Composed upon Westminster Bridge - William Wordsworth
/Composed upon Westminster Bridge - William Wordsworth/
A Serene Contemplation of London’s Beauty at Dawn
Original Poem (English), line by line:
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!
William Wordsworth’s sonnet, “Composed upon Westminster Bridge,” captures a moment of stillness and understated grandeur as the poet gazes upon the city of London at dawn. Although London is often associated with bustle and noise, Wordsworth reveals a serene and almost rural quietness in the early morning light. He employs elegant imagery—depicting the city in its ‘silent, bare’ state—to highlight the contrast between the usual lively chaos and this rare, tranquil moment.
In the opening lines, Wordsworth asserts that there is no sight more beautiful than this early morning view. He praises the city’s skyline—its ships, domes, theatres, and temples—which seem to merge seamlessly with the surrounding fields and sky. The sun’s first rays imbue everything with a gentle radiance, and the ‘smokeless air’ underscores the rarity of such clarity in an era of industrial development. Through these expressions, the city becomes as visually arresting and naturally lovely as any pastoral setting.
Wordsworth also appeals to spiritual sensibilities. He suggests that one must lack appreciation or sensitivity (‘Dull would he be of soul’) if they fail to be moved by this spectacle. This reflects the Romantic emphasis on emotional receptivity to nature and beauty. The poet conveys awe at how nature and man-made structures can coexist in harmonious stillness. The calmness of the river, gliding at its ‘own sweet will,’ and the ‘mighty heart’ of the city lying still, lend a sense of gentle power to the scene.
By ending with an exclamation of reverence—‘Dear God!’—Wordsworth affirms that this moment transcends ordinary perception, evoking wonder at the marriage of natural light and human habitation. The poem encapsulates a brief pause in time when the sprawling metropolis becomes both intimate and exalted. For Wordsworth, the dawn’s hush envelops the city in a sacred beauty, and in that fleeting experience, he discovers a reaffirmation of life’s deeper, unspoken harmonies. (Approx. 280 words)
Key points
1. Even bustling cities can offer transcendent moments of natural beauty.
2. Wordsworth emphasizes emotional openness and sensitivity to one’s surroundings.
3. Dawn light transforms London into a scene as serene as any pastoral landscape.
4. Stillness and silence reveal a spiritual undercurrent in everyday life.
5. The poem reflects Romantic ideals of wonder, reverence, and unity with nature.
