Composed Upon Westminster Bridge

**Composed Upon Westminster**
Bridge; September 3, 1XXX

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;
Ne'er 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!

**Translation**

Die Erde hat nichts Schöneres zu
zeigen:

Dumm wäre eine Seele, die vorbeiziehen könnte

an einem Anblick, der in seiner Majestät so berührt.

Diese Stadt trägt jetzt wie ein Kleidungsstück

die Schönheit des Morgens: Stille, nur Schiffe,

Türme, Dom, Theater und Tempel liegen

offen bis zu den Feldern und zum Himmel;

Alles hell und glitzernd in der rauchlosen Luft.

Niemals war die Sonne schöner

in ihrer ersten Pracht auf Tal, Fels oder Hügel;

niemals sah ich, niemals fühlte ich, eine Stille so tief!

Der Fluss  fließt nach
seinem eigenen süßen Willen:

Lieber Gott! Die Häuser scheinen zu schlafen;

und das mächtige Herz liegt immer noch.

**Summary:**

In the poem
the lyrical identity lists the things he sees while standing on the Westminster
Bridge. All this happens in the morning. After that he describes the nature
around the city and his feelings during standing on this bridge and watching
what happens.

**About**
the Author

William
Wordsworth was born in 1770 in England and died in 1850. He was one of the
major poets of the Romantic Movement in Britain. He studied at the University
of Cambridge. His first sonnet “the European Magazine” was published in 1787.
In 1791 he visited revolutionary France because he was interested in the
revolution. In 1802 the poem “Upon Westminster Bridge” was released. In 1805
Wordsworth released the autobiographical poem “The Prelude”. He became
England's poet laureate in 1843, a role he held until his death in 1850.

**Context**
“Upon Westminster Bridge”

The poem is
a sonnet and was written in the Romantic. Wordsworth always lived with his
sister Dorothy together. She kept a journal about nature impressions and
adventures with her brother. Sometimes phrases from Dorothy’s journal reappear
in Wordsworth’s poems. The poem “Upon Westminster Bridge” is written about an
experience, when Wordsworth and his sister were on a trip to France. In her
diary she tells how they left London and wrote down her impressions of the
city. What she wrote down this day, inspired Wordsworth for his poem. Actually
this poem is perhaps a little unusual for Wordsworth as it takes the city of
London as its subject.

**Interpretation**

Generally the poem describes the predawn
view of London from the angle of the Westminster Bridge. The lyrical identity feels
calm and comfortable, because of the relaxed atmosphere. This silence appears
in the nature´s description. The first line “Earth has not anything to show more fair” shows the
lyrical identity`s impression over the view of London. In the second line the
lyrical identity appeals to go onto the bridge and take a moment to enjoy and
appreciate the beautiful view (line 2). He shows the sights of London (line 5
to 6) in the “beauty of the morning” (5). The sunset creates a lovely view of
the sights, also because of the “smokeless air” (8) and a positive, romantic
and calm atmosphere. A smokeless air is not that typical for a big city like
London, so that shows, that for the lyrical identity the city is perfect.

After that
he shows the nature around London. The sun is shining over the landscape and
that let the lyrical identity calm down (11). Towards
the end of the poem the speaker exclaims ""Dear God!"",
indicating the power of this experience. As with Wordsworth's nature poems, the
speaker's reaction to what he is encountering reveals a powerful spiritual
effect.

To sum up the interpretation: the
lyrical identity describes everything that belongs to London, for example the
houses, the river, and the sights because all these different things together
make the city so special.

Stylistic
devices:

Rhyme
pattern:

**a**...Earth has not
anything to show more fair:
**b**...Dull would he be of
soul who could pass by
**b**...A sight so touching
in its majesty:
**a**...This City now doth
like a garment wear
**a**...The beauty of the
morning: silent, bare,
**b**...Ships, towers, domes,
theatres, and temples lie

**b**...Open unto the fields,
and to the sky,
**a**...All bright and
glittering in the smokeless air.......8
**c**...Never did sun more beautifully steep
**d**...In his first splendour
valley, rock, or hill;
**c**...Ne'er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep!
**d**...The river glideth at
his own sweet will:
**c**...Dear God! the very houses seem asleep;
**d**...And all that mighty
heart is lying still!...............14

Different
rhythms:

·
trochaic patterns (fast
rhythm) → line 1 or 2

·
iambic pattern (slow) →
line 5 and 6

Others
stylistic devices:

·
enumeration
(Line5/6)

·
metaphor
(whole poem)

·
Inversion
(line 1)

·
Simile
(line 4/5)

·
Metaphor
(line 13) →  comparison to house that
sleep

·
Personification
(line 12)

·
Positive
adjectives

http://www.gradesaver.com/wordsworths-poetical-works/study-guide/summary-composed-upon-westminster-bridge