The fluffier side of Romanticism

Not all poets of the Romantic period were as cryptic and earth-shaking as William Blake (who I've already covered). One of them, in fact, is still popularly enjoyed today.

William Wordsworth, a contemporary of Blake's, delighted in writing very relaxing accounts of nature. Whether it was describing his idyllic childhood in England with his sister, the beauty of a field of flowers, or the songs of birds, or rainbows, most of his stuff is easy to digest and makes for a relaxing read. His favorite poem of mine is 'Among all lovely things my love had been'. Not only is it cute, but it also is a good example of his style.

Among all lovely things my Love had been;
Had noted well the stars, all flowers that grew
About her home; but she had never seen
A glow-worm, never one, and this I knew.

While riding near her home one stormy night
A single glow-worm did I chance to espy;
I gave a fervent welcome to the sight,
And from my horse I leapt; great joy had I.

Upon a leaf the glow-worm did I lay,
To bear it with me through the stormy night:
And, as before, it shone without dismay;
Albeit putting forth a fainter light.

When to the dwelling of my Love I came,
I went into the orchard quietly;
And left the glow-worm, blessing it by name,
Laid safely by itself, beneath a tree.

The whole next day, I hoped, and hoped with fear;
At night the glow-worm shone beneath the tree;
I led my Lucy to the spot, "Look here,"
Oh! joy it was for her, and joy for me!

Aww, how sweet! (For those that don't know, a glow-worm is a little bug that glows in the dark, a bit like a firefly.)

However, even Wordsworth occasionally decided to tackle the thorny issue of religion. He constantly writes about his awe and appreciation for nature and laments how modern people are often cut off from it. This leads to his poem, 'The world is too much for us', where he declares:

For this [marvel of nature], for every thing, 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 coming from the sea;
Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn.

That's right! He says he'd prefer to live in a Pagan society where people worshiped nature because gods were involved in it. He viewed traditional Christianity as being cut off from the wonders and blessings of the natural world.

Sadly, in Wordsworth's later years, he became deeply religious. He went back and "revised" a lot of his poetry, injecting religious influences where there was none before. Of course, 'The world is too much with us' was completely remade to have none of its original sentiment. At least his older, uncensored works have survived, and they're still the favorite works of his today. And, they're still sweet and enjoyable hundreds of years later.

The fun of William Blake

I've taken many English courses over the years I've been at Alverno and explored a diverse group of authors. I've learned much about history and human nature from the works of authors such as Isabel Allende, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Shakespeare. Of all these accomplished people I've studied, a particular writer comes to mind as a fascinating character -- William Blake.

I learned about William Blake in a Romantic Poetry class. (No, thankfully, it's not sappy lovey-dovey stuff. Instead, it's a historical movement in the late 1800s.) These Romantics created art and poetry that rejected using the rigid, more formal standards that came before them. Instead, they began exploring themes of human nature, the natural world, and even began poking at religion.

Specifically, William Blake delighted in poking at religion. As an artist and poet, he created an astonishing amount of material devoted to his religious views. I realize that England in the late 1700s was a fairly secular nation at the time, but I'm surprised he didn't get in more trouble for his opinions.

The pride of the peacock is the glory of God.
As the caterpiller chooses the fairest leaves to lay her eggs on, so the priest lays his curse on the fairest joys.
Damn braces. Bless relaxes.

These are some of the Proverbs of Hell, which are included in The Prophetic Books.

He also says in the section titled The Voice of the Devil:
All Bibles or sacred codes have been the causes of the following Errors:
1. That Man has two real existing principles: Viz: a Body & Soul.
2. That Energy, call'd Evil, is alone from the Body; & that Reason, call'd Good, is alone from the Soul.
3. That God will torment Man in Eternity for following his Energies.

Following in the footsteps of John Milton (writer of Paradise Lost), demons, to Blake, are not strictly evil. He often returns to the subject of Hell and its inhabitants, who frequently dispense wisdom instead of wickedness.

Blake writes at length how religion has taught people to separate their minds and bodies, and to regard the body's desires (especially sex) as being bad. Speaking through the voices of his curious cast of demons, he declares that this is false and unhealthy.

Perhaps these kinds of then-shocking opinions were a reason William Blake wasn't very popular during his lifetime. Maybe it was because he insisted on printing all of his books by himself (he was very particular about being independent). Possibly it might have been because Blake claimed to see and communicate with spirits, causing some of his critics to think he was insane. (And maybe he was!) However, his works are famous now, even if they're a bit less...inflammatory. You've probably all seen his art, the Ancient of Days (which you can see at the top of this entry), even if you've never read his works. And, while his poetry and prophecies require a lot of careful examination and digging to make much sense of, I've found it really enjoyable to read his stuff. I still can't believe he got away with writing it!