‘Composed upon Westminster Bridge’, September 3, 1802

“Earth has not anything to show more fair: Dull would he be of soul who could pass by A sight so touching in its majesty: This City now doth, like a garment, wear The beauty of the morning; silent, bare, Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie Open unto the fields, and to the sky; All bright and glittering in the smokeless air. Never did sun more beautifully steep In his first splendour, valley, rock, or hill; Ne’er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep! The river glideth at his own sweet will: Dear God! the very houses seem asleep; And all that mighty heart is lying still!”

Here we are in ‘class’ again with the intention of examining a poem. This one, which appears above, was written by William Wordsworth. He was known and is remembered for his great admiration of, and interest in, nature. This is made very obvious in the sonnet Composed upon Westminster Bridge. Why do I say this? Come now. Let us consider what we refer to as nature.

We see the physical world, animals, plants, landscape, features and products of the earth as nature. The speaker’s focus includes the earth, fields and the river, and he is entranced by what he sees in the absence of man and the usual, daily, man-made activities. The picture painted in words is of a calm and peaceful and beautiful scene that is, in the early morning, untouched by industrialisation. To the speaker, anyone who does not feel something or is not positively affected by this sight has a ‘dull soul’; that is, one who lacks the capacity to appreciate beauty. For him, with humanity out of the picture, no doubt at rest, and with the factory chimneys not belching smoke, the air is clear and ‘all is bright and glittering’.

Have you read the play or watched the film The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare? In it, you may remember the line “All that glitters is not gold”. The speaker in this poem idealises the situation. What he sees is not golden but just a period of the day when the rays of the sun suffuses all that they touch with its radiance. Of course, do not think that the speaker is not aware that what makes this tremendous impact on him is only transient, for he knows the truth. Can you find a word in this Petrarchan sonnet which tells us so? In fact, he is moved because it is an unexpected sight. After all, he is not out in rural England but in the city of London, where there is normally a great deal going on throughout the day, and even during much of the night. In line six, mention is made of certain specific things that usually contribute to the daily bustle. These are ‘ships, towers, domes, theatres and temples’, which are all silent in the early morning before action begins again. Our speaker believes that nothing has ever been more beautiful to him than that at which he is now looking.

I said earlier that this is a Petrarchan sonnet. You already know that a sonnet is a 14-line poem and that the major forms are the one above, the Shakespearian, and the Spenserian. The latter is not as popular as the former two. Please check the rhyme scheme of the one with which we are currently dealing and it will help you to differentiate it from the others. You should also pay some attention to the rhythm, which is generally iambic pentameter in style. As the exam time draws closer, it is a good idea to refresh your knowledge of literary devices. and remember that you should not only be able to identify them, but also be able to recognise the writer’s purpose for using them.

We will continue with this poem next week. Try during the week to tell yourself and mean the following:

I will be sensitive to people’s feelings and refrain from making cutting or insulting remarks.

God bless!

Beryl Clarke is an independent contributor.