William Wordsworth

William Wordsworth -

He wrote a very famous poem, entitled "Prelude", which he wrote during his lifetime. It is considered to be the crowning achievement of English romanticism.

"Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart."
— William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth is a great poet and I respect him highly as he suffered a lot of grievances in his life. I believe that he did his work with all his heart, maybe due to interest, maybe not, but he let his work tell his feelings, his thoughts, etc. He wrote his life story in his poem mentioned above - Prelude, but it was published after his death!

Background and historical context

Wordsworth attended Hawkshead Grammar School, where his love of poetry was firmly established and it is believed that he made his first attempts at verse there. Then, he studied at St. John's College in Cambridge and before his final semester, he set out on a walking tour of Europe, which influenced both his poetry and his political sensibilities. While touring Europe, Wordsworth came into contact with the French Revolution. This experience as well as a subsequent period living in France, brought about Wordsworth's interest and sympathy for the life, troubles and speech of the "common man". These issues proved to be of the utmost importance to Wordsworth's work. Also, in 1795, Wordsworth met with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and it was with Coleridge that Wordsworth published the famous Lyrical Ballads in 1798.

Three Poems by Wordsworth

A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal

by William Wordsworth

A slumber did my spirit seal;
   I had no human fears:
She seemed a thing that could not feel
   The touch of earthly years.

No motion has she now, no force;
   She neither hears nor sees;
Rolled round in earth's diurnal course,
   With rocks, and stones, and trees.

My Heart Leaps Up

by William Wordsworth

My heart leaps up when I behold
   A rainbow in the sky:
So was it when my life began;
So is it now I am a man;
So be it when I shall grow old,
   Or let me die!
The Child is father of the Man;
And I could wish my days to be
Bound each to each by natural piety.

Surprised By Joy

by William Wordsworth

Surprised by joy—impatient as the Wind
I turned to share the transport—Oh! with whom
But Thee, deep buried in the silent tomb,
That spot which no vicissitude can find?
Love, faithful love, recalled thee to my mind—
But how could I forget thee? Through what power,
Even for the least division of an hour,
Have I been so beguiled as to be blind
To my most grievous loss?—That thought's return
Was the worst pang that sorrow ever bore,
Save one, one only, when I stood forlorn,
Knowing my heart's best treasure was no more;
That neither present time, nor years unborn
Could to my sight that heavenly face restore.