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Imagination has been the greatest tool for writers all over the world over centuries. A storyteller with no imagination is equivalent to a snake charmer without snakes.
Imagination brings to life what the eyes can only see, the ears can only hear and the body can only feel. It is an extension to one’s being: a luxury for some and a grotesque inevitability for others.
Memory is what exemplifies the force of imagination in writing. Most writers have time and again, looked back to their bygone days to create upcoming works of art. Memory is the device which holds in itself, an immense capacity to give back the happiness that has been lost.
Introduction
Poem’s Name - Tintern Abbey
Poet’s Name - William Wordsworth
Genre - Lyrical Ballad
Language - English
Summary
Lines Written a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey, On Revisiting the Banks of the Wye during a Tour, July 1798, commonly known as “Tintern Abbey”, is a nostalgic entanglement with nature, where the poet speaks about the great power of memory as a source of pleasure and satisfaction.
Standing on the banks of the Wye, the poet swears that he can go back to this place and listen to the melodies of nature, no matter where he is. Whenever he closes his eyes, he is able to experience his childhood once again, and feel the joy of playing with his sister, Dorothy in Tintern Abbey.
He talks about how certain “beauteous forms” including “steep and lofty cliffs” help him through his thoughts of “more deep seclusion”. On especially difficult days that leave him drained and disarmed, Wordsworth turns to the memories of his childhood - Dorothy and him running around and growing along the forces of the ever-present nature.
About the Poet
William Wordsworth (7 April 1770 - 23 April 1850) was an English Romantic poet born in Cumberland, England. He helped inaugurate the Romantic Age in English literature, along with Samuel Taylor Coleridge in the form of their joint publication, Lyrical Ballads (1798).
Wordsworth was the Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom under the rule of Queen Victoria, from 1843 to his passing on April 23rd, 1850. His greatest work is considered to be The Prelude (earlier known as the poem to Coleridge), an autobiographical poem written about his early years that was posthumously released and named by his wife, Mary Hutchinson in 1850.
About the Poem
Tintern Abbey is narrated by a single speaker throughout, which can be considered as the voice of the poet, periodically calling upon the elements of nature and his sister, Dorothy.
The simplicity of form of the poem, written in blank verse, is a reminder to readers that the poet’s priority is set in speaking things from the heart and portraying the beautiful memories that continue to make his life wonderful.
Wordsworth also writes this poem as a parting speech to his sister, who is very dear to him. He expresses to her that even if he is, someday, in a condition where he can no longer be there for her, he hopes that the memories of their childhood, growing up together, provides her with the same amount of love, warmth and happiness that he has received from these memories.
Themes Involved
Memory is the most predominant theme that lingers throughout the poem. It is the centerpiece that brings everything else together. Though it has been great long years that have deeply changed Wordsworth and his way of life, the memories on the banks of the Wye are scenes that he can never part with.
On the contrary, these memories from his fond childhood are what provides him with utmost solace and sweetness in trying times of loneliness during his days in the city.
Nature is another most prominent theme in the poem. Wordsworth aptly describes that nature’s strength is innate and not showy, with the immense capacity of instantly making you feel purer and healthier.
He tells his sister, Dorothy about the importance of being one with nature and yourself, and the loyal nature of our environment - a friend to turn back to, who would never turn its back on her.
Famous Lines
“and again I hear
These waters, rolling from their mountain-springs
With a soft inland murmur.”
“These beauteous forms,
Through a long absence, have not been to me
As is a landscape to a blind man's eye:
But oft, in lonely rooms, and 'mid the din
Of towns and cities, I have owed to them,
In hours of weariness, sensations sweet,”
“Nor harsh or grating, thought of ample power
To chasten and subdue.”
“My dear, dear Sister! and this prayer I make,
Knowing that Nature never did betray
The heart that loved her”
“with pleasing thoughts
That in this moment there is life and food
For future years.”
“this green pastoral landscape, were to me
More dear, both for themselves and for thy sake!”
“If I should be where I no more can hear
Thy voice, nor catch from thy wild eyes these gleams
Of past existence—wilt thou then forget
That on the banks of this delightful stream
We stood together;”
The Bottom Line
Wordsworth’s work rings a strikingly nostalgic tone that is extremely relatable for the readers. His imagination only comes in as an extension of his memory and is what shapes it in its entirety.
The poem leaves readers wondering if they’ve been missing out on their present by not being in sync with their past memories!
My Ratings for the poem - 4 on 5
You can buy a copy from Amazon - Tintern Abbey
Written By - Kristi Mazumdar
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