|
(Born April 7, 1770, Cockermouth, Cumberland, England—Died April 23, 1850, Rydal Mount, Westmorland)
William Wordsworth was on the one
hand a poet of nature, a poet of divine consciousness; On the other hand, his
nature consciousness became a philosophical conviction. Wordsworth's work has
been criticized by critics as the greatest poet and philosopher of nature, The
Highest Priest of Nature.
The
mystique of nature, the beauty, the
subtle sense of life set Wordsworth apart from other poets. He was one of the
foremost poets who proclaimed the triumph of Romanticism in the nineteenth
century against neo-classical literature. In addition to the natural beauty,
his poems are dominated by the joys and sorrows of the common people and the
daily life of the rural peasant.
According to the subjects,
Wordsworth’s short poems can be classified into two groups: poems about nature
and poems about the human heart & life. Wordsworth is regarded as a
“worshipper of nature.” He can penetrate to the heart of things and give the
reader the very life of nature dives into the inner soul of nature. Secondly,
Wordsworth thinks that common life is the only subject of literary interest.
The joys and sorrows of the common people are his themes.
Wordsworth is also a poet in memory of the past. To him, life is a cyclical
journey.
The Romantic era in world
literature began in 1896 with the publication of Lyrical Ballads by William
Wordsworth and friend Samuel Taylor Coleridge. There are four poems by
Coleridge and nineteen by Wordsworth. The poem changed the attitude of the
poets and writers of that time. In its introduction, the ideal, form, language, and form of the poetry of the new age have been discussed in detail. Naturally, the ‘lyrical ballads’ are regarded as milestones in Wordsworth’s poetic life.
Wordsworth wrote his
autobiographical book, The Prelude, between 1899 and 1805. It is one of the
best works of Wordsworth's creative period. There are a total of 14 cantos
here. This poem is called ‘Memory Recollect in Tranquility’ after six long
years of relentless efforts. The main aim of the poem was ‘Self Examination and
Self Expression’ or introspection and introspection. (william wordsworth poems)
In the second edition of ‘Lyrical
Ballads’, he wrote modern poetry from the eighteenth century. Discussed in
detail how it is new in terms of form and content. Wordsworth thought - nature
never cheats, nature is man's best friend. In addition to composing poetry, he
was well versed in philosophy and literary criticism.
Another notable work of poetry by
William Wordsworth is The Lucy Group of Poems. This poem has somewhat filled
the lack of love poetry in Wordsworth's entire collection of poems. However,
the so-called Passionate love is not given much importance here. Lucy has
become one with nature. There is no dialogue of Lucy in this poem, only the
emotion, and exuberance of the poet is expressed centering on Lucy. There are
six poems about Lucy. In these poems, Lucy is shown as a symbol of nature and at
the same time a symbol of pure love.
Wordsworth’s poem ode on intimations of immortality"(summary on recollections of early childhood)
Wordsworth's eminent collection of
four-line poems is the Ecclesiastical Sonnet. It contains a total of 132
sonnets. Their content is religious sentiments and philosophical theories. Of
course, Wordsworth wrote more than three hundred sonnets throughout his life.
The number of sonnets based on nature, homeland, and human life is not less.
Wordsworth’s (Wordsworth poems) deliberate simplicity
and refusal to decorate the truth of experience produced a kind of pure and
profound poetry that no other poet has ever equaled.
Wordsworth’s Literary
Works:
LyricalBallads, with a Few Other Poems (1798)
"Lines Composed A Few Miles above Tintern Abbey"
Lyrical
Ballads, with Other Poems (1800)
Preface to the Lyrical Ballads
"Strange fits of passion have I
known"
"She Dwelt among the Untrodden Ways"
"Lucy Gray"
"Michael"
"I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" Also known as "Daffodils"
"Ode: Intimations of Immortality"
"The World Is Too Much with Us"
The
Prelude (1850)