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A reading of Wordsworth's "The World is Too Much With Us"

by L. Swilley

Oct 21, 2009

This poem expresses regret that our excessive worldly interests have blinded us to the nobler images of ourselves to be found in Nature. The argument of the poem is in three parts: part one, lines 1-5, is a description of our frantic worldy life and its opposition to a simpler and nobler existence to be achieved by comtemplating our image in Nature; part two, lines 5-9, gives examples of human images in nature to which we are blind. In part three, lines 9-14, the narrator says he would rather be an ancient pagan, for they, at least, had a proper appreciation of Nature which we so sadly lack. The depth of our worldliness is emphasized by "Late and soon, getting and spending," that is late getting but soon spending - we spend *before* we get (very like our current credit-card practices.) To establish the contrast between our excessive worldly interests and a healthier interest in Nature, the sonnet uses two references that focus on the human breast: in our worldly way, we "give our heart...See MoreThis poem expresses regret that our excessive worldly interests have blinded us to the nobler images of ourselves to be found in Nature. The argument of the poem is in three parts: part one, lines 1-5, is a description of our frantic worldy life and its opposition to a simpler and nobler existence to be achieved by comtemplating our image in Nature; part two, lines 5-9, gives examples of human images in nature to which we are blind. In part three, lines 9-14, the narrator says he would rather be an ancient pagan, for they, at least, had a proper appreciation of Nature which we so sadly lack. The depth of our worldliness is emphasized by "Late and soon, getting and spending," that is late getting but soon spending - we spend *before* we get (very like our current credit-card practices.) To establish the contrast between our excessive worldly interests and a healthier interest in Nature, the sonnet uses two references that focus on the human breast: in our worldly way, we "give our hearts away,' and this is a "sordid boon," a poor gift; but the world of Nature which we are asked to consider is pictured as a healthier, nobler kind of giving, a mother breast-feeding her child ("The sea that bares her bosom...the winds that would be howling at all hours...up-gathered now like sleeping flowers..."). By implication another contrast is made in the third part of the poem (lines 9-14). Here, the narrator says that he would "rather be a Pagan," for pagans not only saw themselves in nature, but saw their noble, god-like images there (Proteus, Triton); whereas we worldly generation have lost that, even though, as the poem implies ("I'd rather be a Pagan...), we are Christians. (And perhaps the image of the mother and child earlier anticipates this inference by suggesting Mary and her Infant Son). Ironically, and much to our discredit, our Christianity sould call us to the images of love in Nature to which the poem draws our attention; but although we profess to be Christians, and therefore unworldly, we are in fact un-Christian and very worldly indeed. The pagans were apparently more "Christian" than we are.

L. Swilley

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