Nature

Wordsworth is clearly a transcendentalist and goes to great length to describe the majesty of nature and all of its greatness. He feels that observing nature presents the way things should really be in the world and he seems greatly distressed by the buildup of society and modernity, feeling that modernity is coming at the expense of what truly should be. He seems to parallel his own life with the history of man, as he remembers fondly his youth and how it was problem free. He seems to believe that that was how things were when nothing but nature ruled; that there were no complications in life and the simplest acts of kindness represented the goodness of man, compared to the barrage of politicking that goes on in the modern world. With the buildup of societies, he seems to think that the world has been done a great disservice, that the way things were meant to be is now being driven out from the world. He seems to be speaking to a woman, his loved one, but the more I analyze the poem it looks like he is speaking not to a woman, but to society in general. No one can deny living in society has its benefits and Wordsworth is torn by that. He is truly in love with nature and knows that was how it was meant to be, but he is also attached to the pleasures of the civilized world. However, he suggests that the attachment to nature is a far holier mistress and he has no choice but to return to her. He feels it would be for the benefit of his “lover”, society, that he leaves as well, as there are those who believe society is greater than nature and he would just be a burden on them. He doesn’t quarrel with these people though, which suggests he truly feels he is right.