The Romantic Poets

William Wordsworth romantic poetry

William Wordsworth principal poem ： We are seven Lines Written in Early Spring To the cuckoo I Wondered lonely as a cloud The Solitary Reaper Intimations or Immortality The Prelude

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud ----William Wordsworth I wandered lonely as a cloud That floats on high o’er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the tress, Fluttering and dance in the breeze. Continuous as the stars that shine And twinkle on the milky way, They stretched in the never-ending line Along the margin of a bay; Ten thousand say I at a glance, Tossing their heads in sprightly dance. The waves beside them danced; but they Outdid the sparkling waves in glee; A poet could not but be gay, In such a jocund company; I gazed – and gazed – but little thought What wealth the show to me had brought: For oft, when on my couch I lie In vacant or in pensive mood, They flash upon that inward eye Which is the bliss of solitude; And then my heart with pleasure fills, And dance with the daffodils

Glossary Vales:valleys Flutter:move up and down or form side to side Twinkle:shine form bright to faint Sprightly:cheerful, active Glee:delight Jocund:merry, cheerful Oft:often Vacant:thoughtless pensive:melancholic, sadly thoughtful

Questions 1. What is the recurrent central image in this poem? 2. What does the persona feel at the end of the poem? 3. Write in a few sentences your understanding of “What wealth the show to me had brought”. 4. Explain in a few words “that inward eye/Which is the bliss of solitude”. 5. This poem is considered by many the most anthologized poem in English literature, and one that takes us to the core of Wordsworth’s poetic beliefs. How is the core manifested? 6. What is the relation between man and nature?

I wandered lonely as a cloud It revisits the familiar subjects of nature and memory, this time with a particularly (simple) spare, musical eloquence. Plot: the poet's wandering and his discovery of a field of daffodils by a lake, the memory of which pleases him and comforts him when he is lonely, bored, or restless. Form: The four six-line stanzas of this poem follow (a quatrain + a couplet) rhyme scheme: ABABCC. Each line is metered in iambic tetrameter.

I wandered lonely as a cloud That floats on high o’er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. 我孤独地漫游，像一朵云 在山丘和谷地上飘荡， 忽然间我看见一群 金色的水仙花迎春开放， 在树荫下，在湖水边， 迎着微风起舞翩翩。

Continuous as the stars that shine, And twinkle on the Milky Way, They stretched in never-ending line Along the margin of a bay: Ten thousand saw I at a glance, Tossing their heads in sprightly dance. 连绵不绝，如繁星灿烂， 在银河里闪闪发光， 它们沿着湖湾的边缘 延伸成无穷无尽的一行； 我一眼看见了一万朵， 在欢舞之中起伏颠簸。

The waves beside them danced; but they Outdid the sparkling waves in glee: A poet could not but be gay, In such a jocund company: I gazed – and gazed – but little thought What wealth the show to me had brought: 粼粼波光也在跳着舞， 水仙的欢欣却胜过水波； 与这样快活的伴侣为伍， 诗人怎能不满心欢乐！ 我久久凝望，却想象不到 这奇景赋予我多少财宝 :

For oft, when on my couch I lie In vacant or in pensive mood, They flash upon that inward eye Which is the bliss of solitude; And then my heart with pleasure fills And dances with the daffodils. 每当我躺在床上不眠， 或心神空茫，或默默沉思， 它们常在心灵中闪现， 那是孤独之中的福祉； 于是我的心便涨满幸福， 和水仙一同翩翩起舞。

The Solitary Reaper BEHOLD her, single in the field, Yon solitary Highland Lass! Reaping and singing by herself; Stop here, or gently pass! Alone she cuts and binds the grain, And sings a melancholy strain; O listen! for the Vale profound Is overflowing with the sound.

No Nightingale did ever chaunt More welcome notes to weary bands Of travellers in some shady haunt, Among Arabian sands: A voice so thrilling ne'er was heard In spring-time from the Cuckoo-bird, Breaking the silence of the seas Among the farthest Hebrides.

Will no one tell me what she sings?-- Perhaps the plaintive numbers flow For old, unhappy, far-off things, And battles long ago: Or is it some more humble lay, Familiar matter of to-day? Some natural sorrow, loss, or pain, That has been, and may be again?

Whate'er the theme, the Maiden sang As if her song could have no ending; I saw her singing at her work, And o'er the sickle bending;—— I listen'd, motionless and still; And, as I mounted up the hill, The music in my heart I bore, Long after it was heard no more.

你看！那高原上年轻的姑娘， Behold her, single in the field, 独自一人正在田野上。 Yon solitary Highland Lass! 一边收割，一边在歌唱。 Reaping and singing by herself; 请你站住，或者悄悄走过！ Stop here, or gently pass! 她独自在那里又割又捆， Alone she cuts and binds the grain, 她唱的音调好不凄凉； And sings a melancholy strain; 你听！你听她的歌声， O listen! for the vale profound 在深邃的峡谷久久回荡。 Is overflowing with the sound.

在荒凉的阿拉伯沙漠里， No nightingale did ever chaunt 疲惫的旅人憩息在绿阴旁， More welcome notes to weary bands 夜莺在这时嘀呖啼啭， Of travellers in some shady haunt, 也不如这歌声暖人心房； Of travellers in some shady haunt, 在最遥远的赫伯利群岛， No sweeter voice was ever heard 杜鹃声声唤醒了春光， In spring - time from the cuckoo - bird, 啼破了海上辽阔的沉寂， Breaking the silence of the seas 也不如这歌声动人心肠。 Among the farthest Hebrides.

谁能告诉我她在唱些什么？ Will no one tell me what she sings? 也许她在为过去哀伤， Perhaps the plaintive numbers flow 唱的是渺远的不幸的往事， For old, unhappy, far - off things, 和那很久以前的战场？ And battles long ago: 也许她唱的是普通的曲子， Or is it some more humble lay, 当今的生活习以为常？ Familiar matter of to - day? 她唱生活的忧伤和痛苦， Some natural sorrow, loss, or pain, 从前发生过，今后也这样？ That has been, and may be again!

不论姑娘在唱些什么吧， Whate`er the theme, the maiden sang 歌声好象永无尽头一样； As if her song could have no ending; 我见她举着镰刀弯下腰去， I saw her singing at her work, 我见她边干活儿边唱歌。 And o`er the sickle bending; 我凝神屏息地听着，听着， I listen`d, till I had my fill; 直到我登上了高高的山冈， And, as I mounted up the hill, 那乐声虽早已在耳边消失， The music in my heart I bore 却仍长久地留在我的心上。 Long after it was heard no more.

“Solitary Reaper” 1252 In 1803 Wordsworth, his sister Dorothy, and Coleridge visited Scotland. Dorothy wrote: “It was harvest-time, and the fields were quietly – might I say pensively? – enlivened by small companies of reapers. It is not uncommon in the more lonely parts of the Highlands to see a single person so employed. The following poem was suggested to William by a beautiful sentence in Thomas Wilkinson’s Tour of Scotland.” Wilkinson’s sentence was, “Passed a female who was reaping alone; she sung in Erse as she bended over her sickle; - the sweetest human voice I ever heard; her strains were tenderly melancholy, and felt delicious, long after they were heard no more.”

“Solitary Reaper” Using simple language, Wordsworth, in only four stanzas, paints a clear picture, involves us in a mysterious musical experience, stirs our emotions, stimulates our imagination, and suggests some ideas. Stanza 1 – suggests loneliness of one human being in the vastness of a Highland vale. Her song dominates the sweeping landscape.

Stanza 2 – two effective bird images communicate to us the startled, unexpected delight the song gave the poet, a thrill comparable to that of weary travelers of the Arabian desert suddenly hearing the song of the nightingale, suggesting a nearby oasis, or of cold Northerners overjoyed by the cuckoo’s cheerful announcement of the arrival at last of spring.