Memoirs of William WordsworthPhillips, George S. (George Searle)
General
Memoirs of William Wordsworth
Phillips, George S. (George Searle)
Poets, English -- 19th century -- Biography; Wordsworth, William, 1770-1850
On the 20th of January, 1847, Mr. William Wordsworth, the younger son of
the poet, was married at Brighton, to Fanny Eliza Graham, youngest
daughter of Reginald Graham, Esq., of Brighton, who was a native of
Cumberland; and whilst the joy of this event was still fresh in the
hearts of the Rydal household, a dread calamity awaited them in the
death of Mrs. Quillinan--the sweet Dora so often spoken of in these
pages, the beloved daughter of the poet. As previously stated, she had
accompanied her husband to Portugal for the benefit of her health,--and
although the change seemed at first to have operated favourably upon
her, it was soon evident, on her return home, that she was doomed for
the silent bourne of all travellers in this world. She died on the 9th
day of July, 1847, and was buried in Grasmere church-yard. Her death was
a terrible blow to the venerable poet, now in his eightieth year,--but
he bore up patiently, with the heart and hope of a Christian.
Three years after this sad loss, Wordsworth himself was summoned away.
On Sunday, the 10th of March, 1850, he attended at Rydal chapel for the
last time, visiting, during the day, a poor old woman, who had once been
his servant, and another person who was sick, and as the poet said,
“never complained.”
“On the afternoon of the following day, he went towards Grasmere, to
meet his two nieces, who were coming from Town End. He called at the
cottage near the White Moss Quarry, and the occupant being within, _he
sat down on the stone seat of the porch, to watch the setting sun_. It
was a cold, bright day. His friend and neighbour, Mr. Roughsedge, came
to drink tea at Rydal, but Mr. Wordsworth not being well, went early to
bed.”
From this time he gradually grew worse; and in order to convey to him
the impressions of his physicians, Mrs. Wordsworth whispered in a soft
voice, full of deep devotion, “Dear William, you are going to Dora.” How
delicate, how affectionate, how poetical! But the poet did not hear, or
did not seem to hear; and yet, twenty-four hours after, when one of his
nieces came into the room, and gently drew aside the curtains of his
bed, he caught a glimpse of her figure, and asked, “Is that Dora?”
On the 23rd of April--the birth-day, and death-day of Shakspeare, the
great-hearted Wordsworth went back again to God.
He was buried on the 27th, in Grasmere church-yard.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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