Composed upon Westminister Bridge

COMPOSED UPON WESTMINSTER BRIDGE

“Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802” by William Wordsworth is an Italian sonnet, written using the rhyme scheme ‘abbaabbacdcdcd’. The poem was actually written about an experience that took place on July 31, 1802 during a trip to France with Wordsworth’s sister, Dorothy Wordsworth.

The poem begins with a rather shocking statement, especially for a Romantic poet: “Earth has not anything to show more fair”. This statement is surprising because Wordsworth is not speaking of nature, but of the city. He goes on to list the beautiful man-made entities therein, such as “Ships, towers, domes, theatres and temples”. In fact, nature’s influence isn’t described until the 7th line, when the speaker relates that the city is “open to the fields, and to the sky”. While the city itself may not be a part of nature, it is certainly not in conflict with nature. This becomes even more clear in the next line, when the reader learns that the air is “smokeless” (free from pollution).

Wordsworth continues to surprise his reader by saying that the sun has never shone more beautifully, even on natural things. He then personifies the scene, giving life to the sun, the river, the houses, and finally to the whole city, which has a symbolic heart. The reader imagines that the city’s heart beats rapidly during the day, while everything and everyone in it is bustling about, but now, in the early morning hours, the city’s heart is “lying still”. By using personification in his poem, Wordsworth brings a kind of spirit to the city, which is usually seen as a simple construction of rock and metal.

POETIC DEVICES USED

• Personification - Wordsworth uses personification in several places in the poem, in reference to the city, sun, river, and houses. He creates the impression that nature is a living being with a soul. It’s as if all these forces have decided to come together to treat the speaker to a show of Nature’s great beauty.