7
The World is too much with us
The World is too much with us ; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon.
This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon,
The winds that will be howling at all hours
And are up-gather'd now like sleeping flowers,
For this, for everything, we are out of tune;
It moves us not-Great God I’d rather be
A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn,
So might, I, standing on this pleasant lea,
Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;
have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;
Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn.
- William Wordsworth
Glossary
42
sordid
/'sO:dId/
unpleasant
forlorn
/fJ'lO:n/
lonely and unhappy
Textbook
Exercises
Vocabulary
A.
‘late and soon’, ‘Getting and spending’ are the expressions used in the poem.
Write some more expressions of this type.
Example ‘coming and going’
B.
Use the words ‘heart’ and ‘hearts’ in some sentences. The words used in
sentences should have different meanings.
C.
Find out the odd one–
boon, soon, noon, horn, moon
Comprehension
A.
B.
C.
Read the first four lines of the poem and answer the following questions.
1.
Find out the lines expressing the following idea : we waste our energy in
worldly affairs without realising that Nature belongs to us.
2.
What is the effect of materialism as shown in the first stanza ?
Read the next five lines of the poem and answer the following questions.
1.
What makes the poet unhappy ?
2.
What do you understand by the following :
a
‘This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon’
b
‘A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn’
Read the next five lines of the poem and answer the following questions.
1.
Why does the poet say that we have become out of time ?
2.
What does the poet mean by ‘sleeping flowers’ ?
3.
Describe the feelings of the poet after looking at 'Proteus rising from the
sea'.
Textbook
43
Speaking Activity
A.
Talk in pairs about two persons : one who lives in a city and the other who
lives in a village, in the lap of nature.
Talk about their life styles, availability of fresh air, vehicles, pomp and show
in life, simplicity, crowd, peace, hustle and bustle, size of the houses, gardens
and parks, fields and farms etc.
B.
Discuss among the members of your group the title of the poem. Justify the
title mentioning your own personal experiences.
Writing Activity
A.
Write your friend about your attitude towards the nature.
(50 words)
B.
Compare the creations of God and man-made-things. Write your observations.
(150 words)
Think it over
A.
How can you see a thing with your eyes and mind both ?
B.
Why do you feel happy in the company of nature ?
Things to do
Collect some pictures which show that the things of the nature are beautiful.
44
Textbook