THE ROMANTIC PERIOD: SELECTED
POEMS
LITERARY FOCUS: TERMS
The related terms
“Romantic,” “Romance,” and “Romanticism” are often used very loosely, and need
some definition. First, the terms are used with a capital letter, to
distinguish them from “romance” and “romantic,” terms that are usually applied
to love stories or erotically heightened situations. Although Romances often
contain a love interest that is not what defines them. Likewise, Romantic poets
deal with the whole gamut of human experience, not just love affairs or the
experience of being in love ( https://www.enotes.com/topics/romantic-poets).
WILLIAM WORDSWORTH
TRANSLATION (from “Preface
to Lyrical Ballads")
“The objects
of the Poet’s thoughts are everywhere; though the eyes and senses of man are,
it is true, his favorite guides, yet he will follow wheresoever he can find an
atmosphere of sensation in which to move his wings. Poetry is the first and
last of all knowledge—it is as immortal as the heart of man.”
DISCUSSION
Read “The
Daffodils” by W. Wordsworth. Have a short discussion.
·
What is the author trying to tell his
audience?
·
Hidden message?
·
Can you find in the poem feelings and
themes of loneliness, the beauty of nature, man’s response to nature, the power
of imagination?
·
Is there anything that is difficult to
understand?
The Daffodils
I
wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils,
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced, but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A Poet could not be but gay
In such a jocund company!
I gazed - and gazed - but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
For
oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
CREATIVE WRITING
On the day that William Wordsworth saw the daffodils,
his sister, Dorothy, was with him and later on wrote about the experience in
her diary. Read it. Then write about the main differences between the poem and
the diary. What, in particular, has Wordsworth changed and added? Which text
do you prefer? Why?
Thursday
April 15th, 1802
When we were in the woods beyond Gowbarrow
Park we saw a few daffodils close to the waterside. We fancied that the lake
had floated the seeds ashore, and that the little colony had so sprung up. But
as we went along there were more and more; and at last, under the boughs of the
trees, we saw that there was a long belt of them along the shore, about the
breadth of a country turnpike road. I never saw daffodils so beautiful. They
grew among the mossy stones as on a pillow for weariness; and the rest tossed
and reeled and danced, and seemed as if they verily laughed with the wind that
blew upon them over the lake; they looked so gay, ever glancing, ever changing.
GEORGE GORDON, LORD BYRON
Byron wrote this poem in Venice. It is based on the
refrain of a Scottish song. Carnival season had just passed and the
twenty-nine-year old poet found himself in a period of reflection.
I. Read the poem and answer the questions:
·
Which line sums up the poem for you?
·
Do you agree that a poem seems to be a
kind of “farewell to love”, recognition of the passing of time, the end of
roving, or adventuring, and the relationships implied?
So
we'll go no more a- roving
1.
So we'll go no more a- roving
So late into the night,
Though the heart be still as loving,
And the moon be still as bright.
For the sword outwears its sheath,
And the soul wears out the breast,
And the heart must pause to breathe,
And Love itself have rest.
Though the night was made for loving,
And the day returns too soon,
Yet we'll go no more a- roving
By the light of the moon.
II. Read the poem “My
Soul is Dark” and in prose describe the
content of it.
My
Soul is Dark
My
soul is dark - Oh! quickly string
The harp I yet can brook to hear;
And let thy gentle fingers fling
Its melting murmurs o'er mine ear.
If in this heart a hope be dear,
That sound shall charm it forth again:
If in these eyes there lurk a tear,
Twill flow, and cease to burn my brain.
But
bid the strain be wild and deep,
Nor let thy notes of joy be first:
I tell thee, minstrel, I must weep,
Or else this heavy heart will burst;
For it hath been by sorrow nursed,
And ached in sleepless silence, long;
And now 'tis doomed to know the worst,
And break at once - or yield to song.
2.
Compare your thoughts with the thoughts expressed in the essay below (https://stuffjeffreads.wordpress.com/2015/02/08/my-soul-is-dark-by-lord-byronlive
day).
This
poem is a great example of English Romanticism. It is an expression of inner
pain and suffering that is only eased through the restorative power of art.
In
the poem, Byron conveys a sense of deep sorrow, the type which leads to
isolation and despair. The emphasis on the darkness of his soul indicates that
all hope and joy are void from his being. He is cast into a state of darkness
that nothing seems able to penetrate. He concedes that there is one thing that
can overcome this darkness, and that is music.
Here
it is important to note that music has two meanings. On one level, he is
referring to music in the audible sense. Instrumental music is unique in
artistic expression because the tones communicate directly with the psyche and
instill emotion without the use of words. But music is also a metaphor for
poetry, and I think that Byron is claiming that there are actually two ways in
which he can overcome his sorrow: by either listening to music or by opening up
his soul through the composition of poetry. So in the final line, when Byron
states that his heart will “break at once – or yield to song,” he is asserting
that he can cure himself of his internal darkness is by opening his heart and
expressing his deep emotion through poetry, which is essentially what he is
doing in this poem.
I
relate to this poem on a deep level. There have been many times in my life
where playing music and writing poetry were the only ways that I was able to
deal with my inner turmoil. I guess that’s why I have always related to the
Romantic poets on a visceral level. Thanks for taking the time to read my
thoughts.
JOHN KEATS
COMPARISON
Read
and compare original lines (from A THING OF BEAUTY) with the translation made
by B. Pasternak.
A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:
Its loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness; but still will keep
A bower quiet for us, and a sleep
Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.
***
Прекрасное пленяет
навсегда.
К нему не остываешь.
Никогда
Не впасть ему в
ничтожество. Все снова
Нас будет влечь к
испытанному крову
С готовым ложем и здоровым
сном.
Перевод Б.Л.
Пастернака
SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE
DISCUSSION
Read
the poem and discuss your responses to it.
·
Are
you emotionally touched by the poem?
·
Do
words and phrases stick in your memory?
·
How
has the poet made an impression and why?
What
if you slept
And
what if
In
your sleep
You
dreamed
And
what if
In
your dream
You
went to heaven
And
there plucked a strange and beautiful flower
And
what if
When
you awoke
You
had that flower in you hand
Ah,
what then?
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