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In Lines composed a few miles above Tintern Abbey he goes on to describe the gift of nature as follows:
To them I may have owed another gift,
Of aspect more sublime; that blessed mood,
In which the burthen of the mystery,
In which the heavy and the weary weight
Of all this unintelligible world,
Is lightened.
( "Tintern Abbey." Lines 36-41)
It is through the imaginative experience of nature that he encounters a "blessed mood" that makes him aware of the underlying power and mystery of reality. This could be described as a 'mystical experience' or a spiritual awakening that is obscured by the humdrum noise and activity of modern life. In the presence of nature he becomes aware of himself as a "living soul" who sees "… into the life of things." ("Tintern Abbey." Lines 36-49) This phrase refers to the wonder and mystery of life that is beyond everyday experience. Therefore, through the imagination of the poet, nature offers visionary experiences that extends beyond present conditions and transcends the human predicament.
The transcendent view of nature can be found in many of his major works. For example in Book 14 of The Prelude, Wordsworth's protagonist experiences the power of nature which is described as a "majestic Intellect." An extremely important aspect of Wordworth's vision of nature is that it transfigured or changes the ordinary world and offers a glimpse of a new and more spiritual reality. This view is clearly expressed in the following lines.
The power, which all
Acknowledge when thus moved, which Nature thus
To bodily sense exhibits, is the express
Resemblance of that glorious...
BOOK FOURTEENTH. CONCLUSION)
In conclusion, Wordsworth's use of nature imagery in his poetry in intended not only as a veneration of natural beauty but also as a means of describing a new vision of reality. This vision is of the spiritual in nature and is seen in contradistinction to the ordinary world of mundane, rational activity. Like many of the Romantic poets and artists, Wordsworth was critical of his age and felt that modern man in his obsession with science and the mechanics of life was in danger of losing insight into the true nature of reality. In the final analysis one could say that Wordsworth's poetry is both lyrical in its depth of vision as well as being philosophical in its assessment of the human predicament.
References
Danby, John F. The Simple Wordsworth: Studies in the Poems, 1797-1807. London:
Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1960.
Introduction to Romanticism. November 8, 2009.
http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/cs6/rom.html
<http://www.blupete.com/Literature/Poetry/WordsworthTinternAbbey.htm>
http://64.226.88.21/archive/poetry/William_Wordsworth/william_wordsworth_300.htm>
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