The Question of Nature to Wordsworth and Shelley
One of the defining features found in the poems from the age of Romanticism is the prevailing use of nature as a subject for poets to express themselves. Nature is treated as a sacrosanct and inexhaustible source of inspiration. Among the pioneers of these nature-inspired poets are William Wordsworth and Percy Bysshe Shelley.
Wordsworth, the Poet Laureate who thrust English literature to the age of Romanticism through his poems, spent most of his days living in the countryside and enjoying the splendor of nature. His love for the great outdoors is expressively written in his poems which often concern his fascination on the allure of nature. A few of such works are “Daffodils‘，”I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” and “The Solitary Reaper” (Diao 9). Correspondingly, Shelley in the same spirit of appreciation of nature made nature his primary subject. The Finest Lyrical Poet conveyed his purest emotion to the readers through the description of all kinds of natural phenomena. For instance, “To a Skylark”, “Mont Blanc”, “The Moon”, and his masterpiece, “Ode to the West Wind” (Diao 57).
Although it was clear that both poets use nature as their subject of fascination, the way nature was treated in their poems displayed two distinct styles of both poets. To Wordsworth, nature was the key to spiritual comfort, a symbol of love and harmony, as described in the poem “Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey” (Zhao 35). In this poem, Wordsworth compared the scenery of Tintern Abbey in two different periods, 1793 versus 1798. The scenery remained unperturbed by the changes and challenges of his age, in the turbulent times of different wars. In his perspective, Tintern Abbey remained a place of solace, tranquility and resplendence as it ever was. It seemed to be detached from worldly matters, deeply secluded in another world.