Prose and Poetry
"It was a beautiful morning. The city, St. Paul's, with the river, and a multitude of little boats, made
a most beautiful sight as we crossed Westminster Bridge.
The houses were not overhung by their cloud of smoke, and they were spread out endlessly, yet the
sun shone so brightly, with such a fierce light; that there was something like the purity of one of
nature's own grand spectacles."
This is a diary entry from someone observing London early in the morning. The writer isn’t trying
to be poetic or literary but just recording what was seen and reactions to it.
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What items does the writer pick out?
Where and how do the writer’s feelings show?
When do you think the diary was written? (i.e. how long ago?)
Any ideas about the writer – age? gender?
Here is another description of the same scene:
Earth has not anything to show more fair: dull would he be of soul who could pass by a sight so
touching in its majesty. This City now doth, like a garment, wear the beauty of the morning; silent,
bare. Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie open unto the fields, and to the sky, all bright
and glittering in the smokeless air.
Never did sun more beautifully steep in his first splendour, valley, rock, or hill; never saw I, never
felt, a calm so deep! The river glideth at his own sweet will - Dear God! the very houses seem
asleep and all that mighty heart is lying still!
What similarities and differences do you notice between the two descriptions?
Now have a look at them side by side.
DW
It was a beautiful morning.
The city, St. Paul's, with the
river, and a multitude of
little boats, made a most
beautiful sight as we crossed
Westminster Bridge.
The houses were not
overhung by their cloud of
smoke, and they were
spread out endlessly, yet the
sun shone so brightly, with
such a fierce light; that there
was something like the
purity of one of nature's own
grand spectacles.
Notes
WW
Earth has not anything to show
more fair: dull would he be of soul
who could pass by a sight so
touching in its majesty. This City
now doth, like a garment, wear the
beauty of the morning; silent, bare.
Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and
temples lie open unto the fields,
and to the sky, all bright and
glittering in the smokeless air.
Never did sun more beautifully
steep in his first splendour, valley,
rock, or hill; never saw I, never
felt, a calm so deep! The river
glideth at his own sweet will Dear God! the very houses seem
asleep and all that mighty heart is
lying still!
Background
Written in 1802 by Dorothy Wordsworth, sister of the poet William. They were on their way to
France for a month-long visit to Calais. William notes that his poem was ‘written on the roof of a
coach, on my way to France’. It’s quite hard to imagine this well crafted sonnet being jotted down
(with what – quill and ink?) on the top of a bouncing clattering coach!
The war with France had only ended a few months beforehand (and was to start up again very soon)
and yet the Wordsworths, in common with many other tourists, flocked to France and especially to
Paris.
The construction of the original Westminster Bridge in London was begun in 1739 and completed
in 1750. Construction of the current bridge began in 1854 and was completed in 1862.
Notes / answers for the questions at the beginning of the previous page:
St Paul’s; river; boats; bridge; houses.
Repetition of ‘beautiful’’most beautiful’; ‘so brightly’, ‘with such a fierce light’; ‘purity of one of
nature’s own grand spectacles’ – for her the (unusual) lack of smoke and (perhaps equally unusual)
strength of the sunlight give the scene something in common with natural wonders, rather than dirty
grey towns.
© Teachit 2009