Composed Upon Westminster Bridge Theme / Analysis / Rhyme scheme  

The poem

Earth has not anything to show more fair:

Dull he would be of soul who could pass by 

A sight so touching in its majesty: 

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 ; 

All bright and glittering in the smokeless air . 

Never did the sun more beautifully steep 

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

Never saw I , never felt , a calm so deep !

The river glideth at his own sweet will : 

Dear God ! the very houses seem asleep; 

And all the mighty heart is lying still !

Composed Upon Westminster Bridge structurally it’s a sonnet poem , an Italian sonnet but in case of theme it’s a romantic poetry , that means the subject matter of the poem is love of nature .

Romantic poetry  :

The poems those were written during romantic period (1800-1830/32)  is known as romantic poetry . The subject matter of the poem is love of nature and those poets are known as romantic poets .

 

            William Wordsworth was one of the pioneers of the English romantic movement  and thus he is famous as a  romantic poet . So in this poem he has given a beautiful description of nature .

 

Setting of the poem  :

                The poem written in 3 September   ,  1802 when Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy were going to Calais to meet with his former French mistress Annette Valln and Caroline his illegitimate daughter  . A coach they were travelling on  paused on Westminster bridge , and the view of city somewhat surprise Wordsworth . Despite the city being made totally of man , and not nature ,Wordsworth was surprised at its beauty in the early sunlight .

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Summary of the poem :

The speaker declares that he has found the most  beautiful scene on the earth you would have to be someone with no spiritual sense , no taste  for beauty , to pass over the Westminster bridge that morning without stopping to marvelest sights .

The time is so early that all is quiet . The various landmarks visible from the brides , including st.  pauls cathedral and the tower of London stand before him in all their grandeur in the morning light . Fortunately the speaker compares the sunlight on the  buildings to the light that shines on the countryside , and he seems surprised to feel more at peace  in the busy city than he has anywhere else . Suddenly the city turns into a big sleeping body . The speaker can almost see the expansion and contraction of the houses , as if they were taking deep breaths . This usually vibrant city is calm for once . The impression is made even more touching by speakers knowledge that in a few hours all will be bustle and hustle once again .

 

What is the theme of the poem Composed Upon Westminster Bridge ?

 

            The poem deals with the untainted beauty of the morning over the city of London . In his poem  Wordsworth describes the pure and peaceful beauty of the city before the starting of a busy day . The poets mind is moved by the beauty of morning that creates a silent throughout the atmosphere .The poet describes the beauty as rear one .

 

Composed Upon Westminster Bridge Analysis .

 

                In this poem the poet gave a description of the beauty of morning over the city of London . While in the very opening the poet said that no other sight in the world is as beautiful as this and he will be a foolish man who will avoid such beauty by going through the way .  Through his praising voice he referred that the London city wears the beauty of morning like a garment that touched the poets hearts . The beauty of morning creates the silent through the atmosphere of London where the ships , towers , domes , theatres and temples lies open unto the fields .

 He referred that the sun brightly shines over the rock , hill or valley that is glittering in the smokeless air and the river Thames is flowing at his own sweet will  by creating a gliding sound . Towards the end of the poem he regrets that still then the mighty Londoners were sleeping .

 

Composed Upon Westminster Bridge Context .

 

            The poem written in 3 September   ,  1802 when Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy were going to Calais to meet with his former French mistress Annette Valln and Caroline his illegitimate daughter  . A coach they were travelling on  paused on Westminster bridge , and the view of city somewhat surprise Wordsworth . Despite the city being made totally of man , and not nature ,Wordsworth was surprised at its beauty in the early sunlight .

 

Composed Upon Westminster Bridge Rhyme Scheme

 

            Basically it s a sonnet poem , an Italian sonnet which came in to the literature around fourteenth century by hands of the great Italian poet Petrarch .So naturally Petrarchan sonnet has its two stanzaic  division octave  and sestet with particular rhyme scheme .

 

So as a Italian poem this poem is also written in rhyme scheme of  a b b a   a b b a cd cd cd  .