The Poetical Works of William Wordsworth — Volume 6 (of 8)Wordsworth, William
General
The Poetical Works of William Wordsworth — Volume 6 (of 8)
Wordsworth, William
English poetry -- 18th century; English poetry -- 19th century
but I think Wordsworth's reference is quite vague. It is quite
appropriate so far, that it was only in the Augustan age that the Romans
got back to the great sources of Greek poetry, and one cause of the
superiority of Virgil and Horace to all their contemporaries was that
they did this much more thoroughly than the others, and appreciated the
purest and oldest of these sources. Horace's special study was of course
the whole range of Greek lyric poetry. He no doubt acknowledges his
relation to Sappho and Alcæus more than to Simonides, but he recognises
him as well as Pindar among the Masters of lyrical poetry. So far as one
can judge by the fragments of Simonides' lyrical poetry, I should say
that his characteristics were tenderness, piety, and purity; and, in
these respects, he has a strong affinity with Virgil, which may explain
their association together by Wordsworth. The passage quoted by you is
very interesting, as showing how Wordsworth--the most essentially modern
and least conventional of poets--regarded Virgil and Horace, who have
often been disparaged as types of conventionalism.... It would be very
interesting to bring together the various passages in which Wordsworth
draws from the sources of classical poetry. His reminiscences of Latin
poetry seem to me to have a peculiar freshness, different from the more
direct reproduction of Milton, Gray, etc."--ED.]
1820
The following poems may be assigned to the year 1820. _The River Duddon,
a series of Sonnets_, the Ode _To Enterprise_, some of the _Memorials of
a Tour on the Continent_, and a number of _Miscellaneous Sonnets_.
Several of the Duddon Sonnets were composed in previous years, and one
of them was published as early as 1807; but, as the volume containing
the entire series was published in 1820--and the dedication was written
on Christmas Eve of that year--the whole has been assigned to 1820. In
localising the allusions in these sonnets, I have been greatly indebted
to Mr. Herbert Rix, whose paper contributed to the "Transactions of the
Wordsworth Society" was only the first of a Series of admirable studies
of the Duddon. I have also been greatly indebted to Canon Rawnsley. Most
of the "Memorials" of the Continental Tour were written during the
journey; and, although they were not finished till 1822--the year of
publication--I think their chronological place should be in the year
1820. In connection with these poems, I have had the advantage of
perusing the two singularly interesting Journals of the Tour, written by
Mrs. Wordsworth, and by the poet's sister Dorothy. Both of these were
written, in the form of notes or "memoranda," during the journey. Miss
Wordsworth's was expanded from these earlier jottings, two months after
her return to Rydal Mount; and added to, as late as December 1821. In
the case of each poem, illustrative extracts are given from these two
Journals; and it will be seen that they cast much light on the incidents
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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