"The Tables Turned" was written by the English Romantic poet William Wordsworth and published in his 1798 collection Lyrical Ballads. The poem compares knowledge gathered from books with the profound wisdom of the natural world, and argues that nature is a far better (not to mention more enjoyable!) teacher. It also suggests that knowledge is incomplete without practical experience, which people simply can't get through studying. The poem thus fits right in with the aims and themes of the Romantic movement, which responded to the industrialization of society and celebrated the simplicity and beauty of nature.
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The Full Text of “The Tables Turned”
1Up! up! my Friend, and quit your books;
2Or surely you'll grow double:
3Up! up! my Friend, and clear your looks;
4Why all this toil and trouble?
5The sun, above the mountain's head,
6A freshening lustre mellow
7Through all the long green fields has spread,
8His first sweet evening yellow.
9Books! 'tis a dull and endless strife:
10Come, hear the woodland linnet,
11How sweet his music! on my life,
12There's more of wisdom in it.
13And hark! how blithe the throstle sings!
14He, too, is no mean preacher:
15Come forth into the light of things,
16Let Nature be your teacher.
17She has a world of ready wealth,
18Our minds and hearts to bless—
19Spontaneous wisdom breathed by health,
20Truth breathed by cheerfulness.
21One impulse from a vernal wood
22May teach you more of man,
23Of moral evil and of good,
24Than all the sages can.
25Sweet is the lore which Nature brings;
26Our meddling intellect
27Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:—
28We murder to dissect.
29Enough of Science and of Art;
30Close up those barren leaves;
31Come forth, and bring with you a heart
32That watches and receives.
The Full Text of “The Tables Turned”
1Up! up! my Friend, and quit your books;
2Or surely you'll grow double:
3Up! up! my Friend, and clear your looks;
4Why all this toil and trouble?
5The sun, above the mountain's head,
6A freshening lustre mellow
7Through all the long green fields has spread,
8His first sweet evening yellow.
9Books! 'tis a dull and endless strife:
10Come, hear the woodland linnet,
11How sweet his music! on my life,
12There's more of wisdom in it.
13And hark! how blithe the throstle sings!
14He, too, is no mean preacher:
15Come forth into the light of things,
16Let Nature be your teacher.
17She has a world of ready wealth,
18Our minds and hearts to bless—
19Spontaneous wisdom breathed by health,
20Truth breathed by cheerfulness.
21One impulse from a vernal wood
22May teach you more of man,
23Of moral evil and of good,
24Than all the sages can.
25Sweet is the lore which Nature brings;
26Our meddling intellect
27Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:—
28We murder to dissect.
29Enough of Science and of Art;
30Close up those barren leaves;
31Come forth, and bring with you a heart
32That watches and receives.
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“The Tables Turned” Summary
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“The Tables Turned” Themes
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The Wisdom of Nature
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “The Tables Turned”
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Lines 1-4
Up! up! my Friend, and quit your books;
Or surely you'll grow double:
Up! up! my Friend, and clear your looks;
Why all this toil and trouble? -
Lines 5-8
The sun, above the mountain's head,
A freshening lustre mellow
Through all the long green fields has spread,
His first sweet evening yellow. -
Lines 9-12
Books! 'tis a dull and endless strife:
Come, hear the woodland linnet,
How sweet his music! on my life,
There's more of wisdom in it. -
Lines 13-14
And hark! how blithe the throstle sings!
He, too, is no mean preacher: -
Lines 15-16
Come forth into the light of things,
Let Nature be your teacher. -
Lines 17-20
She has a world of ready wealth,
Our minds and hearts to bless—
Spontaneous wisdom breathed by health,
Truth breathed by cheerfulness. -
Lines 21-24
One impulse from a vernal wood
May teach you more of man,
Of moral evil and of good,
Than all the sages can. -
Lines 25-28
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings;
Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:—
We murder to dissect. -
Lines 29-32
Enough of Science and of Art;
Close up those barren leaves;
Come forth, and bring with you a heart
That watches and receives.
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“The Tables Turned” Symbols
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Light
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Music
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“The Tables Turned” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Consonance
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Alliteration
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Enjambment
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Juxtaposition
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Parallelism
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Personification
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Imagery
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Metaphor
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“The Tables Turned” 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.
- Quit
- Toil
- Lustre
- Strife
- Linnet
- Hark
- Blithe
- Throstle
- No mean preacher
- Vernal
- Sages
- Lore
- Meddling
- Mis-shapes
- Dissect
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- See where this vocabulary word appears in the poem.
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “The Tables Turned”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“The Tables Turned” Speaker
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“The Tables Turned” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “The Tables Turned”
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More “The Tables Turned” Resources
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External Resources
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Introduction to the Lyrical Ballads — Check out an electronic copy of the book in which this poem was first published, including an introduction by the authors.
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The Making of the Lyrical Ballads — An essay by Jonathan Kerr for the Wordsworth Trust about the creation of the Lyrical Ballads.
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Romantic Poetry — brief introduction to Romanticism, a movement helmed by Wordsworth and a few of his contemporaries.
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The Poem Out Loud — Listen to a recording of "The Tables Turned" as read by Amy Hall, a trainee for the Wordsworth Trust. The accompanying video was filmed at Dove Cottage, which was Wordsworth's home from 1799 until 1808.
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The Industrial Revolution — Learn more about Britain's first Industrial Revolution, which spurred the Romantics' wish for a return to nature.
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Wordsworth's Life — Read a biography of the poet courtesy of the Poetry Foundation.
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LitCharts on Other Poems by William Wordsworth
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