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But the least motion which they made
It seem'd a thrill of pleasure
a) who are referred to here by 'they'?
b) What was the pleasure?
Answers
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Answer:
Dr Oliver Tearle summarises Wordsworth’s lesser-known Romantic poem about spring
‘Lines Written in Early Spring’ was written in April 1798, the year that William Wordsworth and his friend Samuel Taylor Coleridge signalled their arrival on the literary scene with their ground-breaking collection of Romantic poems, Lyrical Ballads.
In some ways ‘Lines Written in Early Spring’ can be seen as the precursor to Wordsworth’s more famous ‘Lines’ poem, ‘Lines Written a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey’.
Lines Written in Early Spring
I heard a thousand blended notes,
While in a grove I sate reclined,
In that sweet mood when pleasant thoughts
Bring sad thoughts to the mind.
To her fair works did Nature link
The human soul that through me ran;
And much it grieved my heart to think
What man has made of man.
Through primrose tufts, in that green bower,
The periwinkle trailed its wreaths;
And ’tis my faith that every flower
Enjoys the air it breathes.
The birds around me hopped and played,
Their thoughts I cannot measure:—
But the least motion which they made
It seemed a thrill of pleasure.
The budding twigs spread out their fan,
To catch the breezy air;
And I must think, do all I can,
That there was pleasure there.
If this belief from heaven be sent,
If such be Nature’s holy plan,
Have I not reason to lament
What man has made of man?
‘Lines Written in Early Spring’ is written in quatrains rhyming abab; the metre is iambic tetrameter. And the poem should be read in the context of Wordsworth’s other poems from this time.
‘Lines Written in Early Spring’: summary
I heard a thousand blended notes,
While in a grove I sate reclined,
In that sweet mood when pleasant thoughts
Bring sad thoughts to the mind.
William WordsworthIn summary, Wordsworth sits in a small woodland grove and listens to the birdsong around him.
To her fair works did Nature link
The human soul that through me ran;
And much it grieved my heart to think
What man has made of man.
But although happy thoughts are prompted by the birdsong, so are more sombre ones: nature has forged a strong connection between itself and the soul of mankind, but man has repaid the favour by making a mess of his relations with his fellow man.