For the first few stanzas William Wordsworth seems to hold an optimistic outlook when he discusses his views on nature. He describes the scenery around him with great detail and passion. Wordworth seems to parallel his childhood with that of the state of nature. He says that things were simpler and perfect in his youth and the state of nature. Now that he has grown, many aspects of his life have become difficult; now that we have left the state of nature; daily life has become lonely, weakening and poor.
Wordworth makes a statement that seems to resonate in my mind. He says, “Thy memory be as a dwelling place.” This statement still applies today; when one is stressed or upset, he or she may go for a walk in the woods to clear his or her head or think back to better times. When one is stressed out he or she may turn to old memories to comfort him or her. Wordworth is saying that he needs to leave the current state he is in and return to the state of nature because this is where he can contemplate things and feel safe.
Wordworth states, toward the end of the poem, that he is a worshipper of nature which is analogous to a transcendentalist. The poets love for nature breeds a desire in him to leave the state he is currently in and return to the state of nature in which he knew and loved. Wordworth hints that in order to do this he will have to break away from society. Wordworth ends his poem with the hope that his return to the state of nature will be glorious. He describes it so well that it is easy to visualize: “steep woods,” “lofty cliffs;” the adjectives are romanticized.
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