“Lines Written in Early Spring” Summary

“Lines Written in Early Spring” Themes

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  Humanity vs. Nature

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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Lines Written in Early Spring”

• Lines 1-4

  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.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 5-6

  To her fair works did Nature link
  The human soul that through me ran;

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 7-8

  And much it grieved my heart to think
  What man has made of man.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 9-12

  Through primrose tufts, in that green bower,
  The periwinkle trailed its wreaths;
  And ’tis my faith that every flower
  Enjoys the air it breathes.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 13-16

  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.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 17-20

  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.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 21-24

  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?

  

  

  

  

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“Lines Written in Early Spring” Symbols

• 

  Spring

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“Lines Written in Early Spring” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

• Alliteration

  

  

  

  

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• Assonance

  

  

  

  

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• Enjambment

  

  

  

  

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• Personification

  

  

  

  

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• Repetition

  

  

  

  

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• Rhetorical Question

  

  

  

  

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“Lines Written in Early Spring” Vocabulary

Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

• Sate
• Fair
• Grieved
• Primrose tufts
• Bower
• Periwinkle
• 'Tis
• Lament

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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Lines Written in Early Spring”

• Form

• Meter

• Rhyme Scheme

“Lines Written in Early Spring” Speaker

“Lines Written in Early Spring” Setting

Literary and Historical Context of “Lines Written in Early Spring”

More “Lines Written in Early Spring” Resources

• External Resources

  • Wordsworth at 250 — Read about a recent celebration of Wordsworth's 250th birthday. He's still one of the world's best-known and best-loved poets in the world!

  • A Short Film Based on the Poem — Watch a recent short film interpretation of the poem (and hear it read in a thick Scottish accent).

  • Wordsworth's Life and Work — Read a short biography of Wordsworth, and find links to more of his poems.

  • Lyrical Ballads — Check out the famous collection in which this poem first appeared.

  • Wordsworth's Creative Process — Watch a short reenactment of Wordsworth writing one of his most famous poems—including some background on his collaboration with his sister Dorothy, from whose journals he took a lot of his images.

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