For the Soul

In “Tintern Abbey”, Wordsworth speaks of nature as a refuge from the challenges of everyday life. Wordsworth seems to address not only himself, but also nature or the landscape of the Wye River, speaking to it as a “Friend” and a “Sister”. For him, this landscape has been a solace to him in times when he is confined in the cacophonous setting of the more developed cities and towns, if only as a place to return to in his memory. Wordsworth writes that “While with an eye made quiet by the power/ Of harmony, and the deep power of joy,/ We see into the life of things.” He speaks as if the appreciation of nature calms one so much from the stresses of society that it is capable of helping one to understand why, understand our existence, maybe not perfectly, but more so than the life in the city. He also reminisces about his childhood spent using nature as his playground, and although he no longer runs free, nature is still in the very heart of his soul.
The overall tone of the poem seems to be one of lament, yet still fond remembrance. He speaks of the joys nature brings him and its purifying effect on the human soul, but there is an underlying feeling of the sadness of loss. Possibly, this lament is referring to the loss of the freedom and naturalness of childhood and loss of the natural state of all humanity to the busy cities and worries of industry and commerce. He writes that, now that he is older, he looks to nature and hears “The still, sad music of humanity,” as if humanity is to be mourned for its now stagnant place in the routines of industry, being left without the freedom of nature.