“The whole poem represents the passage from youth to maturity— from feelings of self-pity to compassion of all mankind.”
Robert L. Cox, The Explicator, University Of South Carolina, Volume 19, Issue 6, March 1961.
William Wordsworth’s “Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood” portrays his sheer intimacy with nature since his early childhood, which continues till adulthood and older age. The poet’s effort to recollect his childhood memory of nature assures us about the life before birth and also the unending journey after death, immortality.
We can analyze this poem of Wordsworth in terms of its structure, elements, inspiration, perception, and prose. Breaking down each of these points will enable us to grasp the poet’s message of true intimation of immortality.
What Does Each of The Eleven Stanzas of The Poem Represent?
Wordsworth began working on it at the height of his genius. He started on the poem in the spring of 1802 and apparently completed the first four stanzas by summer. The poet managed to finish this long poem in 206 lines, which requires a keen and patient study to understand its message.
However, delays in the composition have made no difference to its unity. All the same, there remains a necessity to realize each of the eleven stanzas of “Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood,” which we shall do in the following:
Stanza one of the poem deals with a nostalgic view of Wordsworth to his childhood memory. Here, the poet recounts his experience of nature as pure and vivid, just like a beautiful dream of an idealized childhood.
Stanza two reflects upon an adult mind of the poet where he finds the glorified aura of the sun, moon, and rose missing, although he acknowledges their indispensable presence in nature.
Stanza three stirs up Wordsworth’s downhearted feelings of nature’s loss of glory by an utterance, voice, or birdsong. It not only relieves the poet of his gloom but makes him realize that one should not grieve in the awakening month of May.
Stanza four persists with the poet’s emptiness for the essential loss in nature no matter how widely it is praised now. Although he is very much into birds, flowers, and babe, his nagging incompleteness never seizes to come around.
Stanza five does a leap of faith and deals with a different realization of the poet. Here, the poet perceives nature and human beings in a spiritual fashion rather than a soft and fresh childhood vision. The human soul is the core discussion of stanza five.
In stanza six, Wordsworth draws our attention to a broader perspective, which sees the earth as a mother and nurse of the soul. However, he expresses that this earth, being a material plane, eventually undermines the soul’s essence.
Stanza seven brings into our view a six-year-old child who grows up with the love and care of his family. The family shapes that little human’s mind through their nurture and helps him into adult life.
Stanza eight takes a deeper look into the child’s soul as it reveals and praises the prophetic qualities in him.
Stanza nine celebrates the poet’s life on earth as he accepts all the things it has to offer in life’s journey. Nonetheless, he also recognizes the coexisting worlds beyond understanding where the truth lies in deep silence.
Stanza ten shows that Wordsworth is even more optimistic about life, although the childhood essence in vision and experience of nature has declined. Nature is still on the movement, so there is no point in depression; instead, it is time to rejoice in strength.
Stanza eleven, which is the very last one of the poem, witnesses the wholehearted announcement of the poet, where he owes an emotional response to the beauty and depth of the living things in sight. To him, a mere flower can motivate him and bring his creative mind out of sadness.
The eleven stanzas of the poem can be summarized in three segments.
The first four stanzas begin with telling of his spiritual crisis of glory passing from the earth and end by asking why this has happened.
The middle stanzas examine the nature of this glory and explain it by a theory of reminiscence from a pre-natal existence.
Then the last stanzas show that life still has a meaning and value, though the vision has perished.
The poem’s three parts deal with a crisis; an explanation speaks of what is most important and most original in his poetry.
Wordsworth Used Metaphysical Doctrine and Reminiscences As An Inspiration
The poem seems to have been influenced by Pythagoras, Slate, and Vaughan. They believe in life before birth, which Pythagoras first mentioned in the West based on this poem.
The poet’s doubts and questions about the reality of the world of senses have their origin in the Philosophy of Plato. The idealization of childhood may be traced back to Vaughan, who says in his poem, “The Retreat,” that the child sees divine glory in nature.
This poem contains a metaphysical doctrine, i.e., the theory that our childhood memories inform us of life before birth and, therefore, of the soul’s immortality. We cannot verify the truth of the doctrine from our experiences. Thus the poem lacks that universal appeal that is necessary for its enjoyment by the average reader.
Wordsworth himself does not assert the doctrine of reminiscences to be true. He looks at it as having “sufficient foundation in humanity” and therefore worthy of a poet’s use.
The Poem Depicts An Autobiography and Reminiscence of Wordsworth’s Childhood
Though defeasible on the ground of purity and innocence of childhood, the child’s idealization is not justifiable based on its spirituality or prophetic quality. To address the child as a mighty prophet, “Seer Blest” or “best philosopher” is too much.
This poem is also autobiographical and reminiscent of the poet’s past life. The radiance and glory of nature which he declares, as seen in his childhood, was a part of his experience. He also felt the unreality of the external object to which he refers in the Ninth Stanza. We have his statement supporting this.
Wordsworth has vividly described the psychology of the child. The child is an imitator, an actor who copies and performs every action and gesture he observes:
“The little actor cons another part,
Feeling from time to time his human stage
With all the persons, down to palsied age,
That life brings with her in her equipage,
As if his whole vocation
Where and less imitation.”
“Ode: Intimation of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood” by William Wordsworth
Wordsworth Poured His Love and Reflection of Nature in This Poem
The descriptions of nature are also beautiful. The poem reveals the difference between his love for nature as a child and his love for nature as a man. As a child, he had a passion and appetite for nature, but he has a love for nature as a man.
He was meditative and reflective towards nature. Even the most ordinary objects of nature gave rise to profound thoughts in him. Having witnessed human suffering, he looked at nature thoughtfully-
“The clouds that gather round the selling sun
Do take a sober colouring from an age.
That hath kept watch over man’s mortality.”
“To me the meanest flower that blows can give
Thoughts that do often lie too deep for tears.”
“Ode: Intimation of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood” by William Wordsworth
Wordsworth expressed a moral in this poem. The poet refers to human sufferings that he has witnessed and his sympathy for his fellow human beings.
The last stanza reveals the reflective mood of the poet. No one can remain untouched by the restful and soothing effect of the music at the close. Wordsworth’s fictional gift or image-making power is also noticeable in this poem. He gives vivid images of the rainbow, the rose, the moon shining in a cloudless sky, the star, light falling on water, the children collecting fresh flowers, and the baby jumping on his mother’s arms.
Wordsworth Applied Rhythmic and Effective Prose Style in This Poem
The poet has used such rhythmic and effective phrases in the “Ode: Intimation of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood” like “The glory and the freshness of a dream,” “Shades of the prison-house,” “the height of common day,” “thoughts of deep for tears,” etc.
As a matter of fact, the words used to express thoughts and emotions in this poem are very appropriate. The grandness of language befits the thematic grandness. Thus there is a perfect harmony between thought and expression,
“words, thought, and music are woven into a perfect whole.”
“Ode: Intimation of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood” by William Wordsworth
The Irregularity and Lyrical Elements by Wordsworth in This Poem
This poem is an irregular one. It is marked by a lack of uniformity in meter and the length of its stanza. It is not written in the same meter throughout, and that all of its stanzas do not consist of the same numbers of lines. It is written mainly in the iambic meter. Some lines, however, are in anapaestic and trochaic.
The lyrical element is also available in this poem. In the first four stanzas, the poet expresses his sense of loss. The last two stanzas, which possess a singing quality, refer to the compensations that make him happy and intensely emotional.
Thus the Ode becomes a happy blending of thought and emotion, comprising doctrine, poetry, meditation, and melody. The author’s gift for lyrical and metaphysical verse become perfect and are for once united. Notice the melody, emotion, sincerity, and simplicity of the following line:
“It is not now as it hath been of yore
Turn wheresoe’er I may,
By night or day
The things which I have seen I now can see no more.”
“Ode: Intimation of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood” by William Wordsworth
Defects in the “Ode: Intimation of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood” According to Critics
According to some critics, the poem also suffers from some defects:
- The poem dwells too long on the idea of pre-existence— this fact marks the unity of thought.
- The poem is out of harmony— with the spirit of true nature.
- There is a sudden transition in thought after the first four stanzas of the poem— the reason is apparent because the first four stanzas were written in 1802, where the last seven were in 1806.
Conclusion
Whether we agree or not with the philosophical views expressed by Wordsworth in the “Ode: Intimation of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood,” we have to admit that this poem is his supreme lyrical achievement. His personal feelings find a naturally inspiring and spontaneous expression in this poem.
According to Saintsbury,
“This poem is not in every smallest detail yet as a wholly perfect and immortal. It could not have been written letter.”
