W. W. 1807.
In the edition of 1836, the following variation of the text of this note
occurs: "There is a resemblance to passages in a Poem."—Ed.
Note:
For illustration of the last stanza, see Chaucer's Prologue to The
Legend of Good Women.
'As I seyde erst, whanne comen is the May,
That in my bed ther daweth me no day,
That I nam uppe and walkyng in the mede,
To seen this floure agein the sonne sprede,
Whan it up rysith erly by the morwe;
That blisful sight softneth al my sorwe,
So glad am I, whan that I have presence
Of it, to doon it alle reverence,
As she that is of alle floures flour.'
...
To seen this flour so yong, so fresshe of hewe,
Constreynde me with so gredy desire,
That in myn herte I feele yet the fire,
That made me to ryse er yt wer day,
And this was now the firste morwe of May,
With dredful hert, and glad devocioun
For to ben at the resurreccion
Of this flour, whan that yt shulde unclose
Agayne the sonne, that roos as rede as rose
...
And doune on knes anoon ryght I me sette,
And as I koude, this fresshe flour I grette,
Knelying alwey, til it unclosed was,
Upon the smale, softe, swote gras.
Again, in The
Cuckoo and the Nightingale
, after a wakeful night,
the Poet rises at dawn, and wandering forth, reaches a "laund of white
and green."
'So feire oon had I nevere in bene,
The grounde was grene, y poudred with daysé,
The floures and the gras ilike al hie,
Al grene and white, was nothing elles sene.'
Ed.
To the Same FlowerA
Composed 1802.—Published 1807
[Composed in the orchard, Town-end, Grasmere.—I. F.]
One of the "Poems of the Fancy."—Ed.
The Poem
| text | variant | footnote | line number |
| With little here to do or see Of things that in the great world be, Daisy! again I talk to thee, For thou art worthy, Thou unassuming Common-place Of Nature, with that homely face, And yet with something of a grace, Which Love makes for thee! Oft on the dappled turf at ease I sit, and play with similes, Loose types of things through all degrees, Thoughts of thy raising: And many a fond and idle name I give to thee, for praise or blame, As is the humour of the game, While I am gazing. A nun demure of lowly port; Or sprightly maiden, of Love's court, In thy simplicity the sport Of all temptations; A queen in crown of rubies drest; A starveling in a scanty vest; Are all, as seems to suit thee best, Thy appellations. A little cyclops, with one eye Staring to threaten and defy, That thought comes next—and instantly The freak is over, The shape will vanish—and behold A silver shield with boss of gold, That spreads itself, some faery bold In fight to cover! I see thee glittering from afar— And then thou art a pretty star; Not quite so fair as many are In heaven above thee! Yet like a star, with glittering crest, Self-poised in air thou seem'st to rest;— May peace come never to his nest, Who shall reprove thee! Bright Flower! for by that name at last, When all my reveries are past, I call thee, and to that cleave fast, Sweet silent creature! That breath'st with me in sun and air, Do thou, as thou art wont, repair My heart with gladness, and a share Of thy meek nature! Note Contents 1802 Main Contents |
1 2 3 4 |
5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 |
| 1845 | |
|
1807 |
|
1836 |
| 1820 | |
|
1807 |
| 1827 | |
|
1807 |
| 1836 | |
|
1807 |
The two following Poems were overflowings of the mind in
composing the one which stands first in the first Volume (i.e. the
previous Poem),—W. W. 1807.
Note:
In his editions 1836-1849 Wordsworth gave 1805 as the year in which this
poem was composed, but the Fenwick note prefixed to it renders this
impossible. It evidently belongs to the same time, and "mood," as the
previous poem.—Ed.
To the Daisy (2)
Composed 1802.—Published 1807
[This and the other Poems addressed to the same flower were composed at
Town-end, Grasmere, during the earlier part of my residence there. I
have been censured for the last line but one—"thy function
apostolical"—as being little less than profane. How could it be thought
so? The word is adopted with reference to its derivation, implying
something sent on a mission; and assuredly this little flower,
especially when the subject of verse, may be regarded, in its humble
degree, as administering both to moral and to spiritual purposes.—I. F.]
This was included among the "Poems of the Fancy" from 1815 to 1832. In
1837 it was transferred to the "Poems of Sentiment and Reflection."—Ed.
The Poem
| text | variant | footnote | line number |
| Bright Flower! whose home is everywhere, Bold in maternal Nature's care, And all the long year through the heir Of joy and sorrow. Methinks that there abides in thee Some concord with humanity, Given to no other flower I see The forest thorough! Is it that Man is soon deprest? A thoughtless Thing! who, once unblest, Does little on his memory rest, Or on his reason, And Thou would'st teach him how to find A shelter under every wind, A hope for times that are unkind And every season? Thou wander'st the wide world about, Uncheck'd by pride or scrupulous doubt, With friends to greet thee, or without, Yet pleased and willing; Meek, yielding to the occasion's call, And all things suffering from all, Thy function apostolical In peace fulfilling. Note Contents 1802 Main Contents |
1 2 3 4 5 6 |
5 10 15 20 |
| 1840 | |
|
1807 |
|
1827 |
|
1837 |
| 1850 | |
|
1807 |
| 1807 | |
|
1837 |
The text of 1840 returns to that of 1807.
| 1807 | |
|
1827 |
The text of 1837 returns to that of 1807.
| 1807 | |
|
1827 |
The text of 1837 returns to that of 1807.
| 1807 |
This stanza was omitted in the editions of 1827 and 1832, but replaced
in 1837.
Note:
The three preceding poems 'To the Daisy' evidently belong to the same
time, and are, as Wordsworth expressly says, "overflowings of the mind
in composing the one which stands first." Nevertheless, in the revised
edition of 1836-7, he gave the date 1802 to the first, 1803 to the
third, and 1805 to the second of them. In the earlier editions 1815 to
1832, they are all classed among the "Poems of the Fancy," but in the
edition of 1837, and afterwards, the last, "Bright Flower! whose home is
everywhere," is ranked among the "Poems of Sentiment and Reflection."
They should manifestly be placed together. Wordsworth's fourth poem To
the Daisy, which is an elegy on his brother John, and belongs to a
subsequent year— having no connection with the three preceding poems,
will be found in its chronological place.—Ed.
Louisa
After Accompanying Her on a Mountain Excursion
Composed 1802.—Published 1807
[Town-end 1805.—I. F.]
One of the "Poems founded on the Affections." From 1807 to 1832 the
title was simply Louisa.—Ed.
The Poem
| text | variant | footnote | line number |
| I met Louisa in the shade, And, having seen that lovely Maid, Why should I fear to say That, nymph-like, she is fleet and strong, And down the rocks can leap along Like rivulets in May? She loves her fire, her cottage-home; Yet o'er the moorland will she roam In weather rough and bleak; And, when against the wind she strains, Oh! might I kiss the mountain rains That sparkle on her cheek. Take all that's mine "beneath the moon," If I with her but half a noon May sit beneath the walls Of some old cave, or mossy nook, When up she winds along the brook To hunt the waterfalls. Note Contents 1802 Main Contents |
1 2 3 4 |
A |
5 10 15 |
| 1807 | |
|
1836 |
The text of 1845 returns to that of 1807.
| 1845 | |
|
1807 |
|
1836 |
In the editions of 1807 to 1843 occurs the following verse,
which was omitted from subsequent editions:
|
| 1807 | |
|
MS. |
Compare Young's Night Thoughts, where the phrase occurs
three times. See also Lear, act IV. scene vi. l. 26:
'For all beneath the moon.'
Haywood,
The English Traveller
, v. 1:
'All things that dwell beneath the moon.'
It was also used by William Drummond, in one of his sonnets,
'I know that all beneath the moon decays.'
Ed.
Note:
Wordsworth gave as the date of the composition of this poem the year
1805; but he said of the following one, To a Young Lady, who had been
Reproached for taking Long Walks in the Country— "composed at the same
time" and "designed to make one piece"—that it was written in 1803.
But it is certain that these following lines appeared in The Morning Post, on Feb. 12, 1802, where they are headed To a beautiful Young Lady, who had been harshly spoken of on account of her fondness for taking long walks in the Country. There is difficulty, both in ascertaining the exact date of composition, and in knowing who "Louisa" or the "Young Lady" was. Mrs. Millicent G. Fawcett wrote to me several years ago, suggesting, with some plausibility, a much earlier date, if Dorothy Wordsworth was the lady referred to. She referred me to Dorothy's letter to her aunt, Mrs. Crackenthorpe, written from Windybrow, Keswick, in 1794, when staying there with her brother; and says
But it is certain that these following lines appeared in The Morning Post, on Feb. 12, 1802, where they are headed To a beautiful Young Lady, who had been harshly spoken of on account of her fondness for taking long walks in the Country. There is difficulty, both in ascertaining the exact date of composition, and in knowing who "Louisa" or the "Young Lady" was. Mrs. Millicent G. Fawcett wrote to me several years ago, suggesting, with some plausibility, a much earlier date, if Dorothy Wordsworth was the lady referred to. She referred me to Dorothy's letter to her aunt, Mrs. Crackenthorpe, written from Windybrow, Keswick, in 1794, when staying there with her brother; and says
"What inclined me to think that the poem was written earlier than 1805 was that it anticipates Dorothy's marriage, and this would more naturally be present as a probable event in W. W.'s mind in 1794 or thereabouts than in 1805, after Dorothy had dedicated her life to her brother, to the exclusion of all wish to make a home of her own by marriage. The expression 'Healthy as a shepherd boy' is also more applicable to a girl of twenty-two than to a woman of thirty-three. Do you think it possible that the poem may have been written in 1794, and not published till later, when its application would be less evident to the family circle?"
Dorothy Wordsworth's letter will be quoted in full in a later volume,
but the following extract from it may be given now:
"I cannot pass unnoticed that part of your letter in which you speak of my 'rambling about the country on foot.' So far from considering this as a matter for condemnation I rather thought it would have given my friends pleasure that I had courage to make use of the strength with which Nature has endowed me, when it not only procured me infinitely more pleasure than I should have received from sitting in a post-chaise, but was also the means of saving me at least thirty shillings."
I do not think the date of composition can be so early as 1794. What may
be called internal, or structural, evidence is against it. Wordsworth
never could have written these two poems till after his settlement at
Dove Cottage. Besides, in 1794, he could have no knowledge of a possible
"nest in a green dale, a harbour and a hold"; while at that time his
sister had certainly no "cottage home." I believe they were written
after he took up his residence at Town-end (the date being uncertain);
and that they refer to his sister, and not to his wife. It has been
suggested by Mr. Ernest Coleridge (see The Athenæum, Oct. 21, 1893)
that they refer to Mary Hutchinson: but there is no evidence of
Wordsworth taking long country walks with her before their marriage, or
that she was "nymph-like," "fleet and strong," that she loved to "roam
the moorland," "in weather rough and bleak," or that she "hunted
waterfalls." The reference to his sister is confirmed by the omission of
the delightful second stanza of the poem in the last edition revised by
the poet, that of 1849, when she was a confirmed invalid at Rydal Mount.
Those "smiles to earth unknown," had then ceased for ever. The reason
why Wordsworth erased so delightful and wonderful a stanza, is to me
only explicable on the supposition, that it was his sister he referred
to, she who had accompanied him in former days, in so many of his "long
walks in the country." His wife never did this; she had not the physical
strength to do it; and, if she had been the person referred to,
Wordsworth would hardly, in 1845, have erased such a description of her,
as occurs in the stanza written in 1802, when she was still so vigorous.
Besides, Mary Wordsworth was in no sense "a Child of Nature," as Dorothy
was: while the testimony of the Wordsworth household is explicit, that
it was to his sister, and not to his wife, that the poet referred. I
find no difficulty in the allusion made in the second poem to Dorothy
being yet possibly a "Wife and Friend"; nor to the fact that it was
originally addressed "To a beautiful Young Lady." Neither Dorothy nor
Mary Wordsworth were physically "beautiful," according to our highest
standards; although the poet addressed the latter as "a Phantom of
delight," and as "a lovely apparition." It is quite true that it was
Mary Wordsworth's old age that was "serene and bright," while Dorothy's
was the very reverse; but the poet's anticipation of the future was
written when his sister was young, and was by far the stronger of the
two.—Ed.
To a Young Lady, who had been Reproached for taking Long Walks in the CountryA
Composed 1802.—Published 1807
[Composed at the same time and on the same view as "I met Louisa in the
shade:" indeed they were designed to make one piece.—I. F.]
From 1815 to 1832 this was classed among the "Poems proceeding from
Sentiment and Reflection." In 1836 it was transferred to the group of
"Poems of the Imagination."—Ed.