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
[Footnote FL: "In determining the spot to which this sonnet belongs two
conditions have to be satisfied. In the first place, Seathwaite must be
seen from it; and, in the second, there must be an open prospect of
fields. Now, from Cockley Beck to Ulpha there is no single spot upon the
road satisfying these two conditions. Unless the line of the river is
entirely abandoned, and some point of view high up on the fells is
taken, there is, I believe, only one station in all the valley which
supplies them, and that is the summit of a rock called in maps and
guide-books 'Pen Crag,' but which the dalesmen always call simply '_The
Pen_' (not to be confounded with the mountain of that name lower down
the valley on the west). There is an additional reason for regarding the
Pen as the station whence Wordsworth viewed his 'open prospect,' namely,
that the point from which the ascent of the crag is most conveniently
made is identical with the point where the Duddon makes his second
plunge into a rocky abyss, which plunge is signalised in the very next
sonnet (XIV.). Thus, at the very spot where the poet is enabled to gain
a view of 'the haunts of men,' 'some awful Spirit' impels the torrent
'utterly to desert' those haunts, and to make a second plunge into the
wilderness. An increased significance is thus given to each of the
sonnets (XIII. and XIV.) by the juxtaposition of the localities which
they describe.
I should explain, in connection with this, that the Pen stands in the
centre of the valley, a prominent and inviting look-out, and that the
easy slope, by which it is on one side ascended, rises from the
high-road, so that anybody who cares for views at all--and Wordsworth
above all people--would not think of passing by without climbing to such
an obvious point of vantage.
The 'one small hamlet' (line 2) is Seathwaite, which lies just below the
Pen.
The 'barn and byre' (line 3) must have belonged to Newfield, the only
farmhouse in the foreground.
The 'spouting mill' (line 3) is now a ruin. In Wordsworth's time it was
in full work. Later (in the autumn of 1842), when it was visited by
James Thorne, the wheel was broken, the machinery decaying, and the roof
partly fallen in. At the present time, wheel, machinery, and roof have
totally disappeared, and there is nothing to indicate that it ever was a
mill. It was only by inquiring of the older inhabitants that I learnt
these ruined walls standing by the Beck represent that 'mill for
spinning yarn,' of which Wordsworth says that it calls to mind 'the
momentous changes wrought by such inventions in the frame of society.'
The ruin stands on the Tarn Beck, a few yards below Seathwaite Chapel,
and on the other side of the stream.
The last three lines of the sonnet,
While the warm hearth exalts the mantling ale, etc.,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account