The Poetical Works of William Wordsworth — Volume 2 (of 8)

Name: The Poetical Works of William Wordsworth — Volume 2 (of 8)
Author: Wordsworth, William

Wordsworth, William

English poetry -- 18th century; English poetry -- 19th century

Neither checked by the rich nor the needy they roam;
  For the grey-headed Sire [10] has a daughter at home,
  Who will gladly repair all the damage that's done;
  And three, were it asked, would be rendered for one.

  Old Man! whom so oft I with pity have eyed,                      45
  I love thee, and love the sweet Boy at thy side:
  Long yet may'st thou live! for a teacher we see
  That lifts up the veil of our nature in thee. [B]

       *       *       *       *       *

VARIANTS ON THE TEXT

[Variant 1:

1800.

  Oh! now that the boxwood and graver were mine,
  Of the Poet who lives on the banks of the Tyne,
  Who has plied his rude tools with more fortunate toil
  Than Reynolds e'er brought to his canvas and oil.
                                                       MS. 1798.]

[Variant 2:

1800.

  Then Books, and Book-learning, I'd ring out your knell,
  The Vicar should scarce know an A from an L.           MS. 1798.]

[Variant 3:

1820.

  Little Dan is unbreech'd, he is three birth-days old,    1800.]

[Variant 4:

1837.

  ... a-stealing ...    1800.]

[Variant 5:

1827.

  ... of peats ...    1800.]

[Variant 6:

1820.

  Dan once ...    1800.]

[Variant 7:

1800.

  'Twas a smooth pleasant pathway, a gentle descent,
  And leisurely down it, and down it, he went.       MS. 1798.]

[Variant 8:

1802.

  ... street ...       1800.]

[Variant 9:

1837.

  ... is both leader and led;       1800.]

[Variant 10:

1837.

  For grey-headed Dan ...        1800.

  The grey-headed Sire ...       1820.]

       *       *       *       *       *

FOOTNOTES ON THE TEXT

[Footnote A: Thomas Bewick, the wood engraver, born at Cherryburn, near
Newcastle-on-Tyne, in 1753, died 1828. He revived the art of wood
engraving in England. His illustrations--drawn for the 'General History
of British Quadrupeds' (1790), and for his own 'History of British
Birds' (1797 and 1804)--were unrivalled in their way.--Ed.]

[Footnote B: Charles Lamb, writing to Wordsworth in 1815, spoke of

  "that delicacy towards aberrations from the strict path, which is so
  fine in the 'Old Thief and the Boy by his side,' which always brings
  water into my eyes."

(See 'Letters of Charles Lamb', edited by Alfred Ainger, vol. i. p.
287.)--Ed.]

       *       *       *       *       *

WRITTEN WITH A SLATE PENCIL UPON A STONE, THE LARGEST OF A HEAP LYING
NEAR A DESERTED QUARRY, UPON ONE OF THE ISLANDS [A] AT RYDAL

Composed 1798.--Published 1800

Included among the "Inscriptions."--Ed.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

The Poetical Works of William Wordsworth — Volume 2 (of 8)

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