No More Learning

This is seen, for example, in the way in which he
dealt with 'The Female Vagrant', which is altered throughout. Its early
redundance is pruned away; and, in many instances, the final text,
sanctioned in 1845, had been adopted in 1803. Without going into further
detail, it is sufficient to remark that in the year 1803 Wordsworth's
critical faculty, the faculty of censorship, had developed almost step
for step with the creative originality of his genius. In that prolific
year, when week by week, almost day by day, fresh poems were thrown off
with marvellous facility--as we see from his sister's Journal--he had
become a severe, if not a fastidious, critic of his own earlier work. A
further explanation of the absence of critical revision, in the edition
of 1800, may be found in the fact that during that year Wordsworth was
engaged in writing the "Preface" to his Poems; which dealt, in so
remarkable a manner, with the nature of Poetry in general, and with his
own theory of it in particular.

A further reference to the 'Evening Walk' will illustrate Wordsworth's
way of dealing with his earlier text in his later editions. This Poem
showed from the first a minute observation of Nature--not only in her
external form and colour, but also in her suggestiveness--though not in
her symbolism; and we also find the same transition from Nature to Man,
the same interest in rural life, and the same lingering over its
incidents that we see in his maturer poems. Nevertheless, there is much
that is conventional in the first edition of 'An Evening Walk',
published in 1793. I need only mention, as a sample, the use of the
phrase "silent tides" to describe the waters of a lake. When this poem
was revised, in the year 1815--with a view to its insertion in the first
edition of the collected works--Wordsworth merely omitted large portions
of it, and some of its best passages were struck out. He scarcely
amended the text at all. In 1820, however, he pruned and improved it
throughout; so that between this poem, as recast in 1820 (and reproduced
almost 'verbatim' in the next two editions of 1827 and 1832), and his
happiest descriptions of Nature in his most inspired moods, there is no
great difference. But, in 1836, he altered it still further in detail;
and in that state practically left it, apparently not caring to revise
it further. In the edition of 1845, however, there are several changes.
So far as I can judge, there is one alteration for the worse, and one
only.
The reading, in the edition of 1793,

In these lone vales, if aught of faith may claim,
Thin silver hairs, and ancient hamlet fame;
When up the hills, as now, retreats the light,
Strange apparitions mock the village sight,

is better than that finally adopted,

In these secluded vales, if village fame,
Confirmed by hoary hairs, belief may claim;
When up the hills, as now, retired the light,
Strange apparitions mocked the shepherd's sight.

It will be seen, however, from the changes made in the text of this
poem, how Wordsworth's observation of Nature developed, how thoroughly
dissatisfied he soon became with everything conventional, and discarded
every image not drawn directly or at first hand from Nature.

The text adopted in the present edition is, for the reasons stated, that
which was finally sanctioned by Wordsworth himself, in the last edition
of his Poems (1849-50). The earlier readings, occurring in previous
editions, are given in footnotes; and it may be desirable to explain the
way in which these are arranged. It will be seen that whenever the text
has been changed a date is given in the footnote, 'before' the other
readings are added. This date, which accompanies the reference number of
the footnote, indicates the year in which the reading finally retained
was first adopted by Wordsworth. The earlier readings then follow, in
chronological order, with the year to which they belong; [12] and it is
in every case to be assumed that the last of the changes indicated was
continued in all subsequent editions of the works. No direct information
is given as to how long a particular reading was retained, or through
how many editions it ran. It is to be assumed, however, that it was
retained in all intermediate editions till the next change of text is
stated. It would encumber the notes with too many figures if, in every
instance in which a change was made, the corresponding state of the text
in all the other editions was indicated. But if no new reading follows
the text quoted, it is to be taken for granted that the reading in
question was continued in every subsequent edition, until the date which
accompanies the reference figure.

Two illustrations will make this clear. The first is a case in which the
text was only altered once, the second an instance in which it was
altered six times. In the 'Evening Walk' the following lines occur--

The dog, loud barking, 'mid the glittering rocks,
Hunts, where his master points, the intercepted flocks.

And the footnote is as follows:

1836.
That, barking busy 'mid the glittering rocks,
Hunts, where he points, the intercepted flocks; 1793.