Written in Early Spring
I heard a thousand blended notes While in a grove I sat 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 sweet 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?
Written in Early Spring - meaning Summary
Nature's Sympathy and Sorrow
A speaker sits in a grove and senses a deep kinship between nature and the human soul. Observing birds, flowers, and budding twigs, he believes they experience simple pleasure. That belief in a benevolent, life-filled Nature leads him to mourn human cruelty and corruption: repeatedly he asks why people have damaged one another when Nature seems designed for harmony. The poem reflects Wordsworthian pantheism and Romantic reverence for nature.
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