In the Woods Somewhere ~Ashlyn Scism

 When reading Wordsworth poem I could see two of the themes that were especially prevalent in the Romantic period, the wonder of nature and the magic of youth. In the poem the speaker is revisiting a place he has not seen in five years. He describes the scenery with a fond tone: 

“Once again

Do I behold these steep and lofty cliffs,

That on a wild secluded scene impress

Thoughts of more deep seclusion; and connect

The landscape with the quiet of the sky.

The day is come when I again repose

Here, under this dark sycamore, and view

These plots of cottage-ground, these orchard-tufts,

Which at this season, with their unripe fruits,

Are clad in one green hue, and lose themselves

'Mid groves and copses” (Wordsworth 4-14)

He reflects on his past when he visited the place last and then he thinks on the years since. As he recalls his time away he realizes that even while away he yearned to be here: 

“But oft, in lonely rooms, and 'mid the din

Of towns and cities, I have owed to them,

In hours of weariness, sensations sweet,

Felt in the blood, and felt along the heart;

And passing even into my purer mind

With tranquil restoration:--feelings too

Of unremembered pleasure: such, perhaps,

As have no slight or trivial influence

On that best portion of a good man's life,

His little, nameless, unremembered, acts

Of kindness and of love” (Wordsworth 26-36).

Wordsworth describes nature in an almost whimsical way. He is attempting to illustrate the beauty in experiencing nature. The speaker talks about Nature as one might an old friend that you are just meeting for the first time in a long while. He reflects on the memories they made together and how he missed them when he was away.

    The idea of youth is also highlighted in this poem as the speaker mourns the years that have passed. He misses how he was able to experience the world five years ago. He then addresses his sister who is also traveling with him. He tells her to enjoy her youth and to love nature, just as he did. If she does, he promises that nature will treat her in kind:

“If I were not thus taught, should I the more

Suffer my genial spirits to decay:

For thou art with me here upon the banks

Of this fair river; thou my dearest Friend,

My dear, dear Friend; and in thy voice I catch

The language of my former heart, and read

My former pleasures in the shooting lights

Of thy wild eyes. Oh! yet a little while

May I behold in thee what I was once,

My dear, dear Sister! and this prayer I make,

Knowing that Nature never did betray

The heart that loved her” (Wordsworth 115-126).

This poem is a love letter to nature and a youth spent him harmony with nature.

I commented on: Ian and Hailey Walsh’s posts.