William Wordsworth was one of the pioneers of romantic poetry in English. He was born in lakeshire, rural England. Unlike the other contemporary poetry, his poetry was in common rustic language. He was of the view that poetry is only expression of powerful feelings, not necessarily with use of rhyming words. To him rhyming words are only decoration and for embellishment. He himself too used rhyming words though. His poetry is filled with beautiful figures of speech, which show rustic ideas, simplicity as well as his deep philosophy of life.
Here a few lines from the poem “Perfect Woman”is given, in which beautiful metaphors are used. This poem he wrote in memory of his wife.
In the poem ‘Perfect Woman’, the poet uses words for comparison of the beauty of her wife, who has passed away, to various objects of beauty. For the purpose of comparison he uses metaphor and simile both in a skillful way as to give a charming image in the mind of the reader and listener. For example, according to the poet, she was a spirit of delight while she was alive and young. Here though the word phantom means spirit that is source of life for the temporal frame, the word is also associated with fear. In this sense the spirit has left the body and is thus is a cause of grief too, for the poet. Now he remembers and imagines the time of joys when her company would give him joys, comforts and make him forget his grieves.
Here too we find a word that is associated both with life, freshness, liveliness as well as death. Although he is engaged in past sweet memories of the time when she was with him, and feels happy, forgetting every other thing in the world, yet he feels sorry and full of grief to think that the great gift of Nature whose companionship he had ever enjoyed for some time, has vanished from his eyes.
In order to get purgation from the overwhelming emotions and feelings, he praises gone beauty by comparing it to that of the beautiful scene that is manifest to the eyes at the time when the night stars appear and twinkle and brighten the otherwise pitch black sky. Stars are a source of guidance to the travelers to find their path, to reach their destination. Thus the poet declares his late wife his guide in the dark night of the weary life.
The woman is a spirit (departed from the physical world) as well as a woman living (in her heart and giving him an impression of liveliness).
She had warm feelings towards her husband. In her countenance were visible sweet accord, kindness and sweet promises. She was faithful and trustworthy in her dealings with him.
Following is an extract from William Wordsworth’s Poem titled above.
She was a phantom of delight
When first she gleam’d upon my sight;
A lovely apparition, sent
To be a moment’s ornament;
Her eyes as stars of twilight fair;
Like twilight’s, too, her dusky hair;
But all things else about her drawn
From May-time and the cheerful dawn;
A dancing shape, an image gay,
To haunt, to startle, and waylay.
I saw her upon nearer view,
A Spirit, yet a Woman too!
Her household motions light and free,
And steps of virgin liberty;
A countenance in which did meet
Sweet records, promises as sweet;
A creature not too bright or good
For human nature’s daily food;
For transient sorrows, simple wiles,
Praise, blame, love, kisses, tears, and smiles.
And now I see with eye serene
The very pulse of the machine;
A being breathing thoughtful breath,
A traveller between life and death;
Zahid Ali Nizari
ShotkharTorkhow
