Celebrating Spring in English Romantic Poetry The I of The Writer And The Writer's Eye

Lines Written in Early Spring

1 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.

5 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*,

10 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:—
15 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,
*grove: (literary) a small group of trees / a small area of land
20 That there was pleasure there.
with fruit trees of particular types on it
*primrose: a small wild plant that produces pale yellow If this belief from heaven be sent,
flowers in spring
*bower: a pleasant place in the shade under trees or
If such be Nature’s holy plan,
climbing plants in a wood or garden Have I not reason to lament
*periwinkle: a small plant that grows along the ground What man has made of man?
*budding: beginning to develop
*twigs: a small, very thin branch that grows out of a larger
branch on a bush or tree William Wordsworth, 1798

GLOBAL READING

1) To what extent does the title of the poem mirror the theme “The I of The Writer And The Writer's Eye”? How does it
connect to the title of our chapter “Celebrating Spring in English Romantic Poetry”?

→ The title of the poem starts with “lines written” and immediately places the reader in the realm (= le domaine) of the poet
(“lines” = des vers) cf the Writer's I
→ “in Early Spring” → it probably deals with a celebration of that season, and enjoyment of this season occurs primarily
through visions cf the Writer's Eye
→ a poem can be a celebration + obviously spring / spring :)

Keep these ideas in mind as you read the poem for a first time.
Listen to it here https://youtu.be/tSAjBaXafdk

2) What similarities can you find with “I wandered lonely as a cloud”?

Interesting answer from Adeline
As the poem I wandered lonely as a cloud in Lines Written in Early Spring Wordsworth puts his feelings into words.
Indeed, he expresses his emotions (thus this is lyrical poem) and uses the « I » : « I heard » l.1 and « I must think » l.19.
It recalls I wandered lonely as a cloud when he talks in the first person as well. It's his point of view. Then, the two poems
use the lexical field and the theme of nature: for example in their title « cloud » and « spring ». We notice the same
atmosphere, the idea of liberty, dream and imagination. In both cases nature helps the author to feel better and to forget
his sadness and his depression.

DETAILED READING

3) Choose 2 colours and highlight

- the lexical field of nature - passages dealing with the poet
(You can work in groups of 2 or 3 and share the stanzas)

4) Underline the words and phrases relating to feelings.

What are they? To what extent are they typical of the Romantic poet?

At the beginning of the poem the poet seems happy in nature “sweet mood”, “pleasant thoughts” l1 – a certain
nonchalance in his posture “sate reclined” probably enjoying the spectacle of nature. However this gives way to darker
feelings “sad thoughts” l4, “it grieved my heart” l6. These feelings oscillate throughout the poem, as a wave would.

“Emphasis on the activity of the imagination was accompanied by greater emphasis on the importance of intuition,
instincts, and feelings, and Romantics generally called for greater attention to the emotions as a necessary supplement to
purely logical reason. When this emphasis was applied to the creation of poetry, a very important shift of focus occurred.
Wordsworth's definition of all good poetry as "the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" marks a turning point in
literary history.” http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/cs6/rom.html

This undulating movement fits with Wordsworth's own definition “the spontaneaous overflow of powerful feelings”.

5) Identify the rhyme scheme and meter.

‘Lines Written in Early Spring’ is written in quatrains rhyming abab; the metre is iambic tetrameter.

6) Wordsworth uses personification throughout the poem. Can you find examples? What is personified? For what
purpose?

Wordsworth makes use of many literary devices in Lines Written in Early Spring. Personification is the most
common of literary devices used.

Examples of this are shown when he writes: “And ’tis my faith that every flower Enjoys the air it breathes”
(Stanza 3, Lines 11-12). He is giving a flower the human characteristic of enjoying the air it “breathes”.
Another example of personification in this poem is when Wordsworth writes: “The budding twigs spread out
their fan, To catch the breezy air” (Stanza 5, Lines 17-18). In this verse he is giving budding twigs the human
characteristic of spreading out to catch breezy air.

Wordsworth also describes nature as a being rather than a thing when he writes: “If this belief from heaven
be sent, If such be Nature’s holy plan” (Stanza 6, Lines 21-22). In this verse he describes nature as having the
ability to plan. This poem also reflects on Wordsworth appreciation and love for nature, as he sees it as a force
rather than just a thing.

“Lines Written in Early Spring” Analysis. (2016, Jul 05).

Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/lines-written-in-early-spring-analysis-essay

7) What is the message of the poet in your opinion?

→ you can interpret it as you wish