In a close reading of Percy B. Shelley’s poem “To Wordsworth” a reader can learn that Wordsworth was more than just a poet of nature. Wordsworth was a voice of truth when his followers needed him within the expansion of the Republican Party within France. When Wordsworth, then, abandons his work later in exchange for a nicer lifestyle Shelley writes this poem in response. The diction of the poem “To Wordsworth” conveys both sadness and bitterness. However, through his playing with the Shakespearian Sonnet form and use of both common and high language Shelley denotes the greatness of Wordsworth. By denoting him Shelley then proves that he and other former followers can move on without Wordsworth.

The poem, in effect, reads like a eulogy at first. There are many moments where the reader believes that the Wordsworth that Shelley is writing about is gone with the ending line, “thou leavest me to grieve… that thou shoudst cease to be” (Shelley lines 13-14). In an initial reading there is a feeling of Shelley reminiscing about what use to be. Wordsworth use to have the same feelings as Shelley did about youthfulness of “childhood and youth, friendship and love’s first glow” (Shelley line 3). These were common emotions felt by Shelley and the Wordsworth of his memory. This Wordsworth was described by Shelley as a “star” who would shine on those who were failing about in the darkness. The past Wordsworth was a “refuge” for those who were struggling even while he himself was within “poverty.” The past Wordsworth was about “truth and liberty,” but he has “cease to be.” The old Wordsworth was something to behold in accordance to an initial reading of Shelley’s poem, however this isn’t really the case.

Let’s begin an analysis with Shelley’s use of high and low language between the addressing of Wordsworth and himself. There are nine moments, aside from the poem’s title itself, where Shelley speaks to Wordsworth directly. The poem begins with the address of “Poet of Nature,” which is literally setting this poem up as a letter. It is also establishing Wordsworth as a product of his work and not as a person; we only see Wordsworth as a poet. Also, throughout this poem, Shelley uses words such as “thou,” “thy,” and “thee” in referring to Wordsworth whereas he uses “I,” “mine,” and “me” in reference to himself. This accent establishes a formality between himself and the nature poet who is now a man of ‘high-art.’ This formality is one of class hierarchy because of tone of voice shifting between the reserved term of ‘thou’ and the relaxed term of ‘I.’ Placing formality onto the character of Wordsworth makes him out to be more of someone readers have to look up to instead of someone whom we are inspired by. In contrast, Shelley places himself with the common man by referring to himself within the common diction. Shelley even calls himself a ‘frail bark in winter’s midnight roar,’ which gives an image of someone just floating around in the darkness trying to find light, whereas Wordsworth was the “rock-built refuge” (Shelley lines 8-9).

This changing of the diction between common friends who welt common woes to one of them being called by formal terms is twisting from friend to deserter (Shelley line 13). This can be later seen in the counter-sublime moment of taking the uniqueness of Wordsworth’s sublime poetry and making it into common ideas. Shelley takes Wordsworth’s ideas of “nature,” “childhood,” “youth,” “friendship,” and “love’s first glow” (Shelley lines 1-2). These are images used by Wordsworth’s poetry in order to convey the sublime. By stripping away its unique qualities Shelley has rendered Wordsworth’s concepts on the intangible as nothing more than simplicity.

This action is a poetic theory that has been called daemonization by Harold Bloom; where Shelley addresses earlier work of Wordsworth within this poem in order to show the reader how ordinary the previous work really is (Harold Bloom). This aesthetic change from the sublime to the counter-sublime is a shift from the intangible to the tangible within the natural world. Within Shelley’s poem the aesthetic is more toward the real world and helping the people that have been left by Wordsworth than being in awe of the star that Wordsworth once was.

This shift in aesthesis has been made even more propionate because of Shelley’s shifting of the Shakespearian Sonnet. From one reading there was no indication that this poem is anything more than just a sonnet, but from further reading, and more understanding of the daemonization between these two characters within the poem, there can be more understood for the poem’s styling. During this time there were many poets who would use imitation in order to write their poetry. Through this poem Shelley has established that Wordsworth has gone away from shining light onto art and liberty, and has now deserted these pursuits. Through the high and low language that is used by Shelley, it can only be gathered that Wordsworth has given up art for the imitating of being something higher. Shelley mocks this imitation by imitating a Shakespearian Sonnet. Instead of the common, though considered high-brow, rhyme scheme of abab, cdcd, efef, gg Shelley inserts the couplet between the second and third quatrain making the rhyme scheme of abab, cdcd, ee, fgfg. This shift from traditional to contemporary style show a change within the author; a change that he will no longer blindly follow his once northern star into imitation.

This slide away from the imitation can be shown through the great use of punctuation that Shelley displays throughout the poem. In reference back to the opening line of the poem: “Poet of Nature,” the comma indicates that this poem is meant to be seen as a letter to the entitled Wordsworth. At the ends of the poem lines there is a continuation of the initial thought. I say it’s a continuation because I once read that colons should be considered as gateways inviting readers to go on. It is these lack of stopping points are the most interesting within the poem; namely between lines seven and twelve. This is during Shelley’s lament on what Wordsworth was to so many that he, Shelley, got swept up in his recount. There are only colons that invite the reader to keep reading on that reside between these lines. Along with these colors there are also three enjambments that keep the reader going on and on, until a caesura appears at the end of line twelve in the form of a hyphen. Contrarily, the other punctuations where more indications to take a breath and move on it isn’t until this hyphen that the reader gets a break to pause and reflect on what has been stated.

This pause allows the reader to reflect on the twelfth line of the poem: “Songs consecrate to truth and liberty,-” (Shelley line 12). It is reading over this line that left a mark on me as a reader. The song that is being sung to us now is to inspire the reader to look for the, to quote Dr. Matthew Roudané, “capital T truth.” We are to look deep into what we are being sung, to pay attention to the star that is leading our bark, before we believe that we are following truth and liberty. Shelley is telling readers that everything isn’t what it seems, and that we must delve deeper before we start explications of truth.

This use of wit in changing the sonnet format coupled with the wit of language Shelley has shown that his not just an imitation of what he followed. This poem is more than just a writer lamenting the loss of someone he holds dear. This poem is about letting Wordsworth, and other readers, know that just because one of their political group has defected to the higher class doesn’t mean that he or the others would do the same. This poem is about one-upping Wordsworth in his strongest area of work; and proving that Shelley is more than the man that he once followed. Shelley may be in morning for the friend that he once had, but he will move on and be better than he once was.

References

“Presidential Lectures: Harold Bloom: Excerpts.” Presidential Lectures: Harold Bloom: Excerpts. Stanford Presidential Lectures and Symposia in the Humanities and Arts. Web. 16 Feb. 2015. <https://prelectur.stanford.edu/lecturers/bloom/excerpts/anxiety.html>.

Shelley, Percy Bysshe. “To Wordsworth.” The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Stephen Greenblatt: 9th ed. Vol. D. New York: W.W. Norton, 2012. 752.