Comment 5 of 5, added on February 3rd, 2009 at 5:36 AM.

Wow!!Kuhrens comment on Lines Written In Early Spring was a real eye opener!
Thanx...xoxo

Mona Lisa from Zimbabwe

Comment 3 of 5, added on November 6th, 2005 at 1:32 PM.

i just do not get this poem & have read it a trillion times! I have a lecture about it tomorrow & im real worried!

si sj from Australia

Comment 1 of 5, added on March 15th, 2005 at 3:37 PM.

In "Lines Written in Early Spring", Wordsworth achieves the goal he sets for himself in his "Preface to the Lyrical Ballads" - "to choose situations from common life, and to relate or describe them...in a selection of language really used by men, and at the same time to throw over them a certain colouring of imagination".
Wordsworth describes Nature as being a composer, creating a symphony of "blended notes". The scene appears to be entirely sweet and pleasant, and yet gives way to "sad thoughts" in the speaker's mind. The speaker observes that all of Nature's creations appear to be enjoying themselves - the flowers "enjoy" the air they breathe, the birds take pleasure in their movements, as do the "budding twigs". The speaker recognizes that man is also one of Nature's creations - "To her fair works did Nature link/The human soul that through me ran" (lines 5-6). However, man is also a creator, and can create himself ("What man has made of man" - line 8). Man's "self creation" goes against Nature's "plan" that all natural things should enjoy themselves, as man does not necessarily take pleasure in every moment of life. This thought causes the speaker himself to "grieve" - thus creating a self-fulfilling prophecy.

kuhren from United States