29 Text Bank

Composed upon Westminster

Bridge
William Wordsworth
Sonnets
This scene is set at night, in a graveyard with the Capulets’ vault in the background. The effect of
Juliet’s potion is beginning to disappear. Romeo has opened Juliet’s vault to see his wife’s face and
to take the ring from her finger.

September 3, 1802
Earth has not anything to show more fair1:
Dull2 would he be of soul who could pass by3
A sight so touching in its majesty:
This City now doth4, like a garment5, wear
5 The beauty of the morning; silent, bare, 1 fair. Bello.
Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie 2 Dull. Insensibile.
3 he ... who could pass by.
Open unto the fields, and to the sky; Colui a cui sfuggisse.
All bright and glittering6 in the smokeless air. 4 doth. Arc.: does.
5 garnment. Indumento.
Never did sun more beautifully steep7 6 glittering. Splendente.
10 In his first splendour, valley, rock, or hill; 7 did ... steep. Inondò.
8 glideth ... will. Scorre
Ne’er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep! dolcemente secondo la
The river glideth at his own sweet will8: sua volontà.
9 the very houses. Le case
Dear God! the very houses9 seem asleep; stesse.
And all that mighty heart is lying still10! 10 still. Immobile.

COMPREHENSION
1 READ the poem and say:
1 1 what the time of the day is;
2 2 what the poet is describing.

2 EXPLAIN what the following words refer to:

• more fair (line 1);
• All (line 8);
• his (line 10);
• I (line 11);
• His (line 12);
• heart (line 14).

3 EXPLAIN in your own words:

1 whether the town is at work;
2 how the poet feels;
3 what the river is like.

4 IDENTIFY the three phases of thought in the poem and write a caption to describe the
content of each section.
Lines 1–3;
Lines 4–8;
Lines 9–14.
 4 Text Bank

ANALYSIS
5 WRITE DOWN the rhyme scheme and say what type of poem this is.

6 POINT OUT the use of inversion and repetition. What do such devices add to the tone of
the poem? Choose from among the adjectives below to describe it:
slow • emphatic • peaceful • intensely • emotional • excited • astonished

7 FOCUS ON the poet’s sensory experience. Through which senses does he perceive the
scene?
∏∏ sight
∏∏ smell
∏∏ hearing
∏∏ touch
∏∏ taste

8 WRITE DOWN the words and expressions used by Wordsworth to convey the beauty of
London. What literary devices can you recognise?
∏∏ metaphor
∏∏ repetition
∏∏ personification
∏∏ simile

9 COMPLETE the table below.

Man-made objects Natural objects

How does Wordsworth suggest that they are connected?

10 UNDERLINE the images that give the town a sense of calm and solemnity.

11 SAY what tense appears in lines 9-11. It is an exception to the use of the present tense
which characterizes the whole poem. What is its function?

12 SAY which of the following themes Wordsworth develops in the poem.

∏∏ Nature includes all reality.
∏∏ Nature as country life is opposed to city life.
∏∏ The urban setting can be regarded as natural life because man, who made the city, is
himself natural.

YOUR TURN
13 IN PAIRS compare Wordsworth’s view of London with Blake’s. Use the table below.
Wordsworth’s London Blake’s London
The description of the town
The tone of the poem
The poet’s attitude