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The Poetical Works of William Wordsworth Novel Chapters
List of most recent chapters published for the The Poetical Works of William Wordsworth novel. A total of 345 chapters have been translated and the release date of the last chapter is Apr 02, 2024
Latest Release: Chapter 1 : The Poetical Works of William Wordsworth.Edited by William Knight.PREFACE During the dec
The Poetical Works of William Wordsworth.Edited by William Knight.PREFACE During the decade between 1879 and 1889 I was engaged in a detailed study of Wordsworth; and, amongst other things, edited a library edition of his Poetical Works in eight volumes,
- 101 1832. ... a ewe ... 1798.] [Variant 4: 1836. As sweet ... 1798.] [Variant 5: 1836. Upon the mountain did they feed; 1798.] [Variant 6: 1800. Ten ... 1798.] [Variant 7: 1836. ... upon the mountain ... 1798.] [Variant 8: 1827. They dwindled one by one away;
- 102 There is no need of boot or spur, There is no need of whip or wand; For Johnny has his holly-bough, And with a _hurly-burly_ now 50 He shakes the green bough in his hand.And Betty o'er and o'er has told The Boy, who is her best delight, Both wha
- 103 And now she's at the Doctor's door, She lifts the knocker, rap, rap, rap; The Doctor at the cas.e.m.e.nt shows His glimmering eyes that peep and doze! 250 And one hand rubs his old night-cap."Oh Doctor! Doctor! where's my Johnny?"
- 104 And thus, to Bettys question, he Made answer, like a traveller bold, (His very words I give to you,) "The c.o.c.ks did crow to-whoo, to-whoo, 450 And the sun did s.h.i.+ne so cold!" --Thus answered Johnny in his glory, And that was all his trave
- 105 1827. Tis on the stroke--"If Johnnys near," Quoth Betty, "he will soon be here," 1798.] [Variant 15: 1836. Appear ... 1798.] [Variant 16: 1827. ... she begins to fear 1798.] [Variant 17: 1800. Good Betty [i] ... 1798.] [Variant 18: 183
- 106 [Variant 28.1802.For sure he met ..... 1798.][Variant 29.1798....unfriendly....Only in MS. and in the edition of 1805.][Variant 30: 1827....that's feeding ... 1798.][Variant 31: 1827.And now she's ... 1798.][Variant 32: 1827.... she's happy
- 107 He plies his weary journey; seeing still, And seldom [6] knowing that he sees, some straw, Some scattered leaf, or marks which, in one track, 55 The nails of cart or chariot-wheel have left Impressed on the white road,--in the same line, At distance still
- 108 [Variant 11: The lines from "Then be a.s.sured" to "worthless" were added in the edition of 1837.] [Variant 12: 1837. ... While thus he creeps From door to door, ... 1800.] [Variant 13: 1832. ... itself ... 1800.] [Variant 14: 1827. ..
- 109 [Footnote E: In January 1801 Charles Lamb thus wrote to Wordsworth of his Old c.u.mberland Beggar: "It appears to me a fault that the instructions conveyed in it are too direct, and like a lecture: they dont slide into the mind of the reader while he
- 110 'Virgil'.LONDON: PRINTED FOR J. JOHNSON, ST. PAUL'S CHURCH-YARD.1793.TO THE REV. ROBERT JONES, FELLOW OF ST. JOHN'S COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE.Dear sir, However desirous I might have been of giving you proofs of the high place you hold in my e
- 111 But lo! the boatman, over-aw'd, before The pictur'd fane of Tell suspends his oar; Confused the Marathonian tale appears, 350 While burn in his full eyes the glorious tears.And who but feels a power of strong controul, Felt only there, oppress h
- 112 FOOTNOTES ON THE TEXT [Footnote A: All the notes to this reprint of the edition of 1793 are Wordsworth's own, as given in that edition.--Ed.][Footnote B: The lyre of Memnon is reported to have emitted melancholy or chearful tones, as it was touched b
- 113 [Footnote Cc: Rude fountains built and covered with sheds for the accommodation of the pilgrims, in their ascent of the mountain. Under these sheds the sentimental traveller and the philosopher may find interesting sources of meditation.][Footnote Dd: Thi
- 114 The Poetical Works of William Wordsworth.Vol. II.by William Wordsworth.PETER BELL: A TALE [A]Composed 1798. [B]--Published 1819.'What's in a Name?' [C]'Brutus will start a Spirit as soon as Caesar!' [D]To ROBERT SOUTHEY, ESQ., P.L
- 115 We've reached at last the promised Tale;) One beautiful November night, When the full moon was s.h.i.+ning bright Upon the rapid river Swale, 325 Along the river's winding banks Peter was travelling all alone; Whether to buy or sell, or led By p
- 116 Is Peter of himself afraid?Is it a coffin,--or a shroud? 505 A grisly idol hewn in stone?Or imp from witch's lap let fall?Perhaps a ring of s.h.i.+ning fairies?Such as pursue their feared vagaries [54]In sylvan bower, or haunted hall? 510 Is it a fie
- 117 That unintelligible cry Hath left him high in preparation,-- Convinced that he, or soon or late, This very night will meet his fate-- And so he sits in expectation! 695 [75]The strenuous Animal hath clomb With the green path; and now he wends Where, s.h.i
- 118 But, more than all, his heart is stung To think of one, almost a child; A sweet and playful Highland girl, As light and beauteous as a squirrel, As beauteous and as wild! 890 Her dwelling was a lonely house, [99]A cottage in a heathy dell; And she put on
- 119 Oh! would, poor beast, that I had now A heart but half as good as thine!" 1100 But _He_--who deviously hath sought His Father through the lonesome woods, Hath sought, proclaiming to the ear Of night his grief and sorrowful fear--[118] He comes, escap
- 120 1827 ... heartless ... 1819.] [Variant 12: In the editions of 1819 and 1820 only. Out--out--and, like a brooding hen, Beside your sooty hearth-stone cower; Go, creep along the dirt, and pick Your way with your good walking-stick, Just three good miles an
- 121 ... that ponderous knell-- His far-renowned alarum! 1840.] [Variant 24: 1820. With Peter Bell, I need not tell That this had never been the case;--1819.] [Variant 25: 1819. ... placid ... 1820. The text of 1827 returns to that of 1819.] [Variant 26: 1836.
- 122 1836. With ready heel the creatures side; 1819. With ready heel his s.h.a.ggy side; 1827.] [Variant 38: In the editions of 1819 to 1832 only. "Whats this!" cried Peter, brandis.h.i.+ng A new-peeld sapling white as cream; The a.s.s knew well what
- 123 [Variant 49: 1820. Joy on ... 1819.] [Variant 50: 1836. ... an endless shout, The long dry see-saw ... 1819.] [Variant 51: 1836. And Peter now uplifts his eyes; Steady the moon doth look and clear, And like themselves the rocks appear, And tranquil are th
- 124 The meagre Shadow all this while-- What aim is his? ... 1819.] [Variant 63: 1836. That Peter on his back should mount He shows a wish, well as he can, "Ill go, Ill go, whateer betide-- He to his home my way will guide, The cottage of the drowned man.
- 125 The verdant pathway, in and out, Winds upwards like a straggling chain; And, when two toilsome miles are past, Up through the rocks it leads at last Into a high and open plain.] [Variant 76: 1827. The ... 1819.] [Variant 77: 1836. How blank!--but whence t
- 126 And well I know ... 1819.] [Variant 89: 1836. ... and dancd ... 1819.] [Variant 90: 1836. ... clearly ... 1819.] [Variant 91: 1836. ... hath ... 1819.] [Variant 92: 1836. ... to confound ... 1819.] [Variant 93: 1836. But now the pair have reachd a spot Wh
- 127 1820. ... ears ... 1819.] [Variant 103: 1836. Though clamorous as a hunters horn Re-echoed from a naked rock, Tis from that tabernacle--List! 1819. The voice, though clamorous as a horn Re-echoed by a naked rock, Is from .... 1832.] [Variant 104: 1819. ..
- 128 And to the pillow gives ... 1819.][Variant 116: 1827.And resting on ... 1819.][Variant 117: 1827.He turns ... 1819.][Variant 118: 1836.... his inward grief and fear--1819.... his sorrow and his fear--C.][Variant 119: 1827.... had ... 1819.][Variant 120: 1
- 129 "Dear Wordsworth--I received a copy of 'Peter Bell' a week ago, and I hope the author will not be offended if I say I do not much relish it.The humour, if it is meant for humour, is forced; and then the price!--sixpence would have been dear
- 130 [Variant 6: 1820. As may have had no trivial influence 1798.] [Variant 7: 1798. ... wood, 1798 (some copies).] [Variant 8: 1836. ... or ... 1798.] [Variant 9: 1800. Not ... 1798.] FOOTNOTES ON THE TEXT [Footnote A: I have not ventured to call this Poem an
- 131 There was a Boy; ye knew him well, ye cliffs And islands of Winander!--many a time, At evening, when the earliest stars began [1]To move along the edges of the hills, Rising or setting, would he stand alone, 5 Beneath the trees, or by the glimmering lake;
- 132 FOOTNOTES ON THE TEXT [Footnote A: In 'The Prelude' the version of 1827 is adopted for the most part.--Ed.][Footnote B: See 'Graduati Cantabrigienses' (1850), by Joseph Romily, the Registrar to the University 1832-1862.--Ed.]THE TWO TH
- 133 [Variant 5: 1827.... of peats ... 1800.][Variant 6: 1820.Dan once ... 1800.][Variant 7: 1800.'Twas a smooth pleasant pathway, a gentle descent, And leisurely down it, and down it, he went. MS. 1798.][Variant 8: 1802.... street ... 1800.][Variant 9: 1
- 134 Is not a ruin of the ancient time, 1800.... antique ... MS.][Variant 2: 1802.... which was to have been built 1800.][Variant 3: 1800.Of some old British warrior: so, to speak The honest truth, 'tis neither more nor less Than the rude germ of what was
- 135 Composed 1799.--Published 1809 It was included by Wordsworth among the "Poems referring to the Period of Childhood."--Ed.Wisdom and Spirit of the universe!Thou Soul, that art the Eternity of thought!And giv'st [1] to forms and images a brea
- 136 [Variant 11: 1845. ... while the distant hills 1809.] [Variant 12: 1827. To cut across the image ... 1809. To cross the bright reflection ... 1820.] [Variant 13: 1820. That gleamd upon the ice; and oftentimes 1809. (This line occupied the place of lines 5
- 137 NUTTING Composed 1799.--Published 1800 [Written in Germany; intended as part of a poem on my own life, but struck out as not being wanted there. Like most of my schoolfellows I was an impa.s.sioned Nutter. For this pleasure, the Vale of Esthwaite, aboundi
- 138 ... milk-white cl.u.s.ters ... 1800.][Variant 10: 1845.... beneath ... 1800.][Variant 11: 1836.Even then, when from the bower I turn'd away, 1800.][Variant 12: 1836.... and the intruding sky.--1800.]FOOTNOTES ON THE TEXT [Footnote A: The house at whi
- 139 [Variant 3: Our earth is no doubt made of excellent stuff, But her pulses beat slower and slower, The weather in Forty was cutting and rough, And then, as Heaven knows, the gla.s.s stood low enough, And _now_ it is four degrees lower. This stanza occurs o
- 140 Shut close the door; press down the latch; Sleep in thy intellectual crust; Nor lose ten tickings of thy watch 35 Near this unprofitable dust. But who is He, with modest looks, And clad in homely russet brown? [B] He murmurs near the running brooks A musi
- 141 "STRANGE FITS OF Pa.s.sION HAVE I KNOWN" Composed 1799.--Published 1800 [Written in Germany, 1799.--I.F.] One of the "Poems founded on the Affections." In MS. Wordsworth gave, as the t.i.tle, "A Reverie," but erased it.--Ed.
- 142 Ed.] "SHE DWELT AMONG THE UNTRODDEN WAYS" Composed 1799.--Published 1800 One of the "Poems founded on the Affections." In the edition of 1800 it is ent.i.tled Song.--Ed. She dwelt among the untrodden ways Beside the springs of Dove, A
- 143 FOOTNOTES ON THE TEXT [Footnote A: Compare Sara Coleridges comment on this poem in the Biographia Literaria (1847), vol. ii. chap. ix. p. 173. Also Mrs. Oliphants remarks in her Literary History of the Nineteenth Century, vol. i. pp. 306-9.--Ed.] "TH
- 144 Composed 1799.--Published 1800 [Written in Germany.--I.F.]Included among the "Poems of the Imagination." [A]--Ed.A slumber did my spirit seal; I had no human fears: She seemed a thing that could not feel The touch of earthly years.No motion has
- 145 Mr. Taylor was buried in Cartmell Churchyard. In 'The Prelude', Wordsworth writes of him as "an honoured teacher of my youth;" and there describes, with some minuteness, a visit to his grave. (See book x. l.532.) It will be seen, howev
- 146 We walked along, while bright and red Uprose the morning sun; And Matthew stopped, he looked, and said, "The will of G.o.d be done!" A village schoolmaster was he, 5 With hair of glittering grey; As blithe a man as you could see On a spring holiday. And
- 147 A CONVERSATION Composed 1799.--Published 1800 One of the "Poems of Sentiment and Reflection."--Ed.We talked with open heart, and tongue Affectionate and true, A pair of friends, though I was young, And Matthew seventy-two.We lay beneath a spreading oak,
- 148 [Variant 5: 1815. ... his hands, ... 1800.] FOOTNOTES ON THE TEXT [Footnote A: "Pour me plaindre a moy, regarde noti tant ce quon moste, que ce qui me reste de sauvre, et dedans et dehors." Montaigne, Essais, iii. 12. Compare also: "Themistocles quidem
- 149 I Between two sister moorland rills There is a spot that seems to lie Sacred to flowerets of the hills, And sacred to the sky. And in this smooth and open dell 5 There is a tempest-stricken tree; A corner-stone by lightning cut, The last stone of a lonely
- 150 1827.Of flocks and herds both far and near 1800.Of flocks upon the neighbouring hills 1802.][Variant 12: 1845.... sits ... 1800.][Variant 13: When near this blasted tree you pa.s.s, Two sods are plainly to be seen Close at its root, and each with gra.s.s
- 151 "He mentioned the origin of some poems. 'Lucy Gray', that tender and pathetic narrative of a child lost on a common, was occasioned by the death of a child who fell into the lock of a ca.n.a.l. His object was to exhibit poetically entire 'solitude',
- 152 The text of 1815 returns to that of 1800.]FOOTNOTES ON THE TEXT [Footnote A: Compare Gray's ode, 'On a Distant Prospect of Eton College', II. 38-9: 'Still as they run they look behind, They hear a voice in every wind.'Ed.]RUTH Composed 1799.--Publish
- 153 But ill he lived, [19] much evil saw, 145 With men to whom no better law Nor better life was known; Deliberately, and undeceived, Those wild men's vices he received, And gave them back his own. 150 His genius and his moral frame Were thus impaired, and h
- 154 1836. He spake of plants divine and strange That evry day their blossoms change, Ten thousand lovely hues! 1800. ... every hour ... 1802.] [Variant 8: Of march and ambush, siege and fight, Then did he tell; and with delight The heart of Ruth would ache; W
- 155 The text of 1805 returns to that of 1800.] [Variant 18: 1800. For pa.s.sions, amid forms so fair And stately, wanted not their share 1802. The text of 1805 returns to that of 1800.] [Variant 19: 1800. Ill did he live ... 1802. The text of 1805 returns to
- 156 [Variant 30: 1802.... grief, ... 1800.][Variant 31: 1805.(And in this tale we all agree) 1800.][Variant 32: 1805.The neighbours grieve for her, and say That she will ... 1802.][Variant 33: This stanza first appeared in the edition of 1802.]FOOTNOTES ON TH
- 157 Ed.]1800 Towards the close of December 1799, Wordsworth came to live at Dove Cottage, Town-end, Grasmere. The poems written during the following year (1800), are more particularly a.s.sociated with that district of the Lakes. Two of them were fragments of
- 158 "We left Sockburn last Tuesday morning. We crossed the Tees by moonlight in the Sockburn fields, and after ten good miles riding came in sight of the Swale. It is there a beautiful river, with its green banks and flat holms scattered over with trees. Fou
- 159 1827.So coming back across the wave, Without a groan on Ellen's grave 1800.And coming back ... 1802.]FOOTNOTE: [Footnote A: The Kirtle is a River in the Southern part of Scotland, on whose banks the events here related took place.--W. W. 1800.]No Scottis
- 160 The poor Hart toils along the mountain-side; I will not stop to tell how far he fled, 30 Nor will I mention by what death he died; But now the Knight beholds him lying dead.Dismounting, then, he leaned against a thorn; He had no follower, dog, nor man, no
- 161 He turnd aside towards a Va.s.sals door, And, "Bring another Horse!" he cried aloud. 1800.] [Variant 2: 1827. Brach, ... 1800.] [Variant 3: 1827. ... he chid and cheerd them on 1800.] [Variant 4: 1800. With fawning kindness ... MS.] [Variant 5: 1802. ..
- 162 [Variant 16: 1820. ... verdant ... 1800.] [Variant 17: 1836. ... living ... 1800.] [Variant 18: 1827. ... gallant brute! ... 1800.] [Variant 19: 1815. And soon the Knight performd what he had said, The fame whereof through many a land did ring. 1800.] [Va
- 163 [Footnote A: Compare 'Oth.e.l.lo', act I. scene iii. l. 135: 'Of moving accidents by flood and field.'Ed.][Footnote B: Compare the sonnet (vol. iv.) beginning: "Beloved Vale!" I said. "when I shall con ...Ed.][Footnote C: Compare Tennyson, 'In Mem
- 164 And brought it forth into the light: 90 The Shepherds met him with his charge, An unexpected sight! Into their arms the lamb they took, Whose life and limbs the flood had spared; [11] Then up the steep ascent they hied, 95 And placed him at his mothers si
- 165 [Variant 11: 1836.Said they, "He's neither maim'd nor scarr'd"--1800.]FOOTNOTES ON THE TEXT [Footnote A: 'Ghyll', in the dialect of c.u.mberland and Westmoreland is a short and for the most part a steep narrow valley, with a stream running through
- 166 [Variant 1: 1836.No other sheep ... 1800.][Variant 2: 1836.Towards the Lamb she look'd, and from that shady place 1800][Variant 3: 1802.... is ... 1800.][Variant 4: 1827.... which ... 1800.][Variant 5: 1802.... are ... 1800.][Variant 6: 1800.... Poor cre
- 167 To the neighbours he went,--all were free with their money; For his hive had so long been replenished with honey, That they dreamt not of dearth;--He continued his rounds, [11] 35 Knocked here-and knocked there, pounds still adding to pounds.He paid what
- 168 ... ploughd land, ... 1800.] [Variant 8: 1815. ... the noise of the bowl, 1800] [Variant 9: On the works of the world, on the bustle and sound, Seated still in his boat, he lookd leisurely round; And if now and then he his hands did employ, Twas with vani
- 169 This stanza appeared only in 1800. It was followed by that which now forms lines 53-56 of the final text.] [Variant 22: 1815. Hes ten birth-days younger, hes green, and hes stout, 1800.] [Variant 23: 1815. Youd ... 1800.] [Variant 24: 1815. ... does ... 1
- 170 FOOTNOTE ON THE TEXT [Footnote A: i. e. first published in the 1815 edition of the Poems: but, although dated by Wordsworth 1803, it had appeared in 'The Morning Post' of July 21, 1800, under the t.i.tle, 'The Farmer of Tilsbury Vale. A Character'. It
- 171 TO JOANNA Composed 1800.--Published 1800 [Written at Grasmere. The effect of her laugh is an extravagance, though the effect of the reverberation of voices in some parts of the mountains is very striking. There is, in 'The Excursion', an allusion to the
- 172 In c.u.mberland and Westmoreland are several Inscriptions upon the native rock which from the wasting of Time and the rudeness of the Workmans.h.i.+p had been mistaken for Runic. They are without doubt Roman.The Rotha, mentioned in this poem, is the River
- 173 Stone-Arthur is the name of the hill, on the east side of the Vale of Grasmere, opposite Helm Crag, and between Green Head Ghyll and Tongue Ghyll.--Ed."A NARROW GIRDLE OF ROUGH STONES AND CRAGS"Composed 1800.--Published 1800 [The character of the easter
- 174 [Variant 9: 1827.... the margin of the lake.That way we turn'd our steps; nor was it long, Ere making ready comments on the sight Which then we saw, with one and the same voice We all cried out, that he must be indeed An idle man, who thus could lose a d
- 175 To find the pool referred to in the Fenwick note, I have carefully examined the course of Rydal beck, all the way up to the foot of the Fell. There is a pool beyond the enclosures of the Hall property, about five hundred feet above Rydal Mount, which part
- 176 [Variant 3: 1820.... in this, our natal spot, 1800.][Variant 4: 1815.... wreath ... 1800.][Variant 5: 1836.... Winter's day, 1800.][Variant 6: 1840.The stream came thundering down the dell And gallop'd loud and fast; 1800.The Torrent thundered down the
- 177 III "'Eight weary weeks, through rock and clay, Along this mountain's edge, The Frost hath wrought both night and day, Wedge driving after wedge.Look up! and think, above your head 25 What trouble, surely, will be bred; Last night I heard a crash--'ti
- 178 1802.... on me ... 1800.][Variant 10: 1827.To feed and ... 1800.To rest and ... 1815.][Variant 11: 1815.One night the Wind came from the North And blew a furious blast, 1800.]The spot is fixed within narrow limits by the Fenwick note. It is, beyond doubt,
- 179 [Variant 4: 1836.... or ... 1800.]If the second, third, and fourth stanzas of this poem had been published without the first, the fifth, and the last, it would have been deemed an exquisite fragment by those who object to the explanatory preamble, and to
- 180 SONG FOR THE WANDERING JEW Composed 1800.--Published 1800 Included among the "Poems of the Fancy."--Ed. Though the torrents from their fountains Roar down many a craggy steep, Yet they find among the mountains Resting-places calm and deep. Clouds that l
- 181 THE BROTHERS [A]Composed 1800. [B]--Published 1800 [This poem was composed in a grove at the north-eastern end of Grasmere lake, which grove was in a great measure destroyed by turning the high road along the side of the water. The few trees that are left
- 182 _Priest_. Happy! Sir-- _Leonard_. You said his kindred all were in their graves, 345 And that he had one Brother-- _Priest_. That is but A fellow-tale of sorrow. From his youth James, though not sickly, yet was delicate; And Leonard being always by his si
- 183 1815. ... at length, ... 1800.] [Variant 8: 1827. ... traffic in ... 1800.] [Variant 9: 1827. ... which he livd there, ... 1800.] [Variant 10: 1836. ... of one whom he so dearly lovd, 1800.] [Variant 11: 1836. Towards the church-yard he had turnd aside, 1
- 184 [Variant 21: 1815. Why we have store of them! ... 1800.] [Variant 22: 1815. Cross-bones or skull, type of our earthly state Or emblem of our hopes: ... 1800.] [Variant 23: 1827. ... winters evening, 1800.] [Variant 24: 1815. For five ... 1800.] [Variant 2
- 185 [Variant 35: 1836. ... and Id wager twenty pounds, That, if he is alive, ... 1800. ... and Id wager house and field 1827.] [Variant 36: 1815. ... that end, ... 1800.] [Variant 37: 1815. ... this ... 1800.] [Variant 38: 1815. And, though a very Stripling,
- 186 ... they found that he was gone. From this no ill was feared; but one of them, Entering by chance, at even-tide, the house 1820. In all else the edition of 1820 is identical with the final text of 1827.] [Variant 48: 1836. Some went, and some towards the
- 187 FOOTNOTES ON THE TEXT [Footnote A: This Poem was intended to be the concluding poem of a series of pastorals, the scene of which was laid among the mountains of c.u.mberland and Westmoreland. I mention this to apologise for the abruptness with which the p
- 188 VI The stream that flows out of the lake, As through the glen it rambles, Repeats a moan o'er moss and stone, For those seven lovely Campbells.Seven little Islands, green and bare, 60 Have risen from out the deep: The fishers say, those sisters fair, By
- 189 From the meadows of ARMATH, on THIRLMERE'S wild sh.o.r.e, 1827.The text of 1832 reverts to that of 1800.][Variant 2: 1800.... were once tempted to climb; 1827 The text of 1832 reverts to that of 1800.][Variant 3: 1820.In Paris and London, 'mong Christia
- 190 [Variant 3: 1837.What a picture! 'tis drawn without nature or art, 1800.]The full t.i.tle of this poem, in "Lyrical Ballads," 1800, is 'A Character, in the ant.i.thetical Manner'. It was omitted from all subsequent editions till 1837. With this early
- 191 Hither he came in lifes austere decline: And, Stranger! this blank Heap of stones and earth Is reverenced ... Ed. WRITTEN WITH A PENCIL UPON A STONE IN THE WALL OF THE HOUSE (AN OUT-HOUSE), ON THE ISLAND AT GRASMERE [A] Composed 1800.--Published 1800 Incl
- 192 MICHAEL A PASTORAL POEM [A]Composed 1800.--Published 1800 [Written at the Town-end, Grasmere, about the same time as 'The Brothers'. The sheepfold, on which so much of the poem turns, remains, or rather the ruins of it. The character and circ.u.mstances
- 193 The Shepherd ended here; and Luke stooped down, 425 And, as his Father had requested, laid The first stone of the Sheep-fold. At the sight The old Man's grief broke from him; to his heart He pressed his Son, he kissed him and wept; And to the house toget
- 194 1836. ... their ... 1800.] [Variant 12: 1836. ... their ... 1800.] [Variant 13: 1827. Which ... 1800.] [Variant 14: 1836. Did with a huge projection overbrow 1800.] [Variant 15: 1827. ... was in his ... 1800.] [Variant 16: 1836. ... while late ... 1800.]
- 195 [Variant 26: 1836. His cradle with a womans gentle hand. 1800.] [Variant 27: 1836. ... when he Had work by his own door, or when he sate With sheep before him on his Shepherds stool, Beneath that large old Oak, which near their door Stood, and from its en
- 196 1815.... in ... 1800.][Variant 41: 1827.... from sixty years. 1800.][Variant 42: I for the purpose brought thee to this place.This line appears only in the edition of 1800.][Variant 43: 1827.... stout; ... 1800.][Variant 44: 1802.... should evil men Be th
- 197 (See 'The Topographical Dictionary of England', by Samuel Lewis, vol.ii. p. 1831.)--Ed.][Footnote F: There is a slight inconsistency here. The conversation is represented as taking place in the evening (see l. 227).--Ed.][Footnote G: It may be proper to
- 198 THE SPARROW'S NEST Composed 1801.--Published 1807 [Written in the orchard, Town-end, Grasmere. At the end of the garden of my father's house at c.o.c.kermouth was a high terrace that commanded a fine view of the river Derwent and c.o.c.kermouth Castle.
- 199 [Variant 2: 1837.fairer ... 1815.][Variant 3: 1827.His double-fronted head in higher clouds, 1815.... among Atlantic clouds, MS.]FOOTNOTE ON THE TEXT [Footnote A: See Spenser's translation of 'Virgil's Gnat', ll. 21-2: 'Or where on Mount Parna.s.se,
- 200 VII "A little school of Christian people stood Down at the farther end, in which there were A nest of children come of Christian blood, 45 That learned in that school from year to year Such sort of doctrine as men used there, That is to say, to sing and