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A CRITICAL ESSAY ON WORDSWORTH’S
THE PRELUDE:BOOK 1
THE PRELUDE IS AN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL POEM.IT REFERS TO THE POETS OWN “CHILDHOOD AND SCHOOL TIME”,THE MORNING YEARS OF LIFE THAT SHOWED THE DAY.BOOK 1OPENS WITH AN EXPRESSION OF THE POET’S JOY AT THE FEELINGOF LIBERATION FROM THE HUGE CITY OF LONDON , WHERE WORDSWORTH HAD LIVED FOR A LONG TIME AS “A DISCONTED SOJOURNER,NOW FREE”.NOW THE WORLD OF NATURE IS BEFORE THE POET.THE VALE,THE GROVE,THE CLEAR STREAM:”THE EARTH IS ALL BEFORE ME”.HE CAN NOW BREATHE FREELY,BECAUSE THE BURDEN OF HIS UNNATURAL LIFE IN THE CITY, AND THE HEAVY WEIGHT THAT OPRESSED HIM FOR MANY DAYS,HAS BEEN SHAKEN OFF.HE FORSEES LONG MONTHS OF PEACE AND JOY.HE FEELS THE POETIC INSPIRATION RISING WITHIN HIM AND BRINGING WITH IT A BRIGHT PROMISE OF POETIC PRODUCTIVITY.THE “GENTLE BREEZE”,A “VISITANT”COMING FROM THE “GREENFIELDS” AND THE”AZURE SKY”,TOUCHES THE CHEEK OF THE POET.TE SOFT BREEZE HAS A “MISSION”;IT IS THE MISSION OF THE NATURE TO COME CLOSE TO THE MAN WITH HER BLESSINGS.AFTER WANDERING HITHER AND THITER,THE POET FINALLY TURNED TO THE “KNOWN VALE” AND “REACHED THE VERY DOOR OF THE ONE COTTAGE WHICH METHOUGHT I SAW”IT WAS SUCH A CALM AND BEAUTIFUL PLACE THAT THE POET DECIDED TO WRITE A GLORIOUS POEM THERE:A HIGHER POWER THAN GAVE ASSURANCE OF SOME WORK OF GLORY THERE”THE POET THOUGHT TO GIVE A VISIBLE EXPRESSION TO TOSE “AIRY PHANTASIES,THAT HAD BEEN FLOATING LOSE ABOUT FOR YEARS” HE HAD THE DESIRE TO WRITE A PHILOSOPHICAL SONG:”IMMORTAL VERSE THOUGHTFULLY FILLED TO THE ORPHEAN LYRE” OR A SONG LEFT UNSUNG BY MILTON.BUT RIGHT NOW “SOME HOLLOW THOUGHT HANG LIKE AN INTERDICT UPON HER HOPES”SO,HE IS ON “DELIBERATE HOLIDAYS”AND THOUGHT TO WRITE IN “MELLOWER YEARS”. LIKE HARMONY IN THE MUSIC THERE IS A CONNECTION BETWEEN HUMAN SPIRIT AND THE SPIRIT OF NATURE:”INSCRUTABLE WORKMANSHIP”.THE POET IS GRATEFUL TO NATURE FOR THE MEANS WHICH NATURE HAS BEEN BENEVOLENT ENOUGH FOR HIS UPBRINGING.HE IS GRATEFUL FOR THOSE FEELINGS WHICH PRODUCED IN HIM A MILD FEELING OF FEAR,THUS CREATING AN EFFECT SIMILAR TO THE”HURTLESS LIGHT OPENING THE PEACEFUL CLOUDS”.THE POET CITES HIS EXPERIENCE WITH SOME EXAMPLES.ONE SUMMER EVENING THE POET WAS LED BY NATURE TO FIND A LITTLE BOAT TIED TO A WILLOW TREE.THE BOAT WAS AN “ELFIN PINNANCE”.THE POET IMMEDIATELY UNTIED THE BOAT AND PUSHED IT AWAY FROM THE SHORE.IT WARS A STEALTHY ACT.THE POET WITH ALL HIS STRENGTH DIPPED THE OARS INTO THE SILENT LAKE LIFTED UPWARDS BY THE STROKE, THE BOAT”WENT HEAVING THROUGH THE WATER LIKE A SWAN”BEHIND THE CRAGGY RIDGE IT SEEMED TO HIM THE”HORIZON’S OUNDARY”BUT WHEN HE REACHED AT THAT POINT THE SKY BEACAME INFINITE,”A HUGE PEAK,BLACK AND HUGE”RAISED ITS HEAD”WITH VOLUNTARY POWER INSTINCT”THE SHAPE OF THE PEAK SEEMED THREATENING TO HIN.THE PEAK SEEMED TO GROW IN DIMENSIONS TILL IT “TOWERED BETWEEN ME AND THE STARS”.AFTER THIS FOR MANY DAYS HE WAS AWESTRUCJ.SIMILAR WAS THE CONDITION WHEN HE TRIED TO TRAP SOMEONE ELSE’S BIRD”THE CAPTIVE OF ANOTHERS TOIL BECAME MY PREY”BUT WHEN HE PERFORMED THIS WRONF “DEED”HE “EARD AMONG THESOLITARY HILLSLOW BREATHINGS COMINGAFTER ME”WORDSWORTH RELATIONSHIP WITH NATURE WAS BUILD SO STRONG THAT NATUE MADE HIM REALISE IMMEDIATEKY WHEN E DID SOMETHING WRONG,SAME WAS THE SITUATION,WHEN HE TRIED TO ROB BIRD’S NEST OF THEIR EGGS,THE SKY CHANGED ITS FORM AND COLOUR,”THE SKY SEEMED NOT A THE SKY OF EARTH AND WITH WHAT MOTION MOVED THE CLOUDS”
Published: January 05, 2008
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