chronicles the spiritual life of the poet and marks the birth of a new genre of poetry.

Although Wordsworth worked on The Prelude throughout his life, the poem was published

posthumously. Wordsworth spent his final years settled at Rydal Mount in England, traveling,

and continuing his outdoor excursions. Devastated by the death of his daughter, Dora, in

1847, Wordsworth seemingly lost his will to compose poems.

Wordsworth’s last major work in prose represents a return to his earliest interest in the land

and scenery of the English Lake District. In 1810 artist Joseph Wilkinson published Select

Views in Cumberland, Westmoreland, and Lancashire , with an introduction by Wordsworth.

In 1822 Wordsworth returned to his introduction, expanding it into a book most commonly

[8]
known as A Guide through the District of the Lakes, which continues to be republished in a

variety of editions. Wordsworth’s love of his native region is evident in the Guide, which

remains useful for the reader of Wordsworth’s poetry as well as for the tourist of the Lake

District. William Wordsworth was the central figure in the English Romantic revolution in

poetry. His contribution to it was threefold. First, he formulated in his poems and his essays a

new attitude toward nature. This was more than a matter of introducing nature imagery into

his verse: it amounted to a fresh view of the organic relation between man and the natural

world, and it culminated in metaphors of a wedding between nature and the human mind and,

beyond that, in the sweeping metaphor of nature as emblematic of the mind of God, a mind

that “feeds upon infinity” and “broods over the dark abyss.”

[9]
 CHAPTER-3

William Wordsworth as a nature poet

William Wordsworth is considered the supreme poet of nature. He had a deep love and

spiritual connection with nature that was truer than any other English poet . He took nature

as a wealth of wisdom and moral health etc. He emphasized on the moral influence of nature.

He spiritualized nature and regarded her as great moral teacher. According to him nature

deeply influences human character. In Tintern Abbey he tells his sister Dorothy that nature

never did betray the heart that loved her.

As a poet of Nature, Wordsworth stands supreme. He is a worshipper of Nature, Nature’s

devotee or high-priest. His love of Nature was probably truer, and more tender, than that of

any other English poet, before or since. Nature comes to occupy in his poem a separate or

independent status and is not treated in a casual or passing manner as by poets before him.

Wordsworth had a full-fledged philosophy, a new and original view of Nature. For him

Nature was his guide, friend, nurse and, in short, everything. In his poems, Wordsworth does

not treat Nature casually or in a passing manner like other poets. He considered Nature as a

living personality having divine power. Being the greatest poet of Nature, Wordsworth

worshipped the Nature. Throughout his poetic career, Wordsworth remained devoted to

Nature. He developed a new and full-fledged philosophy of Nature which we find in his

poems. He loved Nature for its ordinary, familiar and everyday moods. He did not recognize

the ugly side of Nature but stressed only upon the moral influence of Nature. In short we can

say that Nature was the source of all joy for Wordsworth. Nature for him was a living

personality just like a teacher, a guide and a nurse.

[10]
 Part of the driving force behind the Romantic thinkers, of which Wordsworth is an

essential component, was to create a realm that was different than the preceding literary

movement, the Neoclassicists. The Romantics wanted to conceive of a setting which was not

entirely urban, did not focus on socializing with others, and develop an individual, as opposed

to collective, sense of self. In attempting to tear away the mask of in authenticity that

dominated their perception of Neoclassicism, Romantic thinkers saw n++ature as the perfect

setting for their ideas and beliefs. Its purity and splendor, its experience on an individual

level, and its presence helped to fuse the duality of mind and heart. This appealed to

Wordsworth, which is why so many of his poems have implications to the natural world or

use it as their setting.

Three points in his creed of Nature may be noted:

(a) He conceived of Nature as a living Personality. He believed that there is a divine spirit

pervading all the objects of Nature. This belief in a divine spirit pervading all the objects of

Nature may be termed as mystical Pantheism and is fully expressed in Tintern Abbey and in

several passages of The Prelude.

(b) Wordsworth believed that the company of Nature gives joy to the human heart and he

looked upon Nature as exercising a healing influence on sorrow-stricken hearts.

(c) Above all, Wordsworth emphasized the moral influence of Nature. He spiritualized Nature

and regarded her as a great moral teacher, as the best mother, guardian and nurse of man, and

as an elevating influence. He believed that between man and Nature there is mutual

consciousness, spiritual communion or ‘mystic intercourse’. He initiates his readers into the

secret of the soul’s communion with Nature. According to him, human beings who grow up

in the lap of Nature are perfect in every respect.

[11]
 Wordsworth believed that we can learn more of man and of moral evil and good from

Nature than from all the philosophies. In his eyes, “Nature is a teacher whose wisdom we can

learn, and without which any human life is vain and incomplete.” He believed in the

education of man by Nature. In this he was somewhat influenced by Rousseau3. This inter-

relation of Nature and man is very important in considering Wordsworth’s view of both.

Wordsworth is claimed to be the high priest of nature. Truly speaking, he is a worshiper of

nature, which occupies an eminent place in his poetry. At least, three things must be noted in

his treatment of nature:

(i) That it has a living personality,

(ii) That it exercises a healing influence on the aggrieved souls,

(iii) That it is a great moral teacher.

Use of nature in his poetry:

Nature is a huge part in romanticism. Many romantics viewed nature as a healing power

and a source of subject and image. It encompasses how nature can touch and change one’s

life for the better. They view it as organic and don’t like scientific views. Wordsworth uses

nature in so much of his work.

(1) “ I wandered lonely as a cloud”

In this poem William Wordsworth reveals his relationship with nature. His choices of

words throughout the poem make it clear that his relationship with nature is good one. The

whole poem is about nature. It talks about clouds, vales, hills, trees, the breeze, stars, the

Milky Way, a bay, waves, and most of all daffodils. Nature brings a state of imagination. It

brings people into a different state of mind, an ambiance to encompass the world and make it

[12]
a better place. In this poem, a host of daffodils stops the speaker while travelling through

nature. The word “host” makes it transform into a vision, which is imagination.

(2) “The Thorn”

Wordsworth also uses nature throughout the whole poem. It talks about a thorn overgrown

with lichen, rocks and stones, moss, mountains, a stormy winter gale, clouds, a muddy pond,

a hill of moss, spikes, branches, and stars.

(3) “Ode on Intimations of Immorality”

Wordsworth uses nature to explain his perception on the beauty of nature. He uses

meadows, groves, streams, the earth, rainbows, roses, birds, lambs, seasons, mountains, seas,

valleys, the sun, flowers, and stars.

(4) “To a Skylark”

In “To a Skylark” he uses clouds, the sky, a nest, sloths, mountains, rivers, dusty winds,

and heaven to portray nature.

(5) “Composed Upon Westminster Bridge”

In “Composed upon Westminster Bridge” nature is described by the earth, the sky, fields,

valleys, rocks, and beautiful hills.

(6) “The table turned”

The speaker is telling his friend that nature has more to teach than books, and that he

should go outside rather than seek refuge in dry pages.

Cazamian says “Composed upon Westminster Bridge” nature is described by the earth, the

sky, fields, valleys, rocks, and beautiful hills.ys that “To Wordsworth, Nature appears as a

[13]
formative influence superior to any other, the educator of senses and mind alike, the sower in

our hearts of the deep-laden seeds of our feelings and beliefs. It speaks to the child in the

fleeting emotions of early years, and stirs the young poet to an ecstasy, the glow of which

illuminates all his work and dies of his life.”

William Wordsworth's treatment of nature is quite different from other romantic poets like

John Keats, Percy Bysshe Shelley and William Blake. In him mentionable works 'The

Prelude', 'Intimations of Immortality', 'Tintern Abbey' and 'I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud'

and in some other poems William Wordsworth showcased his closeness with nature with

deep affinity. Nature came to him as a friend, as a source of removing monotony and as a

guide to give solace to his sore mind moreover nature would refresh his mind when he was

lonesome. The heavenly beauty of nature gave him added joy in stranded mind. And

furthermore nature became a warden to him and also solace to despairing mind. Apart from

perceiving deep philosophy Wordsworth perceived mentally the revelation of celestial being

in nature.

Very few romantic poets were as devoted lover of nature as Wordsworth; no other

romantic poets showed their affinity for nature as deeply and ardently as Wordsworth. In his

famous poem and autobiography, 'The Prelude', Wordsworth shows his childhood memories

and love for nature which is widely evident in the long autobiographical poem as stated 'The

Prelude.' Wordsworth’s attitude to Nature can be clearly differentiated from that of the other

great poets of Nature. He did not prefer the wild and stormy aspects of Nature like Byron, or

the shifting and changeful aspects of Nature and the scenery of the sea and sky like Shelley,

or the purely sensuous in Nature like Keats.

[14]
 It was his special characteristic to concern himself, not with the strange and remote aspects

of the earth, and sky, but Nature in her ordinary, familiar, everyday moods. He did not

recognize the ugly side of Nature ‘red in tooth and claw’ as Tennyson did. Wordsworth

stressed upon the moral influence of Nature and the need of man’s spiritual discourse with

her.

[15]
 CHAPTER-4

Development of His Love for Nature

Wordsworth’s childhood had been spent in Nature’s lap. A nurse both stern and kindly,

she had planted seeds of sympathy and under-standing in that growing mind. Natural scenes

like the grassy Derwent river bank or the monster shape of the night-shrouded mountain

played a “needful part” in the development of his mind.

Since his childhood, he developed a love for Nature. As a child, he enjoyed all the objects

of Nature from flowing rivers, dancing flowers, green trees to huge beautiful mountains and

thus he fell in love with Nature. In the poem, Tintern Abbey, Wordsworth traces the

development of his love for Nature. Fist nature was a playground for him when he was a

child, later on in his youth, he was attracted towards Nature for its sensuous beauty, and

finally in his later life, his love for Nature acquired a spiritual and intellectual character and

played the role of a teacher and guide in his life. In The Prelude, he records dozens of these

natural scenes, not for themselves but for what his mind could learn through. In the

Immortality Ode he tells us that as a boy his love for Nature was a thoughtless passion but

that when he grew up, the objects of Nature took a sober colouring from his eyes and gave

rise to profound thoughts in his mind because he had witnessed the sufferrings of humanity:

In The Prelude, he records dozens of these natural scenes, not for themselves but for what

his mind could learn through. Most of the imagery, as well as the diction, reflects the natural

environment, especially the English countryside, and manages to capture much of the

wildness and beauty of that terrain. The influence of the English character may be traced in

many of the ideas behind the poem. Just as Wordsworth never got far or was long from his

[16]
 native regions physically, so they continued to color his emotional reactions throughout his

life.

To the bare earth dropped with a startling sound.

From that soft couch I rose not, till the sun

Had almost touched the horizon; casting then

A backward glance upon the curling cloud

Of city smoke, by distance ruralised;

Keen as a Truant or a Fugitive,

It is doubtful that he would have created an inimitable philosophy of nature had he been

reared in London's slums. In his lifetime, his mental outlook swung from youthful radicalism

to ultraconservatism. Politically, the fierce independence of character the poet admired in the

yeoman of the North Country came to be symbolized by the French patriot; later he felt that

conservative British institutions were the bulwark of true freedom. Artistically and

religiously, he found youthful inspiration in the hills and vales of the Lake District; he

responded to them with his simple ballads and a joyous mysticism.

Nature was “both law and impulse”; and in earth and heaven, in glade and bower,

Wordsworth was conscious of a spirit which kindled and restrained. In a variety of exciting

ways, which he did not understand, Nature intruded upon his escapades and pastimes, even

when he was indoors, speaking “memorable things”. He had not sought her; neither was he

intellectually aware of her presence. She riveted his attention by stirring up sensations of fear

or joy which were “organic”, affecting him bodily as well as emotionally. With time the

sensations were fixed indelibly in his memory. All the instances in Book I of The Prelude

[17]
 show a kind of primitive animism at work”; the emotions and psychological disturbances

affect external scenes in such a way that Nature seems to nurture “by beauty and by fear”.

In Tintern Abbey, Wordsworth traces the development of his love for Nature. In his

boyhood Nature was simply a playground for him. At the second stage he began to love and

seek Nature but he was attracted purely by its sensuous or aesthetic appeal. Finally his love

for Nature acquired a spiritual and intellectual character, and he realized Nature’s role as a

teacher and educator. “Tintern Abbey” is the young Wordsworth’s first great statement of

his principle (great) theme: that the memory of pure communion with nature in childhood

works upon the mind even in adulthood, when access to that pure communion has been lost,

and that the maturity of mind present in adulthood offers compensation for the loss of that

communion—specifically, the ability to “look on nature” and hear “human music”; that is, to

see nature with an eye toward its relationship to human life.

Of unremembered pleasure; such, perh

As may have had no trivial influence

On that best portion of a good man’s life;

His little, nameless, unremembered acts

Of kindness and of love. Nor less, I trust,

To them I may have owed another gift,

Of aspect more sublime; that blessed mood,

In the Immortality Ode he tells us that as a boy his love for Nature was a thoughtless

passion but that when he grew up, the objects of Nature took a sober colouring from his eyes

[18]
 and gave rise to profound thoughts in his mind because he had witnessed the sufferings

of humanity:

That hath kept watch o’er man’s mortality;

Another race hath been, and other palms are won

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 do often lie too deep for tears.

Wordsworth’s attitude to Nature can be clearly differentiated from that of the other great

poets of Nature. He did not prefer the wild and stormy aspects of Nature like Byron, or the

shifting and changeful aspects of Nature and the scenery of the sea and sky like Shelley, or

the purely sensuous in Nature like Keats, or interested mainly in human nature rather than its

pure form like Shakespeare. It was his special characteristic to concern himself, not with the

strange and remote aspects of the earth, and sky, but Nature in her ordinary, familiar,

everyday moods. He did not recognize the ugly side of Nature ‘red in tooth and claw’ as

Tennyson did. Wordsworth stressed upon the moral influence of Nature and the need of

man’s spiritual discourse with her.

Wordsworth loves nature as well as human being. He made the most proper combination

between his love of man and love of nature in his works. He entrusted his love of man on the

love of nature and in return, his love of natural scenery and the life of the people living in

nature .

[19]
 He not only wrote so many poems but also developed his own outstanding theory on poetic

creation. In the “Preface to Lyrical Ballads” he ever said. “Low and rustic life was generally

chosen”, “to choose incidents and situations from common life”. Because “the condition, the

essential passions of the heart find a better soil”. In a large number of his poems, Wordsworth

revealed his true compassion and love for the sufferings of the poor and the unfortunate.

In poems, we can see his communication with nature and her powerful effect upon his

thoughts and emotions. The sight of the rainbow makes him moved in “My Heart Leaps Up”,

the hearing of the mountain echo provokes his philosophical contemplation in “The Echo”,

and the visit to the mountain inspires him to meditations of eternity in “The Simplon Pass”. In

“Composed Upon an Evening of Extraordinary Splendour and Beauty”, the poet was

obviously struck by the unusual sight of an evening glow which so impressed him with its

rare splendor and beauty.

Wordsworth's love for nature developed gradually throughout his life, starting with a

youthful, sensory appreciation and evolving into a deeper, spiritual and intellectual

understanding, as seen in poems like "Tintern Abbey" and "The Prelude".

Wordsworth spent his childhood in close proximity to nature, enjoying the beauty of rivers,

flowers, trees, and mountains, fostering an early love for the natural world. In his youth,

Wordsworth was drawn to nature for its sensuous beauty, as he experienced the aesthetic

appeal of the natural world.

As he matured, his love for nature deepened, acquiring a spiritual and intellectual

character, where nature became a source of profound thoughts and a guide in his life. His

poem traces the development of Wordsworth's love for nature, from a playful childhood

connection to a more mature, reflective appreciation.

In conlusion, Wordsworth traces the development of his love for Nature. In his boyhood

Nature was simply a playground for him. At the second stage he began to love and

[20]
seek Nature but he was attracted purely by its sensuous or aesthetic appeal. Wordsworth

was able to penetrate the soul of nature to see the divine. There are layers of nature that

Wordsworth puts forth. Wordsworth reflects on his personal growth and evolving

relationship with nature, emphasizing its role in fostering tranquility, moral insight, and

spiritual renewal. The poem illustrates how revisiting familiar landscapes rekindles a deep,

introspective understanding of the self and the universe.

[21]
 CHAPTER-5

Spiritual Meaning in Natural Objects

Compton Rickett rightly observes that Wordsworth is far less concerned with the sensous

manifestations than with the spiritual significance that he finds underlying these manifestations.

To him the primrose and the daffodil are symbols to him of Nature’s message to man.

A sunrise for him is not a pageant of colour ; it is a moment of spiritual consecration:

My heart was full; I made no vows, but vows

Were then made for me; bound unknown to me

Was given, that I should be, else sinning greatly,

A dedicated Spirit.

Wordsworth understands of who he is changes as he grows older, as it probably does

with most people. He sees changes in himself from the innocent boy of childhood who

would run to Nature for the pleasure of its beauty, to someone who would turn to Nature

as a nurturer and protector of what he believes. This change does not only happen in

people who are spiritual, but his recognition of the existence of a mysterious presence

outside himself changes the way he sees himself. His change over the five years between

his two visits to the River Wye in Tintern Abbey represents two changes that are

concordant with each other: a change in himself and a change in his spiritual beliefs. He

has a greater appreciation in his second trip of the presence that “disturbs” him, and he

also has a different view of who he is. He recognizes both of these differences, and

realizes that throughout his life as his spirituality is strengthened, his self- identity will

change.

[22]
 A spiritual view of the world changes the way one sees himself in relation to the world.

Again, Wordsworth’s spirituality lies not merely in the way he appreciates the beauty of

the world, but in the way this beauty changes him. He is aware of the connection he has to

all living beings, and to all of Nature. There is an awareness of the spiritual oneness that

exists among all things of this earth. His poem also reflects the time period's fascination

with the sublime and the importance of solitary communion with nature. The author's

solitary walks and introspection in natural settings highlight the Romantic belief in the

power of nature to inspire awe and evoke a sense of the transcendent. His poem by an

influential Romantic author explores the connection between nature and the human soul.

By highlighting the profound and enduring impact of natural elements on the human

experience, the poem emphasizes the importance of fostering a close relationship with the

natural world. In his poem, Wordsworth is identifying God with nature and is thanking the

forces of the universe which not only made him, but that continue to inspire him. .

Wordsworth is concerned with the spiritual significance of nature. It has its message for

man. The primrose and the daffodils are the symbols to give nature's message to man. A

sunrise to him is a moment of spiritual consecration.

In William Wordsworth's poetry, natural objects often hold a deep spiritual meaning,

representing a divine presence or a connection to something greater than oneself,

essentially viewing nature as a conduit to experience the spiritual realm, providing solace,

guidance, and a sense of unity with the universe; he believed that a "divine spirit"

permeates all aspects of nature, allowing humans to connect with it on a spiritual level.

He often used the concept of the "sublime" to describe the awe-inspiring power of

nature, like mountains or vast oceans, which could evoke profound spiritual experiences.

[23]
 He believed that there is a divine spirit in all the objects of Nature and so they have

healing power.

Natural objects can represent spiritual meaning in Wordsworth's poetry :

 A mountain : Represents strength, stability, and the power of the divine.

 A stream or river : Symbolizes the flow of life, time, and the constant change of

the natural world.

 A daffodil : Represents simple beauty and the joy found in everyday experiences.

 The wind : Can represent the spirit of nature, sometimes signifying change or

turn.

Wordsworth also saw nature as his spiritual existence. Insects, flowers, stars,

mountains, and canyons, etc., all represent a moral or spiritual life for young. To

Wordsworth rivers, hills, birds, trees, flowers, meadows all natural objects were

illuminated by divine glory. Wordsworth by his insight and imagination built a new

doctrine; his thought and belief marked a new era in English literature. Again in ‘Tintern

Abbey’, Wordsworth hears with painful ear not the murmuring sound of Wye river, while

standing beside the Wye River, but he hears the sad music in the flow of river water that

bears chemical poison of industrialism. Nature which is to Wordsworth abode of God's

presence was being devastated by man's lust that gave immense shock to the poet.

Wordsworth lived in an age when, for the first time, human-created mechanical power

and its economic impulses threatened the natural world in its totality. The powers of nature no

longer balanced or overbalanced the powers of Man. Therefore the natural world acquired a

new significance and value. The divine appeared in the realm of natural life and form in its

[24]
clearest expression, and the destructiveness of human aggression, injustice, obliviousness

opposed this world of peace and beauty. Life in the expanding metropolis swallowed up

human existence and enclosed it in its own realm of noise and bustle. Wordsworth took

refuge in his rural spaces in the English Lake District, but soon poetry and fiction began to

take on the task of orienting human experience in the metropolis. Thomas de Quincey,

Wordsworth’s friend and neighbor, wrote his book about the horrors of urban alienation in his

autobiographical work on the “English Opium Eater.” Edgar Allan Poe wrote a mysteriously

horrifying story, “The Man of the Crowd,” and Charles Baudelaire wrote his sonnets about

the ugliness of life in Paris. The play of these two realms, the city and the country, or nature

and wilderness, have remained as major themes ever since. His views are encapsulated in his

poetry, particularly in his collection "Lyrical Ballads." Wordsworth believed that nature was a

source of spiritual inspiration and moral wisdom. He saw nature as a teacher, a healer, and a

source of solace for the human soul.

Furthermore, He beheld nature as a living personality. He had deep faith that there is a

spiritual entity pervading all the objects of Nature. Wordsworth's philosophy can be

termed as mystical Pantheism. Like a true pantheistic trait in mind Wordsworth believed

'All is God and God is all'. Nature is the vehicle through which a man can come closer to

understand the presence of God. This belief is fully echoed in Tintern Abbey, where he

proves his devotional feeling towards nature. Tintern Abbey, one of William

Wordsworth’s most celebrated poems, is an ode to the beauty and power of nature. The

poem also has a subtle strain of religious sentiment; though the actual form of the Abbey

does not appear in the poem, the idea of the abbey—of a place consecrated to the

spirit—suffuses the scene, as though the forest and the fields were themselves the

speaker’s abbey. This idea is reinforced by the speaker’s description of the power he

feels in the setting sun and in the mind of man, which consciously links the ideas of God,
[25]
nature, and the human mind.The poem reflects the nature in Wordsworth’s own

experiences and explores themes of memory, imagination, and the transformative power

of nature. In Tintern Abbey he wrote;

And I have felt

A presence that disturbs me with the joy

Of elevated thoughts; a sense sublime

Of something far more deeply infused,

Whose dwelling is the light of the setting suns,

And the round ocean and the living air, ...

And the blue sky, and in the mind of man:”

This uneasy feeling is very much mentionable and exceptional for a poet of nature.

Wordsworth explains very easily the deep most feeling that no nature poet could do ever.

Giving life to inanimate is an extraordinary trait of the poet; here in Tintern Abbey the

poet sees what our carnal capacity misses. Wordsworth's poetry often depicts nature as a

restorative force that can heal the human spirit. He also personified nature and imbued it

with spiritual significance. Wordsworth finds the existence of God even in the mind of

man through nature. Wordsworth upholds that there is a pre-arranged harmony between

the mind of man and the spirit in nature, which enables man to form a relationship or

communication with nature.

[26]
 “Dust as we are immortal spirit grows like

Harmony in music, there is a dark

Inscrutable craftsmanship which binds together

Discordant elements and makes them cling together

In a society.”

(Lyrical Ballads)

The relationship is materialised when the mind of man forms a kinship with the

thoughts of nature. And it is this cordial and intellectual junction between man and

nature that helped to shape his belief that nature has the power to teach and educate

human beings. The poet considers nature as a bountiful source of knowledge. He also

believes that nature is the nurse and the protector of the mankind. Nature’s benignity

considers only the welfare of human beings. In his words, nature is:

“ The anchor of my purest thoughts, the nurse

The guide, the guardian of my heart, and soul

Of all my moral being.”

( Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey)

Wordsworth’s view of nature in “Tintern Abbey” is rooted in his belief that nature is not

just a physical presence but also a spiritual and emotional one. He writes that nature has

the power to transform us, to help us see the world in a new way. He notes that the beauty

of nature has the power to heal and renew us. Interestingly, he talks about three specific
[27]
roles that nature plays, each with its unique power of restoration. First, nature provides

sweet sensations that help revive one’s senses even when surrounded by clamorous city

noises. Secondly, nature cultivates human kindness through inspiring “little

unremembered acts” of goodness. Finally, nature provides man with a more sublime gift,

the gift of “blessed mood” where “Man” reaches a higher level of awareness and

tranquility through imagination.

William Wordsworth has great reverence for nature. For Wordsworth, nature had a

spirit, a soul of its own, and to know is so is to experience nature with all the five senses.

In his poems there are many references to seeing, hearing and feeling his surroundings. He

speaks of mountains, woods, rivers and streams, and fields . Wordsworth realized, in each

of us, there is a natural affinity for a certain setting for nature. His affinity towards nature

is oriented to the sea. He knew the sprit , the soul and the feel of these places for he was

able to experience these places in the fullness of youth Both of these poems by

Wordsworth are poems of recollection and in these recollections, Wordsworth came

across something that was truly immortal: Nature and its soul . Though change, death and

destruction might be normal occurrences that come to nature, there is rebirth and

continuity to life . As in death and destruction , human endeavors are also mortal and

temporary when compared to nature and its spirit . Nonetheless, though these things are

only mortal, or temporary, they are still as much a part of it as much as water droplets

individually make up a river.

[28]
 CHAPTER-6

Wordsworth’s Philosophy of Nature

William Wordsworth's philosophy of nature was that it was a living entity that interacted

with humans, and that it provided joy, healing, and spiritual nourishment. He believed that

nature was a great teacher and guide, and that it had a divine spirit that pervaded all objects.

In 'Tintern Abbey' the poet says that Nature is: ‘The anchor of my purest thoughts, the nurse,

The guide, the guardian of my heart and soul Of all my moral beings". Wordsworth identifies

himself with a special message of Nature's relation to man and of man to Nature. He creates a

gospel of Nature and Man. Wordsworth repeatedly emphasizes the importance of nature to an

individual's intellectual and spiritual development. A good relationship with nature helps

individuals connect to both the spiritual and the social worlds. As Wordsworth explains in

The Prelude, a love of nature can lead to a love of humankind.

• Wordsworth has personified the Nature. He considered Nature as a living personality.

• He believed that there is a divine spirit in all the objects of Nature and so they have

healing power.

• This philosophy of Nature has been well expressed in his famous poems like Tintern

Abbey and in Book II of The Prelude.

• Wordsworth believed that the company of Nature gives us joy. Since Nature has healing

divine power, it relieves the sorrow- stricken hearts.

[29]
• According to Wordsworth, a person who grows up in the lap of Nature is a perfect man

in every respect.

• Wordsworth spiritualized Nature and considered her as a great teacher, best mother,

guardian, and nurse of man. He believed that there is a spiritual communication between

nature and human beings.

• He believed that between man and Nature there is mutual consciousness, spiritual

communion or ‘mystic intercourse’. He initiates his readers into the secret of the soul’s

communion with Nature.

• Wordsworth believed in the education of Nature. He believed that a man can learn a lot

of things about moral evil and good from Nature.

• For him Nature is the best teacher and guide.

Wordsworth is sensitive to every subtle change in the world about him. He can give delicate

and subtle expression to the sheer sensuous delight of the world of Nature. He can feel the

elemental joy of Spring: It was an April morning, fresh and clear The rivulet, delighting in its

strength, Ran with a young man’s speed, and yet the voice Of waters which the river had

supplied Was softened down into a vernal tone. He can take an equally keen pleasure in the

tranquil lake: The calm and dead still water lay upon my mind Even with a weight of pleasure

A brief study of his pictures of Nature reveals his peculiar power in actualising sound and its

converse, silence. Being the poet of the ear and of the eye, he is exquisitely felicitous. No

other poet could have written: A voice so thrilling ne’er was heard In springtime from the

cuckoo-bird, Breaking the silence of the Seas . Among the farthest Hebrides. energy and

[30]
movement behind the workings of the natural world. “Goings on” was a favourite word he

applied to Nature. But he is not interested in mere Nature description. Wordsworth records his

own feelings with reference to the objects which stimulate him and call forth the description.

His unique apprehension of Nature was determined by his peculiar sense-endowment. His eye

was at once far-reaching and penetrating. He looked through the visible scene to what he calls

its “ideal truth”. He pored over objects till he fastened their images on his brain and brooded

on these in memory till they acquired the liveliness of dreams. He had a keen ear too for all

natural sounds, the calls of beasts and birds, and the sounds of winds and waters; and he

composed thousands of lines wandering by the side of a stream. But he was not richly

endowed in the less intellectual senses of touch, taste and temperature.

In Lines composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey, Wordsworth explores the effects of

memory, time, and the landscape upon the human heart. Nature is like nutrition to him as it

always supports him: While here I stand, not only with the sense Of present pleasure, but with

pleasing thoughts That in this moment there is life and food For future years He is

passionately in love with Nature as the beauteous forms are to him as An appetite; a feeling

and a love. Though his despair and suffering in the materialistic city has changed his

perception, the interchange between the mind and Nature still produces striking impacts to

him. After a five-year absence from Nature, his passionate affection for Nature is deepened

and Nature becomes dearer to him. In the poem, the most important role of Nature is

manifested explicitly:

In nature and the language of the sense,

The anchor of my purest thoughts, the nurse,

The guide, the guardian of thy heart, and soul

Of all my moral being.

[31]
These lines constitute an excellent epigraph for the role of Nature in Wordsworth’s poetry.

His affection for Nature is not merely for its aesthetic attractions, but also for its ability to

guide, support, and inspire.

William Wordsworth, a prominent figure in the Romantic literary movement, held a

profound philosophy of nature. His views are encapsulated in his poetry, particularly in his

collection "Lyrical Ballads." Wordsworth believed that nature was a source of spiritual

inspiration and moral wisdom. He saw nature as a teacher, a healer, and a source of solace for

the human soul.

Wordsworth emphasized the importance of connecting with nature to achieve a deeper

understanding of life and to find solace in times of turmoil. He believed that nature had a

profound impact on human emotions and moral development. His philosophy of nature also

emphasized the idea of the "sublime," where nature's grandeur and beauty evoke powerful

emotions and a sense of awe in individuals. In summary, Wordsworth's philosophy of nature

centered on the belief that nature was not just a physical entity, but a spiritual and moral force

that could guide and inspire individuals towards a deeper understanding of themselves and the

world around them. Wordsworth is concerned with the spiritual significance of nature. It has

its message for man. The primrose and the daffodils are the symbols to give nature's message

to man. A sunrise to him is a moment of spiritual consecration. Wordsworth is renowned as

the poet of nature. The primary concern of his poems is to appreciate the sublime beauty of

Nature, to search for the union between the mind and Nature, and to acquire aspiring insights

by embracing Nature.

He does not simply depict an accurate picture of the pleasant environment; instead, he

emphasizes the interaction environment and the inner mind.Among his illuminating poems,

Lines Written in Early Spring introduces his fundamental attitude towards Nature. Union with

[32]
Nature drives away the sad thoughts in his mind and his happiness conspicuously comes from

living close to Nature. In addition, Wordsworth perceives human beings as part of Nature.

In brief, Wordsworth's philosophy of nature centered on its moral and spiritual influence,

viewing it as a source of joy, a guide, and a teacher, emphasizing its ordinary, familiar, and

everyday aspects rather than the wild or stormy. Wordsworth's poetry frequently explores

themes related to nature, including its beauty, power, and ability to inspire deep emotional

responses. His works often reflect a harmonious relationship between humans and the natural

environment.

[33]
 CHAPTER-7

Conclusion

Wordsworth’s attitude to Nature can be clearly differentiated from that of the other great

poets of Nature. He did not prefer the wild and stormy aspects of Nature like Byron, or the

shifting and changeful aspects of Nature and the scenery of the sea and sky like Shelley, or

the purely sensuous in Nature like Keats. It was his special characteristic to concern himself,

not with the strange and remote aspects of the earth, and sky, but Nature in her ordinary,

familiar, everyday moods. He did not recognize the ugly side of Nature ‘red in tooth and

claw’ as Tennyson did. Wordsworth stressed upon the moral influence of Nature and the need

of man’s spiritual discourse with her. Wordsworth is a worshiper of Nature. His love of

Nature is tender and truer than any other English poets. There is a separate status of Nature in

his poems. He believed that there is a divine spirit in nature. He believed that the company of

nature gives joy to the human heart and he looked upon nature as a healing force. Above all,

he regarded her as a great moral preacher. He believed that there is a link between man and

nature. In his eyes, "Nature is a teacher whose wisdom we can learn if we will and without

which any human life is vain and incomplete. "He believed in the education of man by nature.

"Sweet is the lore which Nature brings Our meddling intellect natural things. Wordsworth is

concerned with the spiritual significance of nature. It has its message for man. The primrose

and the daffodils are the symbols to give nature's message to man. A sunrise to him is a

moment of spiritual consecration. Wordsworth is renowned as the poet of nature. The primary

concern of his poems is to appreciate the sublime beauty of Nature, and to search for the

union between the mind and Nature, and to

[34]
acquire aspiring insights by embracing Nature. He does not simply depict an accurate picture

of the pleasant environment; instead, he emphasizes the interaction environment and the inner

mind.Among his illuminating poems, Lines Written in Early Spring introduces his

fundamental attitude towards Nature. Union with Nature drives away the sad thoughts in his

mind and his happiness conspicuously comes from living close to Nature. In addition,

Wordsworth perceives human beings as part of Nature. The old man in Resolution and

Independence and the shepherd in Michael merge themselves into Nature and become part of

it. In Lines composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey, Wordsworth explores the effects of

memory, time, and the landscape upon the human heart. Nature is like nutrition to him as it

always supports him: While here I stand, not only with the sense Of present pleasure, but with

pleasing thoughts That in this moment there is life and food For future years He is

passionately in love with Nature as the beauteous forms are to him as An appetite; a feeling

and a love. Though his despair and suffering in the materialistic city has changed his

perception, the interchange between the mind and Nature still produces striking impacts to

him. After a five-year absence from Nature, his passionate affection for Nature is deepened

and Nature becomes dearer to him. In the poem, the most important role of Nature is

manifested explicitly: In nature and the language of the sense, The anchor of my purest

thoughts, the nurse, The guide, the guardian of thy heart, and soul Of all my moral being.

(lines 108-111) These lines constitute an excellent epigraph for the role of Nature in

Wordsworth’s poetry. His affection for Nature is not merely for its aesthetic attractions, but

also for its ability to guide, support, and inspire.

Perhaps no poet and no poem epitomize Romanticism‘s mystical view of nature more than

William Wordsworth and his poem. Wordsworth based his poetry on the idea that it should be

written in a natural language that speaks to and reflects common human emotions. Those

[35]
emotions are most readily called forth by our experiences in nature. Wordsworth recalls how

his memories of this setting have renewed his life when he has lived in the city, but he also

begins to realize that it is his more adult relationship to nature – rather than his youthful one

when he unconsciously felt at one with it – that is more significant, for it provides him with a

moral connection to humanity and to some spiritual essence greater than humanity. As

important, he stresses that it is not simply nature‘s influence on him, but equally his

perception of nature – the role his consciousness and his imagination play in producing this

experience.

[36]
 CHAPTER-8

Bibliography

 Internet archive of Volume 1 of Christopher Wordsworth's 1851 biography

 Internet archive of Volume 2 of Christopher Wordsworth's 1851 biography

 Biography and Works

 Works by or about William Wordsworth in libraries (World Cat catalog)

 Romanticon: Wordsworth's Corpus Reflects the Growth of a Conservative's Mind;

City Journal, Summer 2009

 Short biographical sketch by Glenn Everett

 Wordsworth's hidden arguments: an article in the TLS by Dan Jacobson, 31 October

2007

 Worsworth's links with Claines, Worcester

 Wordsworth and the Lake District

 Wordsworth's Grave

 The Wordsworth Trust

 Romantic Circles: Editions & articles on Wordsworth and other authors of the

Romantic period

 Hawkshead Grammar School Museum

 Averill, J. H. (1980). Wordsworth and the Poetry of Human Suffering. New York:

Cornell University Press.

 Guo, Q. Y. (1998). A Course in English Literature. Shijiangzhuang: He Bei Education

PressRomanticon: Wordsworth's Corpus Reflects the Growth of a Conservative's

Mind; City Journal, Summer 2009

[37]
 Short biographical sketch by Glenn Everett

 Wordsworth's hidden arguments: an article in the TLS by Dan Jacobson, 31 October

2007

 Wordsworth's links with Claines, Worcester

 Wordsworth and the Lake District

 Wordsworth's Grave

 The Wordsworth Trust

 Romantic Circles: Editions & articles on Wordsworth and other authors of the

Romantic period

 Hawkshead Grammar School Museum

 Portraits of William Wordsworth at the National Portrait Gallery, London

[38]