Nature Observed in Warton\'s \"The

Nature Observed in Warton's "The Enthusiast: or, the Lover of Nature" and "Ode to Evening."

One cannot look at the poetry of Joseph Warton without realizing the poet's attraction to nature and his ability to capture it in a unique light. Warton does not simply want to write poetry about nature, he wants us to appreciate it with him. His poetry examines nature from a distinctive perspective, endowing it with an unsurpassed appreciation. Two poems that reveal Warton's sensibility are "The Enthusiast: or, the Lover of Nature" and "Ode to Evening." Both of these poems are studies of nature that force us to look at the contrast between nature and the world that surrounds us. "The Enthusiast: or, the Lover of Nature" is a poem that enjoys nature by looking at the element of minimalistic living. Warton pulls this off by interjecting the primitive man into the picture. By looking at how primitive man lived on the earth and enjoyed nature, Warton emphasizes the importance of not only living in harmony with nature but he also encourages us to take better care of nature before it is all nothing but a memory. Each of these poems celebrates nature in a passionate way that allows us to see the poet's desire to capture the simple essence he experienced. In "The Enthusiast: or, the Lover of Nature," we find that Warton praises nature through the primitive man or noble savage. "Ode to Evening" celebrates nature in a simple admiration of the senses. Both poems bring in positive and negative experiences to illustrate the poet's point-of-view. We see positive personality traits in "The Enthusiast: or, the Lover of Nature" when Warton personifies them as entities he encounters in his walk through the wild. In "Ode to Evening," we see negative personality traits exposed and then disposed of when the poet finds that they fall away when he surrenders all to nature. Both poems celebrate nature with no holds barred.

While Warton might have been the forerunner to romanticism, that was certainly not his intended goal. Instead, we can safely assume that the poet set out to awaken our senses to a world that we have forgotten. William Phelps contends that Warton is "one of the most important names in the history of English Romanticism" (Phelps) because he with echoes "some of the earliest and most distinct Romantic tones" (Phelps). While it is important to realize that while Warton might have been a precursor for the Romantic Movement, he was also a pioneer in another philosophical doctrine that emphasized the importance of the primitive man. Audley Smith agrees with the notion of primitivism in Warton's poetry. He observes that it is not "subject matter but method of treatment that constitutes romanticism. The primitivism of Joseph Warton - one of his truly romantic characteristics - arises from his romantic handling of classical material, in sentimentalizing a realistic picture of primitive man" (Smith). During the eighteenth century, nature was something that needed to be refined. This is not the case for Warton, who took it upon himself to leave the refined behind him as he delved into the possibilities of nature. This practice becomes obvious in the subtitle of his work "The Enthusiast: or, the Lover of Nature." It has been observed by many that while this poem is a piece of art about the Native American, it is just as much (if not more) a piece of work about nature.

Plain and simple, it is all about nature for Warton. The poet is clearly delighted with the "unfrequented Meads, and pathless Wilds" (Warton Enthusiast 3) and in that nature we find a "fearful Fawn" (11) and a "brisk Squirrel" (12) that moves from "Bough to Bough" (13). Nothing escapes the poet's attention. In addition, Warton does not leave out the slightest detail in his experience by including the "busy Bees" (13) that "Hum drowsy Lullabies" (14). The second stanza is filled with even more love of nature as we read how Versailles may "boast a thousand Fountains" (26) but those fountains cannot touch any:

Pine-topt Precipice

Abrupt and shaggy, whence a foamy Stream,

Like Anio, tumbling roars; or some bleak Heath,

Where straggling stand the mournful Juniper,

or Yew-tree scath'd. (28-32)

Here the poet is willing to stand aside and let the machinations and advancements of the world pass him by for he is not of that world. It is important to remember that Warton does not assume that the modern world is any better than the primitive one. To help us understand this notion, Warton establishes a significant presence in the poem.

The introduction of the "first of Men" (78) or the noble savage adds depth and richness to the poem. By bringing in another character, a primitive and therefore pristine character, Warton is elevating the experience of nature. Edward Rielly asserts that "Warton's model of an ideal poet, the American Indian, is free from 'that philosophical, that geometrical, and systematical spirit' and embodies Warton's own aesthetic precepts" (Rielly). For example, these simple men lived "in sheltering groves,/Warm caves, and deep-sunk Valleys" (Warton Enthusiast 87-90). These men were minimalists, to say the least, and no doubt primitive. They live from the earth and:

The sun and showers, and genial earth untillag'd could produce,

They gather'd grateful, or the Acorn brown

or blushing Berry; by the liquid lapse

Of murm'ring Waters call'd to slake their Thirst. (90-94)

It is important to note, however, that these characters were not ignorant or stupid - quite the contrary. Warton is illustrating through these simple images that we do not become better people when we become more sophisticated. In fact, he seems to be telling us that we become less human when we allow ourselves to become consumed by materialism and what it brings.

Edward Rielly agrees with this notion. He asserts that Warton had his own primitive nature, which "led him in this search to what today might be called underdeveloped regions... Joseph Warton's primitivism, however, comes through with a special focus" (Rielly). This is obvious throughout the rest of the poem, in which the poet concentrates on the elements of nature as the primitive man experiences them. Nature is simple, sublime, and beautiful. For example, we read that the "bladed Grass" (Warton Enthusiast 110) is more splendid than any Persian carpet.

The poem would not be complete without an interjection of the hustle and bustle of the city life. The contrast is emphasized as Warton introduces the images of the "far-off noises, rattling Carrs,/Loud Shouts of Joy, sad Shrieks of Sorrow" (142-3). The poet writes that the sounds strike his ears - an image that sends him back to nature for tranquility.

Warton escapes into nature, an escape that removes him from the corrupt society that surrounds him. He pleads with nature to lift his soul "above this little Earth,/This folly-fetter'd world" (169-170). In addition, as he walks through the city, he is greeted by Philosophy, Solitude Serene, Wisdom, and smiling Virtue, entities that are walking with the "naked boy" (185) of Innocence. Here we see the poet issuing a warning for mankind. Virtue proceeds to tell the poet that her train is forsaking his country because the public "fondly stoops/to Vice, her favourite paramour" (188-9). The poem closes with the poet wishing he could find another place where he could live with the "simple Indian swains" (188). With this closing thought, we see how the poet is admonishing the modern advancement of man and praising the simplicity of nature.

Another poem that expresses this same sentiment toward nature is "Ode to Evening." This poem is quiet different than "The Enthusiast: or, the Lover of Nature" in that the poet focuses primarily on nature alone to emphasize its importance in the world. John Vance claims that Warton sings the praises of nature and paints a "delightful natural setting, resplendent with soothing references to meadows, flowers, birds, shepherds, and classical deities" (Vance).

Examples of this can be seen throughout the poem from the "misty meadows" (6) to with their "drooping daisies bathe in dulcet dews" (7). With such attention to detail, Warton is allowing us to slip inside the sublime nature that he experienced. We read toward the end of the poem how: