Bradford Academy - Chimes Yearbook (Haverhill, MA)

Page 109 text:

ANNALS lt was at this time that human life came to be of a more v't l 1 a umble folk of the hills interest to him. He learned to understand the h who by their daily occupations were in direct contact with the out-ofi door world which was so much a part of him. I Shepiigffflflilitfiiseyiieiesfflelifrwogdliaf in the -mst? and the them for the purity and sincerit ofa emgsfw hlm and beloved 'Wlichaell' we get this feelin fy' eu, emotlonsi In- hls poem -A C Q g o his love and understanding of the simple shepherd s life through their mutual love for Nature, though the shepherds love is much less subtle and more clearly defined. The summer quickly passed and Wordgwgfth returned to resume his course at Cambridge. But now the trivial pleasures had lost all their glamor and the remembrance of his wanderings and his communion with the silent forms of Nature elevated his spirits. He loved to spend his time out of doors in the college grounds or reading those poets who, by their works, have left a legacy to mankind which has helped and inspired innumerable minds. The vacations were spent roaming through old haunts with his sister Dorothy whose love and sympathy were all his life a continual source of inspiration and encouragement. Sometimes, too, Mary Hutchinson, who afterwards became his Wife, accompanied them in their rambles. It was she of whom he wrote A perfect woman, nobly planned, To warn, to comfort and command, And yet a spirit still, and bright XVith something of angelic light. During his third vacation Wordsworth decided to visit the Alps with a college friend. They stopped on their way in Paris. It wasiat the time of the Revolution, just after the fall of the Bastille. But Words- worth did not then feel any vital interest in the principles of the Revo- lution. He Hheard, he saw, he felt, but with no intimate concern. On reaching Switzerland and climbing the ice-capped peaks of the Alps, XVordsworth derived an indescribable joy from the majesty of those mountains. Tn his own words - every sound or sight, In its degree of power, Hdminlftefed To grandeur or to tenderness. One year after his return from the Alps,Wordsworth left college after having received his degree of BA. His future course was as yet undriterg mined, and without any dehnite pla11S Ol' hOPeS he Went te London' er 95

Page 108 text:

ANNALS grasses to fade? Then you can better understand lVordsworth's view- point. Thus he formed a world about himself, all his own, and placed a barrier that no stranger might enter in. Then to his friends he would ' return, elevated and refreshed. Sometimes, however, these thoughts gave place to superficial pastimes. Forced labor and indeeision in regard to his future vocation in life at times took the joy from these moments of solitude, and he would join with his fellow students, either in reading trivial books, or in harmless pastimes, idling away his time. Imagination slept but not completely, for he could not tread the same pathways which generations of illustrious men had walked without being influenced, though perhaps uneonsciously,by the ennobling atmosphere of Cambridge, the poets' university. An explanation may be found in the fact that Wordsyvorth had been brought up in daily intercourse with the mountains and the hills and he was ill-prepared for the captivity of college life. Books! 'tis a dull and endless strife. Come, hear the woodland linnet- How sweet his music! on my life, There's more of wisdom in it. TVe must not get the idea, however, that Wordsworth did not love and appreciate the good in literature. He himself says that all the strength and beauty of character which man is capable of, is derived first from Nature, which is the breath of God, then from the works of such men as Homer, Milton and Shakespeare. It is the endless pouring over books without ever looking up to learn the lessons in the world about one, which Wordsyvorth deplores. Though Vlfordsworth did not utterly neglect his books, he was less zealous in study, for his mind was so filled with this passion for Nature that there was not much room for anything else. Eight months of this varied life at college passed, and when the ninth came he returned to his native hills. Vlfhat those hills had meant to him he now more fully realized, for his heart overflowed with joy in revisiting his old haunts. lYalking one evening to Esthwaite 'Water, the little lake where he had played as a child, this sense of the spirit in Nature was overwhelm- ingly present. He seemed to be standing in' the very presence of God and all the temporary joys and idle pleasures of this mortal life seemed to fade away in the presence of the majesty and holiness of his surroundings. Q4 in W d sh- th- ll- sin tha his the Wit his by ins: sist sou, Wife witl the Wor lutic Alpg thos hfglvi mine

Page 110 text:

N L he ga7ed with unaccustomed eyes at the rush and hurry of city life To one wx ho had spent his childhood in the country where all are friends the cold indifferent atmosphere of the city was incomprehensible He who had lived among the pure hearted and sincere children of Nature saw for the first time men women and children living the lives of degra dfrtion insincerity and wanton revelry He saw and shuddered for it threatened to shatter his ideals of human life But after a time his horror was seasoned by grief and sorrow for the Spirit of Nature was with him then and The soul of Beauty and endurin life Vouchsafed her inspiration and diffused l'hrou h mea re lines and colors and the press Cf self destroying transitory things Composure and ennobling Harmony 1 . 7 C y C , . c , ' 7 . gg A ' ' Y! 7 J .C 7 H . .A 7 0' . D . . y v , . O' O' D an 1 -, .. , , - 17 , H . . ,, . . . . It was this Spirit of Nature which made him see past this misery and suffering, the golden goal toward which mankind is tending. It made him look more closely into the heart of man and gave himi a deeper human understanding. After a sojourn of several months in London and atrip to Wales, Vlfordsworth decided to go to France that he might fit himself to be a tutor and so satisfy his guardians, who desired him to settle upon some occupation and also to satisfy his own longing for travel. It was just at the dawn of the first French Republic when the people of France were swayed by the idea of Liberty, Equality and Fraternityfi At first all this had little influence on Wordsworth. After a time, however, he became very intimate with a strong republican adherent, Beaupuis. Through this man WVordsworth's interest was thoroughly aroused and his enthusiasm was intense. Even though he did not fully understand the political situation, his sympathies were with the oppressed, who seemed to be fighting against the aristocracy for their rights. Even the mad terror of the September massacres did not shake his belief in the fight for liberty. He would even have taken part himself if he had not been recalled to England on account of a lack of funds. So he watched conditions from over the waters with a feverish interest. But now the oppressed in their turn became the oppressors and changed a war of self-defence to one of conquest. This was one of the greatest dis- appointments of lVordsworth's life.. He had so firmly believed in the principles for which the French had fought that it seemed such ideals could not fail. He could not understand how those who had shed blood for the cause could in their turn become tyrants. Then followed for 96