To a Skylark (Wordsworth) - William Wordsworth
/To a Skylark (Wordsworth) - William Wordsworth/
An Uplifting Call to Soar Above Earthly Sorrows
Original Poem (English), line by line:
Up with me! up with me into the clouds!
For thy song, Lark, is strong;
Up with me, up with me into the clouds!
Singing, singing,
With clouds and sky about thee ringing,
Lift me, guide me till I find
That spot which seems so to thy mind!
I have walked through wildernesses dreary;
And to-day my heart is weary;
Had I now the wings of a Faery,
Up to thee would I fly:
There is madness about thee, and joy divine
In that song of thine;
Lift me, guide me high and high
To thy banqueting-place in the sky.
Joyous as morning,
Thou art laughing and scorning;
Thou hast a nest for thy love and thy rest;
And, though little troubled with sloth,
Drunken Lark! thou would'st be loth
To be such a traveller as I.
Happy, happy Liver,
With a soul as strong as a mountain River
Pouring out praise to the Almighty Giver,
Joy and jollity be with us both!
Alas! my journey, rugged and uneven,
Through prickly moors or dusty ways must wind;
But hearing thee, or others of thy kind,
As full of gladness and as free of heaven,
I, with my fate contented, will plod on,
And hope for higher raptures, when life's day is done.
In William Wordsworth’s “To a Skylark,” the speaker addresses a skylark high above, urging it to guide him to the loftier realms of feeling and thought. The poem begins with an invitation to ascend into the clouds alongside the bird, whose vibrant song seems to echo in the open sky. Wordsworth contrasts his own earthbound cares—long walks through ‘wildernesses dreary’—with the skylark’s ‘madness’ of joy and apparent release from worldly burdens.
Throughout, the skylark symbolizes a spirit untroubled by life’s more tedious or sorrowful aspects. Wordsworth marvels at how the bird, which has a ‘nest for thy love and thy rest,’ still effortlessly projects an exultant spirit. He calls the lark a ‘happy Liver’ and likens its inner strength to a ‘mountain River,’ pouring out praise to the ‘Almighty Giver.’ This imagery captures the Romantic ethos of nature as a source of spiritual vitality.
Ultimately, while the poet must still ‘plod on’ through life’s trials, the skylark’s example nourishes his hope for a future time of greater rapture. Wordsworth suggests that by attuning ourselves to nature’s buoyant melodies and spirit, we can glean inspiration to face our own difficulties with more acceptance and optimism. “To a Skylark” thus stands as a testament to the Romantics’ conviction that communion with nature offers solace, perspective, and renewal. (Approx. 220 words)
Key points
1. The skylark embodies freedom, joy, and transcendence above mortal cares.
2. Nature can lift human spirits, offering renewal even amid life’s weariness.
3. Wordsworth emphasizes imagination and emotional connection over plain observation.
4. The poem juxtaposes the bird’s effortless bliss with the poet’s burdens.
5. Hope and inspiration emerge from contemplating nature’s boundless vitality.