赏析William-Wordsworth

WilliamWordsworthWordsworthwasbornintheLakeDistrictofnorthernEngland.ThenaturalsceneryoftheEnglishlakescouldterrifyaswellasnurture.Hemovedonin1787toSt.John'sCollege,Cambridge.Repelledbythecompetitivepressuresthere,heelectedtoidlehiswaythroughtheuniversity,persuadedthathewasnotforthathour,norforthatplace.Themostimportantthinghedidinhiscollegeyearswastodevotehissummervacationin1790toalongwalkingtourthroughrevolutionaryFrance.ThethreeorfouryearsthatfollowedhisreturntoEnglandwerethedarkestofWordsworth'slife.Unpreparedforanyprofession,rootless,virtuallypenniless,bitterlyhostiletohisowncountry'soppositiontotheFrench,heknockedaboutLondoninthecompanyofradicalslikeWilliamGodwinandlearnedtofeelaprofoundsympathyfortheabandonedmothers,beggars,children,vagrants,andvictimsofEngland'swars.ThroughalltheseyearsWordsworthwasassailedbyviciousandtirelesscriticalattacksbycontemptuousreviewers;nogreatpoethaseverhadtoendureworse.Butfinally,withthepublicationofTheRiverDuttonin1820,thetidebegantoturn,andbythemid-1830shisreputationhadbeenestablishedwithbothcriticsandthereadingpublic.Wordsworth'slastyearsweregivenoverpartlytotinkeringhispoems,asthefamilycalledhiscompulsiveandpersistenthabitofrevisinghisearlierpoemsthrougheditionafteredition.ThePrelude,forinstance,wentthroughfourdistinctmanuscriptversionsandwaspublishedonlyafterthepoet'sdeathin1850.MostreadersfindtheearliestversionsofThePreludeandotherheavilyrevisedpoemstobethebest,butflashesofbrilliancecanappearinrevisionsaddedwhenthepoetwasinhisseventies.WordsworthsucceededhisfriendRobertSoutheyasBritain'spoetlaureatein1843andheldthatpostuntilhisowndeathin1850.Thereafterhisinfluencewasfeltthroughouttherestofthe19thcentury,thoughhewashonoredmoreforhissmallerpoems,assingledoutbytheVictoriancriticMatthewArnold,thanforhismasterpiece,ThePrelude.Inthe20thcenturyhisreputationwasstrengthenedbothbyrecognitionofhisimportanceintheRomanticMovementandbyanappreciationofthedarkerelementsinhispersonalityandverse.WilliamWordsworthwasthecentralfigureintheEnglishRomanticrevolutioninpoetry.Hiscontributiontoitwasthreefold.First,heformulatedinhispoemsandhisessaysanewattitudetowardnature.Thiswasmorethanamatterofintroducingnatureimageryintohisverse;itamountedtoafreshviewoftheorganicrelationbetweenmanandthenaturalworld,anditculminatedinmetaphorsofaweddingbetweennatureandthehumanmind,andbeyondthat,inthesweepingmetaphorofnatureasemblematicofthemindofGod,amindthatfeedsuponinfinityandbroodsoverthedarkabyss.Second,Wordsworthprobeddeeplyintohisownsensibilityashetraced,inhisfinestpoem,ThePrelude,thegrowthofapoet'smind.ThePreludewasinfactthefirstlongautobiographicalpoem.Writingitinadrawn-outprocessofself-exploration,Wordsworthworkedhiswaytowardamodernpsychologicalunderstandingofhisownnature,andthusmorebroadlyofhumannature.Third,Wordsworthplacedpoetryatthecentreofhumanexperience;inimpassionedrhetorichepronouncedpoetrytobenothinglessthanthefirstandlastofallknowledge--itisasimmortalastheheartofman,andhethenwentontocreatesomeofthegreatestEnglishpoetryofhiscentury.Itisprobablysafetosaythatbythelate20thcenturyhestoodincriticalestimationwhereColeridgeandArnoldhadoriginallyplacedhim,nexttoJohnMilton--whostands,ofcourse,nexttoWilliamShakespeare.Somethinginmymind.1.Weoftengothroughlifeasifwewereunconsciousofwhatisgoingonaroundus-likeclouds.Wenoticemanythingssomeofwhicharebeautifulandsomeordinary.Butbeingdistracted-notpoets,whowouldnaturallynoticeandbegayatthesight-wefailtobeliftedbythesimplebutawesomebeautythatsurroundsus.!!!!!2.Ialwaysthoughtofthepoemasasimplepoemofyellowgayspringtime.HavingreallylookedatthepoemsomethingclickedandIhaveaprofoundunderstandingthatIhadoverlooked-Theword'DANCE'isineverystanza-Dancethecosmiccreativeenergythattransformsspaceintotime,istherhythmoftheuniverse.Rounddancing,wasadancethatimitatedthesun'scourseintheheavensandenclosedasacredspace?Theround,yellow,goldencupsofthedaffodilcaneasilysymbolizethesun,thesacredsunofincorruptiblewisdom,superiorandnoble.DancingastheDanceofSivaistheeternalmovementoftheuniversethe'play'ofcreatio,orthe'fluttering'frenzyemotionalchaosofDionysian.Thestars,messengersofthegods,theeyesofnight,andhope,tosstheir'head,'theseatofbothourintelligenceandfolly,honoranddishonor.Lyingonacouchinavacantpensivemoodcouldeasilybeawaytodescribeameditativestatewheretheforcesoftheuniverseandourconnectionwiththeceaselessmovement,theebbandflowoflifeasawavedancescouldbepondered.ThatlastlineAnddanceswiththeDaffodils.coulditbethedanceofangelsroundthethroneofGod.Ifthisisapoemofthecycleofexistenceandthecirclingofthesun/Godofcoursewhatwealthandglee.3.Ap