"Composed Upon Westminster Bridge" Wordsworth Summary, Explanation Questions

Composed Upon Westminster Bridge Summary Explanation Questions William Wordsworth 

"Composed upon Westminster Bridge"
                    --- by William Wordsworth.

Earth has not anything to show more fair:
Dull would he be of soul who could pass by
A sight so touching in its majesty:
This city now doth,like a garment wear
The beauty of the morning; Silent, bare,
Ships, towers, domes theatres, and temples lie
Open unto the fields, and to the sky;
All bright and glittering in the smokeless air.
Never did sun more beautifully steep

  In his first splendour, valley,rock, or hill;
Ne'er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep!
  The river glideth at own sweet will:
Dear God! The very houses seem asleep; 
And all that mighty heart is lying still!


Meanings:

1. Dull     -      Unromantic
2. Touching-    moved/inspired
3. Majesty   - Elegance/ richness
4. Garment - Dress
5. Towers -   lighthouse type construction
6. Domes-    a particular building
7. Theatres - house for playing drama.
8. Glittering- Shining
9. Smokeless- Without Smoke
10. Steep -  Come out
11. Splendour- Richness/ majesty
12. Glideth - Glides
13. Lying - resting
14. Still - still now.


Analysis : 

• Line 1 : The poet crosses over the Westminster Bridge. He believes that he has found the most beautiful scene on the planet. According to him, the scene that be discovers upon the Westminster Bridge us the fairest of all.

        So, the scene is the morning beauty of London -- upon Westminster Bridge.

Line 2: The poet in the second line ascertains that if anyone appreciate beauty, he must be of dull heart - An Unromantic Person.

Line 3: The sight (the morning beauty of the city London) is so moving that it impresses the poet with all its majesty.

Line 4: The poet imagines that the city wears the morning (the beauty of the morning) like a beautiful coat.

Line 5-7 :  The speaker now goes in describing some of the beautiful sights that impresses the poet.
These are visible from Westminster Bridge.

• The city is very silent in the morning.

The ships, buildings are all uncovered/nude.
The word ' bare' stands in contrast with ' garment'.

• " Dome" refers to the famous St. Paul's Cathedral, design was made by Christopher Wren.
• The " tower" refers to the ' Tower of London' .

The city now seems to be vast and endless, so they are open.

Line 8: The ' octet'  starts here with this line.
The morning Sun is so bright that everything is glittering and shining.

The air is fresh and smokeless. The speaker is lucky to see the city as a smokeless one because in other times, the city remains congested with fog and smoke.

Line 9- 10 : The speaker believes that this is the very first time when the Sun has presented a scene so beautifully.
      Whether in valley, rock or hill, the sun has never shone so brightly.

Line 11 : The poet has never seen a beauty so majestic in his lifetime and never felt it like today when he enjoys the morning beauty.
    The sight of London at morning makes him feel calm.
   The poet compares the river with a person who is very casual in his life. He prefers to live according to 'his own sweet will'

Line 13-14 : The poet is almost astonished and cries out "Dear God!" as if he has seen something so enchanting.

The poet thinks that the city is big body who is sleeping peacefully and everyone in the city is lying now.

The poet is so elated as he believes that he has seen something elegant which everyone else has missed.

Also Read: 

The Sick Rose By William Blake analysis
ABOUT THE POET : 
      
Wordsworth ( 1770- 1850)  born in England is a romantic poet. The Romantic Poets are those poets who wrote about nature by freeing themselves from the classical rules. Their poems are spontaneous. 
   His other poems are "Lyrical Ballads" , "Tintern Abbey", "The Old Cumberland Beggar", " The Prelude" etc. 

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