Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Thoughts on William Wordsworth

This is a pot planted up with the prettiest of purple tulips. I find this photo does not do them justice. Each fall I try to plant up a couple of my empty terracotta pots with bulbs and put them in the shed to keep cool and dark but protected. Then as February comes around we see the tiny shoots coming up and, if the weather permits, they are then moved outside into the sunshine to encourage those shoots to grow. It is fun to do this each year. It also connects the autumn and spring seasons together in a special way. Maybe next autumn, you too can plan to give yourself a bit of Dutch color by planting up some bulbs in this way?

I want to share a poem with you that I found moving as we see the weather changes around the world. My mother is getting the weather ~cold, wind and rain ~ we normally have at this time of year in Holland. We, on the other hand have her normal warmth and sunshine with dry weather. Was William Wordsworth ahead of his time when he wrote "Lines Written in Early Spring"? Judge for yourself and if you would like leave me a comment about your own thoughts on this.....

"I heard a thousand blended notes,

While in a grove I sate reclined,

In that sweet mood when pleasant thoughts

Bring sad thoughts to the mind.


To her fair works did Nature link

The human soul that through me ran;

And much it grieved my heart to think

What man has made of man.


Through primrose tufts, in that green bower,

The periwinkle trailed its wreaths;

And 'tis my faith that every flower

Enjoys the air it breathes.


The birds around me hopped and played,

Their thoughts I cannot measure: --

But the least motion which they made,

It seemed a thrill of pleasure.


The budding twigs spread out their fan,

To catch the breezy air;

And I must think, do all I can,

That there was pleasure there.


If this belief from heaven be sent,

If such be Nature's holy plan,

Have I not reason to lament

What man has made of man?"

4 comments:

Tracy said...

The tulips are gorgeous! I enjoyed seeing all the pictures of your garden. :)

Joanne said...

Heidi ~ I just love these tulips. Just today I bought myself two small bouquets of tulips from a favorite market. The first ones I chose were purple, my favorite color of flowers, and the second were a pale, pale pink. Yours are just beautiful, and I so miss having a garden full of them!

Ragged Roses said...

What a beautiful poem - I've never read it before. How true as well! We have purple tulips too that I tried to photograph but (again) the cat got in the way!
Kim x

Nan said...

In one of your posts, you mentioned the fact of Wordsworth's daughter dying. I hadn't known that, and now I look at each of his works with that in mind. I know this sad fact would color everything afterwards, and I wonder if this poem is example of it as well, when he writes about pleasant thoughts bringing sad thoughts to mind.

I think I've given up on growing tulips, and just buy them for the house when they are in season. Yours are lovely.