William Wordsworth’s “The Prelude” can be interpreted as a philosophical poem that describes the delicate balance between nature and the mind. Throughout the whole text Wordsworth discusses the mind and epistemology, which is balanced with Wordsworth excessive description of nature. Lines 215 to 236 stand out to me and shows the intense passion Wordsworth felt towards nature.
Language and wording are key elements of this poem that Wordsworth used to describe his love for nature. One of the first things Wordsworth mentions is “the common range of visible things grew dear to me.” In this statement it is easy to see how Wordsworth was first becoming aware of the beauty of nature that is ever surrounding him. He then begins to describe specific things that appeal to him like the sun and the moon. Wordsworth talks about how the sun/nature in general makes him so happy that his “blood appeared to flow,” and how he “breathed with joy.”
Wordsworth’s personification in lines 215 to 236 is very significant to the poem. It is almost overwhelming the way he personifies the sun and the moon as actual beings. It is extremely easy for us to be able to picture the images he is painting with his language, like the sun slowly setting/rising, and how the moon is being seen up in the sky between two large hills. However the way Wordsworth calls the sun a he, and says “he lays his beauty” is very intense and makes me think of the sun almost like a God, like Apollo. He also personifies the mountain as he says “The western mountain touch his setting orb.” The passion in these lines is very similar to another Wordsworth poem, “My Heart Leaps Up” where he also describes the love he feels when he views nature. This personification helps to make this poem beautiful.
Ultimately these lines are a good summation of how Wordsworth feels towards nature. He is simply in love with it and every aspect of it, not just its wondrous beauty, as the rest of “The Prelude” discusses the many other parts of nature.
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