In the
edition of 1807 it was placed amongst a group of "Poems composed during
a Tour, chiefly on foot.
edition of 1807 it was placed amongst a group of "Poems composed during
a Tour, chiefly on foot.
William Wordsworth
.
"
"Friday (March 12th). --William finished his poem of 'The Singing
Bird. '"
(Dorothy Wordsworth's Grasmere Journal. )--Ed.
* * * * *
ALICE FELL; OR, POVERTY [A]
Composed March 12th and 13th, 1802. --Published 1807
[Written to gratify Mr. Graham of Glasgow, brother of the author of 'The
Sabbath'. He was a zealous coadjutor of Mr. Clarkson, and a man of
ardent humanity. The incident had happened to himself, and he urged me
to put it into verse, for humanity's sake. The humbleness, meanness if
you like, of the subject, together with the homely mode of treating it,
brought upon me a world of ridicule by the small critics, so that in
policy I excluded it from many editions of my poems, till it was
restored at the request of some of my friends, in particular my
son-in-law, Edward Quillinan. --I. F. ]
It was only excluded from the editions of 1820, 1827, and 1832.
In the
edition of 1807 it was placed amongst a group of "Poems composed during
a Tour, chiefly on foot. " In 1815, in 1836, and afterwards, it was
included in the group "referring to the Period of Childhood. "
In Dorothy Wordsworth's Grasmere Journal, the following reference to
this poem occurs:
"Feb. 16, 1802. --Mr. Graham said he wished William had been with him
the other day. He was riding in a post-chaise, and he heard a strange
cry that he could not understand. The sound continued, and he called
to the chaise-driver to stop. It was a little girl that was crying as
if her heart would burst. She had got up behind the chaise, and her
cloak had been caught by the wheel, and was jammed in, and it hung
there. She was crying after it, poor thing. Mr. Graham took her into
the chaise, and her cloak was released from the wheel, but the child's
misery did not cease, for her cloak was torn to rags. It had been a
miserable cloak before; but she had no other, and it was the greatest
sorrow that could befall her. Her name was Alice Fell. She had no
parents, and belonged to the next town.
"Friday (March 12th). --William finished his poem of 'The Singing
Bird. '"
(Dorothy Wordsworth's Grasmere Journal. )--Ed.
* * * * *
ALICE FELL; OR, POVERTY [A]
Composed March 12th and 13th, 1802. --Published 1807
[Written to gratify Mr. Graham of Glasgow, brother of the author of 'The
Sabbath'. He was a zealous coadjutor of Mr. Clarkson, and a man of
ardent humanity. The incident had happened to himself, and he urged me
to put it into verse, for humanity's sake. The humbleness, meanness if
you like, of the subject, together with the homely mode of treating it,
brought upon me a world of ridicule by the small critics, so that in
policy I excluded it from many editions of my poems, till it was
restored at the request of some of my friends, in particular my
son-in-law, Edward Quillinan. --I. F. ]
It was only excluded from the editions of 1820, 1827, and 1832.
In the
edition of 1807 it was placed amongst a group of "Poems composed during
a Tour, chiefly on foot. " In 1815, in 1836, and afterwards, it was
included in the group "referring to the Period of Childhood. "
In Dorothy Wordsworth's Grasmere Journal, the following reference to
this poem occurs:
"Feb. 16, 1802. --Mr. Graham said he wished William had been with him
the other day. He was riding in a post-chaise, and he heard a strange
cry that he could not understand. The sound continued, and he called
to the chaise-driver to stop. It was a little girl that was crying as
if her heart would burst. She had got up behind the chaise, and her
cloak had been caught by the wheel, and was jammed in, and it hung
there. She was crying after it, poor thing. Mr. Graham took her into
the chaise, and her cloak was released from the wheel, but the child's
misery did not cease, for her cloak was torn to rags. It had been a
miserable cloak before; but she had no other, and it was the greatest
sorrow that could befall her. Her name was Alice Fell. She had no
parents, and belonged to the next town.
