The Restorative Power of Nature in William Wordsworth’s “Tintern Abbey”
In 1798, William Wordsworth wrote the poem “Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey” immediately after his second trip to Tintern Abbey with his sister, Dorothy. Wordsworth first visited Tintern Abbey five years earlier (as we learn from the opening lines “Five years have past; five summers, with the length / Of five long winters!”), at the age of 23, and much of the poem is concerned with comparing his two trips. He describes nature as a place of solitude and peace. Furthermore, the solitude of nature becomes a healing and restorative force for him. He compares the tranquility of nature to his discomfort in “towns and cities,” and states that his memories of nature form a reserve that he can call upon in times of distress to comfort him. By the end of the poem, Wordsworth has also described nature in a spiritual and religious manner, often personifying the natural world and portraying it as a sort of god and the source of all that is morally good inside himself. We will also look at John Keats’ letters in order to see his criticism of “Wordsworthian” poetry.
In the opening lines, Wordsworth describes the overwhelming sense of solitude of Tintern Abbey and the surrounding grounds. He writes that the “steep and lofty cliffs, / That on a wild secluded scene impress / Thoughts of more deep seclusion” (5–7). Here, Wordsworth uses the word seclusion twice, giving the reader the strong impression of seclusion and solitude that Wordsworth feels at Tintern Abbey. On a similar note, we also learn of the “quiet of the sky,” and the smoke from chimneys “sent up, in silence” amidst the trees of the forest, further giving the reader the impression of quiet and serenity. Wordsworth also imagines this smoke coming from some “Hermit’s cave,” where the Hermit sits alone by his fire. One imagines that here Wordsworth is appreciative, or possibly envious, of the life of this imaginary Hermit, who is allowed to live in peaceful solitude within nature. In the fourth stanza, Wordsworth describes himself in this place five years earlier as a “roe” that “bounded o’er the mountains” (67–68), exploring the natural world alone, and discovering “deep rivers” and “lonely streams.” Again we see the joy that Wordsworth felt while he was alone with nature five years earlier. Through these descriptions, we see that Wordsworth portrays nature as a force that draws him to it with its peaceful solitude.
In the second stanza, Wordsworth begins to discuss how the scenes of nature, or the “beauteous forms’’ described in the first stanza, become the memories that console him when he is in the city, or after “a long absence” from nature. Here, we begin to see how Wordsworth’s depiction of nature in “Tintern Abbey” is a subjective one, where Wordsworth inserts himself plainly into the poem. As John Keats describes in his letters, “the wordsworthian” form of poetry “is a thing per se and stands alone,” while Keats’ own ideal poet “has no Identity.” While for Keats, the ideal poet blends or even disappears into the background of their work like a chameleon, the Wordsworthian style is that which is more concrete and defined, taking a stance or position and presenting it to the reader. We see this clearly in “Tintern Abbey,” as Wordsworth focuses on his own emotions and relationship to the natural world instead of choosing to portray nature through an objective lens. Therefore, his portrayal of the natural world in “Tintern Abbey” is not a portrayal of nature alone, but rather it becomes a portrayal of how the natural world affects his thoughts and emotions. We learn that Wordsworth finds great comfort in these memories of the natural world when he struggles with “the heavy and weary weight / Of all this unintelligible world” (39–40). Wordsworth has not forgotten his memories of Tintern Abbey, and when he is “‘mid the din / Of towns and cities,” he has often owed to these memories thoughts of comfort and “sensations sweet” that provide him with “tranquil restoration.” In describing his return to Tintern Abbey in the fourth stanza, Wordsworth writes that the natural world is reviving him again “with the sense / Of present pleasure,” (62–63). However, he is also comforted by the fact that this trip will provide him with comfort for the future, which he describes as “life and food / For future years” (64–65). From these depictions, the reader sees that Wordsworth portrays the natural world as a source of positive emotion and restoration for himself when he is apart from it.
Wordsworth often describes the natural world in a spiritual manner as well, calling it the source of all life and what allows him to see into the life of living things. These memories of nature and the feelings that Wordsworth receives from them carry a serious and spiritual power, “As have no slight or trivial influence” (32). Near the end of the stanza, Wordsworth portrays nature in an almost Pantheistic light, stating that it is responsible for “that serene and blessed mood” (41) which provides him life until the day he dies, when “we are laid asleep / In body, and become a living soul” (45–46). Wordsworth seems to be saying that nature is responsible for his life, and provides him with the deep ability to “see into the life of things” (49). Wordsworth seems to portray nature almost as if it is the equivalent of God, describing it as the source of all life, or a spirit that impels “All thinking things” and “rolls through all things” (100- 101). At the end of the fourth stanza, Wordsworth concludes with a complete admission of his love and worship of nature. He states that he recognizes in nature “The anchor of my purest thoughts, the nurse, / The guide, the guardian of my heart, and soul / Of all my moral being” (109–111). For Wordsworth, nature is the source of all that is morally good inside him. In personifying nature, Wordsworth portrays it as an almost sentient being to be worshiped, loved, and revered.
Throughout Tintern Abbey, we have seen Wordsworth repeatedly portray nature as a place of blissful solitude, which Wordsworth clearly enjoys. We then saw how he portrayed nature as having a restorative power, which prepares him for the harshness of city life. His memories of nature also nourish him when he recalls them while he is in a city. Lastly, Wordsworth seems to worship nature, and refers to it as the source of all life and his own moral goodness. Through these descriptions, Wordsworth portrays nature in an overwhelmingly positive life and draws many similarities between God and how he feels about nature.