The value and interest
of the poem would be lessened by our imagining that Wordsworth's heart
never failed him; and that, when he appears to moralise at his own
expense, he was doing so at Coleridge's.
of the poem would be lessened by our imagining that Wordsworth's heart
never failed him; and that, when he appears to moralise at his own
expense, he was doing so at Coleridge's.
William Wordsworth
MS.
1802.
]
* * * * *
SUB-VARIANTS ON THE TEXT
[Sub-Variant i:
. . . hither side, MS. 1802. ]
[Sub-Variant ii:
He all the while before me being full in view. MS. 1802. ]
* * * * *
FOOTNOTES ON THE TEXT
[Footnote A: Some have thought that Wordsworth had S. T. C. in his mind,
in writing this stanza. I cannot agree with this.
The value and interest
of the poem would be lessened by our imagining that Wordsworth's heart
never failed him; and that, when he appears to moralise at his own
expense, he was doing so at Coleridge's. Besides, the date of this poem,
taken in connection with entries in the Grasmere Journal of Dorothy
Wordsworth, makes it all but certain that Coleridge was not referred
to. --Ed. ]
[Footnote B: Compare in 'The Matron of Jedborough and her Husband', p.
417, ll. 66-69:
'Some inward trouble suddenly
Broke from the Matron's strong black eye--
A remnant of uneasy light,
A flash of something over-bright! '
Ed. ]
* * * * *
SUB-FOOTNOTE ON THE TEXT
[Sub-Footnote i: Additional variants obtained from this source are
inserted as "MS. 1802. "--Ed. ]
The late Bishop of Lincoln, in the 'Memoirs' of his uncle (vol. i. pp.
172, 173), quotes from a letter, written by Wordsworth "to some friends,
which has much interest as bearing on this poem. [C] The following are
extracts from it:
"It is not a matter of indifference whether you are pleased with his
figure and employment, it may be comparatively whether you are pleased
with _this Poem_; but it is of the utmost importance that you should
have had pleasure in contemplating the fortitude, independence,
persevering spirit, and the general moral dignity of this old man's
character. " Again, "I will explain to you, in prose, my feelings in
writing _that_ poem.
* * * * *
SUB-VARIANTS ON THE TEXT
[Sub-Variant i:
. . . hither side, MS. 1802. ]
[Sub-Variant ii:
He all the while before me being full in view. MS. 1802. ]
* * * * *
FOOTNOTES ON THE TEXT
[Footnote A: Some have thought that Wordsworth had S. T. C. in his mind,
in writing this stanza. I cannot agree with this.
The value and interest
of the poem would be lessened by our imagining that Wordsworth's heart
never failed him; and that, when he appears to moralise at his own
expense, he was doing so at Coleridge's. Besides, the date of this poem,
taken in connection with entries in the Grasmere Journal of Dorothy
Wordsworth, makes it all but certain that Coleridge was not referred
to. --Ed. ]
[Footnote B: Compare in 'The Matron of Jedborough and her Husband', p.
417, ll. 66-69:
'Some inward trouble suddenly
Broke from the Matron's strong black eye--
A remnant of uneasy light,
A flash of something over-bright! '
Ed. ]
* * * * *
SUB-FOOTNOTE ON THE TEXT
[Sub-Footnote i: Additional variants obtained from this source are
inserted as "MS. 1802. "--Ed. ]
The late Bishop of Lincoln, in the 'Memoirs' of his uncle (vol. i. pp.
172, 173), quotes from a letter, written by Wordsworth "to some friends,
which has much interest as bearing on this poem. [C] The following are
extracts from it:
"It is not a matter of indifference whether you are pleased with his
figure and employment, it may be comparatively whether you are pleased
with _this Poem_; but it is of the utmost importance that you should
have had pleasure in contemplating the fortitude, independence,
persevering spirit, and the general moral dignity of this old man's
character. " Again, "I will explain to you, in prose, my feelings in
writing _that_ poem.
