Discuss William Wordsworth as a poet of Nature.
William Wordsworth treatment of Nature was entirely different from that of his contemporary poets. He looked on simply as a creation of God, rather God himself Nature, not manifested. In other words, to Wordsworth, Nature is an embodiment of the Divine Spirit. He finds life in Nature, discovers spirit or soul in Nature, and according to him, Nature has a mind, which is directly connected with the mind of man. Says the eminent critic Stoppford A. Brooke - It had, he imagined, one living soul, which entering, flowers, stream, mountains, gave each of them a soul of its own.
Between this spirit of Nature and the mind of man, there was a prearranged harmony which enabled Nature to communicate its thoughts to man and man to reflect upon him until an absolute union between the two was established. " It must, however, be noted that Wordsworth's attitude towards Nature had not been the same throughout. It underwent changes from time to time, according to the alteration of his mood.
Dr Miss Mary Woodland, a modern critic, is of the opinion that Wordsworth's conception of Nature can be divided into four distinct stages At this stage, Wordsworth loved only the outer manifestation as of Nature. Like a roe ( a young deer ) he sprang and hopped from one object to Nature another, without realizing the inner significance, that Nature possesses. The objects of Nature simply stirred his passions, when he looked at them -
" The tall rocks, the sounding cataract .........
Were then to me a passion and an appetite.
In the next stage as he advanced in his approach to Nature be began to see her inner vision; he realized Nature's spiritual significance. He discovered a spirit in Nature - a
Universal Spirit. Operating all over the earth and heaven. This spirit of Nature, according to him, had an all-embracing and all-inclusive power, binding herself with man so that a spiritual union was established-
" A spirit and a motion.
That impels all thinking things .... "
Having spiritualised Nature, Wordsworth sought to interpret Nature as the greatest moralising power, According to him, man should go to Nature, primarily, for drinking deep at the fountain of her perpetually moralizing nectar ' In this famous poem " Tintern Abbey " he describes Nature as-
" The anchor, nurse, guide
Of my moral being, "
The sublimest phase of Wordsworth's treatment of Nature. He believes ethically that as soon as man surrenders himself completely to the tranquil and calm elements of Nature, all his misfortunes will end, and he will lead a morally and spiritually perfect life. He regrets that man has gone remote from Nature and this is the main reason why his life has become Insipid and dreary.
Wordsworth's faith in Nature was absolute, firm and unshakable. He had something of an ethical conviction that Nature would never betray the man, who loves her sincerely and deeply. Every object of Nature, however ordinary it be according to him could provide man with the highest joy and sublimest nobility.
" To me, the meanest flower that blows can give
Thoughts that often lie to deep for tears.
To sum up, Wordsworth's treatment of Nature is spiritual, moral and divine. To him Nature is God and God is Nature.
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