Tag Archives: William Wordsworth

For England, Buttercup > Melon Flower

“Oh to be in England now that April’s here”–and not in Italy, with its gaudy melon flowers!

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All Our Seeing Rinsed and Cleansed

In “Transfiguration,” poet Edwin Muir discussed what it means to have our sight rinsed and cleansed.

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Awed by the Alps

Visiting the Slovenian Alps got me thinking of Wordsworth approaching the mountain range further west. Our experience was less foreboding.

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Wanted: Poets to Fight Climate Change

To understand role poets can play in fighting climate change, go back to the Romantics and especially “Rime of the Ancient Mariner.”

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On Revisiting Intense Experiences

Returning to my alma mater reminds me of Wordsworth returning to the Wye River in “Tintern Abbey.” That he shares the experience with his sister makes it even more relevant.

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A Friendship Stronger Than Fear

As I spent a night in an emergency room, I thought of my wife, my mother, and this Piercy Ruth and Naomi poem.

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Summer’s Over, Back to School

The end of the Pooh books mourns the end of summer and the return to school.

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Poetry Complements the Intellectual Life

In the grip of an arid intellect resulting in depression, philosopher John Stuart Mill turned to poetry.

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Imagination’s Transformative Power

The Romantics saw the literary imagination as a powerful transformational force.

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