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The Tables Turned
by
William Wordsworth


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Up! up! my Friend, and quit your books;
Or surely you'll grow double:
Up! up! my Friend, and clear your looks;
Why all this toil and trouble?
The sun above the mountain's head,
A freshening lustre mellow
Through all the long green fields has spread,
His first sweet evening yellow.
Books! 'tis a dull and endless strife:
Come, hear the woodland linnet,
How sweet his music! on my life,
There's more of wisdom in it.

And hark! how blithe the throstle sings!
He, too, is no mean preacher:
Come forth into the light of things,
Let Nature be your teacher.

She has a world of ready wealth,
Our minds and hearts to bless 
Spontaneous wisdom breathed by health,
Truth breathed by cheerfulness.

One impulse from a vernal wood
May teach you more of man,
Of moral evil and of good,
Than all the sages can.

Sweet is the lore which Nature brings;
Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things: 
We murder to dissect.

Enough of Science and of Art;
Close up those barren leaves;
Come forth, and bring with you a heart
That watches and receives.

This poem is in the public domain.

 

 


William Wordsworth (1770 - 1850) was a British Romantic poet. Though he suffered much tragedy in his personal life, he also enjoyed several deeply satisfying friendships, including ones with fellow poet Samuel Coleridge, and with his sister Dorothy, a writer in her own right. Wordsworth traveled extensively and was deeply influenced by his love of nature; both passions are evident in many of his poems. He lived much of his life in England's beautiful Lake District, and served as Poet Laureate of England from 1843 until his death.

 


Post New Comment:
blueskies:
...Come forth, and bring with you a heart That watches and receives. Really enjoyed this poem. Thanks,Jayne
Posted 05/24/2017 12:09 PM
Jancan:
Wonderful choice for the day, Jayne. Janice
Posted 05/24/2017 10:20 AM
Larry Schug:
I've always had a place for the Romantics, the tree huggers of their time. Thanks, Jayne.
Posted 05/24/2017 08:44 AM


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