Composed Upon Westminster Bridge by William Wordsworth

West Minster Bridge in 1808

1. Annotate the following lines:

1.  “Earth has not any thing to show more fair:

     Dull would he be of soul who could pass by

    A sight so touching in its majesty:”

    Context: These lines are taken from the poem “Composed Upon Westminster Bridge” written by William Wordsworth. The poet says this while he describes the beauty of the City of London from Westminster Bridge.

    Explanation: 

   The poet says that the earth may have plenty of beautiful scenes but it can never present a scene more beautiful than the scene he is watching now. Everyone on the way would stop and watch this beautiful sight like Wordsworth because the beauty of nature has such a commanding power that arrests everyone with no exemptions. If anyone doesn’t stop and watch, that person will definitely be a dull soul. By dull soul, the poet may refer to any person carried away by the worldly routine life of the city.

    Comments: 

    As a romantic poet, Wordsworth proposed to write about rustic life but here strangely he is lost in the description of the city scene. By saying “Earth has not anything to show more fair” he himself has underestimated the most beautiful scenes of countryside. In fact, the present busy London life has stolen away all the charms of this poem, if any. 

 

West Minster Bridge Later

2. “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.”

    Context: 

    This is an extract from the poem “Composed Upon Westminster Bridge” written by William Wordsworth. The poet says this while he personifies the city of London to be a person dressed in beautiful garment.

    Explanation: 

   The poet personifies that London is a great giant. The beauty of the morning is the beautiful garment dressed by him. The passing ships on the River Thames, the magnificent towers, majestic domes, grand theatres and temples remain silent, bright, shining, smoke-free and  uncovered to the sky. The whole city is silent because it is the early morning and the sunrise keeps all glittering in golden colours. The air is free from smoke because the factories have not yet started to pollute the air with their smoke from chimneys.

    Criticism: 

    Wordsworth has committed a blunder here that he uses contradictory words and attempts to present unnatural natural scenery. First he says that the city is covered with a beautiful garment but in the next line, he says that it is uncovered (bare) and open to the sky. Romantic poets like Wordsworth are against the Industrial Revolution in the 18^th C. So, the phrase “smokeless air” is apparently the voice of his soul.

 

 3. “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!”

    Context: 

    William Wordsworth has written these concluding lines for his poem “Composed Upon Westminster Bridge”. The poet says this while he reveals the mysterious lesson received from the stunning beautiful sight of London. 

    Explanation: 

   The poet looks at the City of London in the early morning from Westminster Bridge. He says that he has never seen in his life such a beautiful sight. He has never felt a profound silence in his heart as he feels now. Man’s life should be like this River Thames that runs freely towards Ocean not conditioned by any religion, any beliefs and old customs. Nature has a lesson for life but my God, people are asleep. The poet hopes that people will be awakened one day and understand life through nature. They are the children of Almighty but their mighty heart is not awake and still remains still.

    Comment: 

    Silence kindles truth from heart. The moment Wordsworth feels a deep silence in his heart, Nature communicates to him the lesson for his life. No poets have been able to awaken people from ignorance that is what he means by “the very houses seem asleep;” The sonnet thus excels in the concluding lines with the wisdom of Wordsworth.