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.