COMPOSED UPON WESTMINSTER BRIDGE

 Composed Upon Westminster Bridge 

              -----------William Wordsworth 

1. Comment on Wordsworth's treatment of nature with reference to 'Composed Upon Westminster Bridge'. 

Nature has always emerged as a living entity to Wordsworth. On his way to Paris very early in the morning, the poet had the opportunity to appear in front of the thrilling beauty of the city of London. The beauty of the city of London from Westminster Bridge fascinates him. So the poet exclaims______

"Earth has not anything to show more fair"

To the poet, the city seemed to be clothed a garment of morning beauty. The whole environment is calm, soothing and the air is smoke free.

"A sight so touching in its majesty:

ThisCity now doth, like a garment, wear

The beauty of the morning; silent, bare,"

So all the sights and sounds of nature have an undisturbed appeal of beauty. The sun has spread the beauty of its radiance over the valley ,mountains and rocks. 

"Never did sun more beautifully steep 

In his first splendour, valley, rock, or hill;"

The river Thames is flowing at its own speed.

"The river glideth at his own sweet will:"

 The city of London is like a deep sleep. Only nature is awake to be the bearer and carrier of our pure thoughts. 

Thus, we may conclude that really Wordsworth as a worshiper of nature. 

2. "The city doth like a garment wear" - - Where from is the line taken? Refer to the context. What is the meaning of this line?

This line is Taken from Wordsworth's 

'Composed Upon Westminster Bridge'. The poet made this comparison while describing the morning beauty of the city of London from Westminster Bridge.

He compared the gentle, silence and bright beauty of the morning in the city of London to a beautiful dress. So the poet says----

"This City now doth, like a garment, wear

The beauty of the morning; silent, bare," 

 The picture of London that the poet sees, is not the familiar picture of the city of London that he has seen so far. The city of London has taken on a new look, just as a new outfit changes a person's appearance. The silence, the cleanliness of the air and the bright atmosphere seem to have made the familiar city unfamiliar to the poet. The poet expresses - - - - 

"Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie

Open unto the fields, and to the sky;

All bright and glittering in the smokeless air." 

3."Dear God! the very houses seem asleep;

And all that mighty heart is lying still!"---

Where from are the lines quoted? Mention the context. What is the significance of the lines?

The lines are taken from the poem 'Composed Upon Westminster Bridge', a unique creation of Wordsworth. 

The poet here speaks about the silence prevailing in contrast to the usual vibrancy of the city of London.

The poet sees the landscape of the city of London from Westminster Bridge. It is early morning. The bustle and call of the city have not yet begun. Silence prevail everywhere.

"This City now doth, like a garment, wear

The beauty of the morning; silent, bare,

Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie

Open unto the fields, and to the sky;"

 It is not the familiar scene of London which the poet had seen so long. The poet rediscovers his familiar city. The poet is mesmerized. He feels that the city is in a deep sleep.

"Dear God! the very houses seem asleep;"

The poet feels that London, the almighty heart of England, is still asleep and will soon wake up, i.e. the usual busy life of the people will resume.

4."The river glideth at his own sweet will:"-

Which river is mentioned in the poem 'Upon Westminster Bridge' ? Why does the poet use the pronoun 'he' to refer to the river? What is the significance of this line? 

 In the poem 'Upon Westminster Bridge', Thames river is mentioned. 

The poet personifies the free-thinking nature of the river whose unrestrained mannerisms and characteristics are just like those of a young man. That is why the poet has used the pronoun 'he' in masculine sense.

The significance of the line is that the river describes the uncontrollable side of nature, its course is not dictated by man. So the river flows according to its will when the day's work has not begun. The gentle flow of the river adds to the sweetness of the city.

5. Justify the significance of the title of the poem "Composed Upon Westminster Bridge".

The title of a literary work is supposed to contain the clue to its main theme. In the sonnet Upon Westminster Bridge, Wordsworth depicts the unparalleled, majestic beauty of the city of London in the early morning heavenly glow. The poet here sees the city as part of nature bathed in the radiance of the rising sun. 

"All bright and glittering in the smokeless air."

To the romantic poet, the city of London seems to wear the quiet and peaceful beauty of the morning like a garment. Ships, domes, theatres, temples all spread out to the horizon, sparkling in the unpolluted air.

"Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie

Open unto the fields, and to the sky;

All bright and glittering in the smokeless air."

 The Thames flows calmly while the houses and 'Mighty heart' seem sleepy and unsteady.

"And all that mighty heart is lying still!"

 In such a city of tranquility, the poet feels the presence of the Almighty in all worldly things. The poet witnessed the picturesque beauty of London from Westminster Bridge. Hence the title Upon Westminster Bridge is appropriate.