Sunday, June 30, 2013

Sunday Poetry - William Wordsworth

Here's another of the 1802 sonnets by Wordsworth. This lovely poem is a plea to slow down & enjoy the present moment. The speaker sounds weary & longing for rest & a chance to catch his breath.

The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers:
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!
The Sea that bares her bosom to the moon;
The winds that will be howling at all hours,
And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers;
For this, for everything, we are out of tune;
It moves us not.--Great God! I'd rather be
A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn;                        
So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,
Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;
Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;
Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn.

4 comments:

  1. I love your Sunday poems - they're like having a peaceful moment of meditation amid the chaos (perhaps, even, imagining myself "on this pleasant lea").

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    1. Thank you Vicki, I enjoy stopping to read some poetry every week as well.

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  2. Thanks, Lyn, for showing me this Wordsworth poem. I know a lot of 20th Century poetry, but not a lot before that.

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    1. You're welcome Sue. I'm the opposite, I know a lot more 19th century poetry than 20th!

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