composed upon Westminster bridge

Wordsworth's Poetical Works Summary and Analysis

In lines 1 through 8, which together compose a single sentence, the speaker describes what he sees as he stands on Westminster Bridge looking out at the city. He begins by saying that there is nothing "more fair" on Earth than the sight he sees, and that anyone who could pass the spot without stopping to look has a "dull" soul. The poem takes place in the "beauty of the morning," which lies like a blanket over the silent city. He then lists what he sees in the city and mentions that the city seems to have no pollution and lies "Open unto the fields, and to the sky."

Earth has not anything to show more fair:

Dull would he be of soul who could pass by

A sight so touching in its majesty:

This City now doth, like a garment, wear

The beauty of the morning; silent, bare,

Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie

Open unto the fields, and to the sky;

All bright and glittering in the smokeless air.

In lines 9 through 14, the speaker tells the reader that the sun has never shone more beautifully, even on nature ("valley , rock, or hill"), and that he has never seen or felt such deep calm. He goes on to describe the way that the river (which he personifies) glides along at the slow pace it chooses. The poem ends with an exclamation, saying that "the houses seem asleep" and the heart of the city is still.

Never did sun more beautifully steep

In his first splendour, valley, rock, or hill;

Ne'er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep!

The river glideth at his own sweet will:

Dear God! the very houses seem asleep;

And all that mighty heart is lying still!

Analysis

"Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802" is an Italian sonnet, written in iambic pentameter with ten syllables per line. The rhyme scheme of the poem is abbaabbacdcdcd. The poem was actually written about an experience that took place on July 31, 1802 during a trip to France with Wordsworth's sister, Dorothy Wordsworth.

The poem begins with a rather shocking statement, especially for a Romantic poet: "Earth has not anything to show more fair." This statement is surprising because Wordsworth is not speaking of nature, but of the city. He goes on to list the beautiful man-made entities therein, such as "Ships, towers, domes, theatres and temples." In fact, nature's influence isn't described until the 7th line, when the speaker relates that the city is "open to the fields, and to the sky." While the city itself may not be a part of nature, it is certainly not in conflict with nature. This becomes even more clear in the next line, when the reader learns that the air is "smokeless" (free from pollution).

Wordsworth continues to surprise his reader by saying that the sun has never shone more beautifully, even on natural things. He then personifies the scene, giving life to the sun, the river, the houses, and finally to the whole city, which has a symbolic heart. The reader imagines that the city's heart beats rapidly during the day, while everything and everyone in it is bustling about, but now, in the early morning hours, the city's heart is "lying still." By using personification in his poem, Wordsworth brings a kind of spirit to the city, which is usually seen as a simple construction of rock and metal.

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Poetry analysis: Upon Westminster Bridge, by William Wordsworth

Wordsworth's sonnet Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802 falls into the category of Momentary Poems. The poet is describing what he sees, thinks and feels on a specific day at a specific moment. Had September 3, 1802, been a dismal day of rain, fog or overcast skies, we would not have this lyric to enjoy. Fair weather is often an inspirational awakening to the muse of poetry. For another example of momentary poems, note the specific temporal and seasonal references in this lyric of Robert Browning with its memorable final lines.
The year's at the spring
And the day's at the morn;
Morning's at seven;
The hillside's dew-pearled;
The lark's on the wing;
The snail's on the thorn:
God's in his heaven
All's right with the world!
Though the fact has little bearing on the poem, Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy had traveled to London to take a ship to France, where Wordsworth mistress Annette Vallon was living with the ten-year-old Caroline, whom Wordsworth had sired but had never seen. The coach taking him and his sister to the seaside dock paused on the Westminster Bridge that crosses the Thames. Looking back in the brilliant morning sunlight at the sleeping city of London, the poet composed his Petrarchan sonnet in a tone peaceful and serene.
He presents a panorama of London, commencing with two metrically irregular lines of 5 accents. I will convey my scansion by placing the stressed syllables in capitals.
EARTH HAS not ANYthing to SHOW more FAIR:
DULL would he BE of SOUL who could PASS BY
(And then lines of regular iambic pentameter:)
A SIGHT so TOUCHing IN its MASterY;
This CITy NOW doth, LIKE a GARment, WEAR
The BEAUty OF the MORning: SIlent, BARE,
The spondaic substitution or successive accented syllables lends emphasis to the emotional feeling that strikes the poet. Here is a romantic who spends most of his time in the Lake Country, in fields of daffodils, exulting in an urban morning cityscape, unconcerned with the getting and spending, buying and lending that he decries elsewhere.
The second quatrain generalizes about the skyline shapes without detailing them. (And I shall abandon my scansion so as not to insult the reader's intelligence and sense.) The poet has personified London through his use of the simile "like a garment" and the verb "wear." The catalogue of manmade structures includes "Ships, towers, domes, theaters, and temples." Paradox intrudes as the garment worn by the city is bright and glittering sunshine that does not conceal, clothe, or protect but emphasizes bare beauty.
The next personifications are of the sun and the river. The verb "steep" in the opening of the sestet can support a variety of definitions including cleansing, softening, bleaching, bathing, imbuing. The personified morning sun performs these actions on "valley, rock, or hill."
The magic performed by the sun on the City, while the Thames "glideth at his own sweet will," induces in the poet a feeling of calm, as though the personified houses were peacefully asleep, and the mighty, throbbing heart of the metropolis is wrapped in stillness.
"Dull would [they] be of soul" who do not feel the power and excitement of this lyric.

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William Wordsworth was great English poet who gave English literature a new direction. He began a romantic era in English literature. He wrote "Composed upon Westminster Bridge" in 1802 and it was published in 1807. It is fourteen lines sonnet. This poem is about the city of London. It is said that he wrote this poem after getting inspired by the morning view of city of London when he was going to France and in his way he passed the Westminster Bridge. It was the morning time and the view from the bridge somehow impressed him.
The poem begins with the description of beautiful scene of London which poet sees from the Westminster Bridge during his morning walk. In the first two lines of the poem he declares that for him the look of the London city is most beautiful on the earth and one who ignores it or passes without admiring it, must be a human with dull soul.
"A sight so........smokeless air", in the next six lines he describes the beauty of London. He cites London as an emperor. In the morning time fog has covered the city like it is wearing a garment. There is no pollution in the air and the buildings like towers, domes, theatres, temples, etc, and ships floating in the Thames River are shining with the rays of rising sun.
In the next six lines he describes the natural beauty of the London city. "Never did Sun.....deep", in this line he says that he never saw such bright and beautiful Sunrise and grandeur look of Sun. The valleys, rocks and hills are glowing with its golden rays and this sight is very soothing and made him very calm.
"The river glideth.....lying still!", he further says about the beauty of Thames River. The flow of a river is a natural thing. Wordsworth had great love and respect towards the nature and he always considered natural things as any other living thing. In this poem he personifies the Thames River and tells that it flows according to its sweet free will. He also personifies the houses as he tells that during the peaceful morning every house seems in a sleepy mood. He also sees the London as a living thing as he cites the London as an emperor and center of city as its heart, which is lying still in the morning time.
Wordsworth presents a very positive picture of London unlike to his contemporary poet William Blake who portrayed a very negative and sadistic picture in his poem "London".

What is the theme and subject of the poetry 'composed upon westminster bridge'?

In this poem, Wordsworth captures and celebrates the calm early morning view from his vantage point of Westminster Bridge in 1802. One should note his trademark simple language, reflecting simply his own personal thoughts on the scene, and the rhyme scheme (abba abba cdcdcd) in this sonnet. This scheme divides the first eight lines (octave) and the next six (sestet) . In the first eight, he describes early morning London in detail, and then goes on in the final six to compare the city in that moment to natural wonders. It is significant that he feels that this sight is more beautiful than any purely natural one as he was a great nature lover and lived in the countryside. The compact description of London in lines six and seven emphasise the compactness of the city, and long vowel sounds such as "glideth" and "silent" emphasise the calm feeling of the occasion.

This is an interesting addition to Romantic poetry, since most works of that time expressed the beauty of nature, while "Composed upon Westminster Bridge" praises the coexistence between nature and civilization. Interestingly the tone and ideas present are in direct contrast to the poem, "London", by William Blake - another text of the era, detailing the suffering present within a cold, uncaring London; William Blake being another poet associated with the Romantic movement

I copied the above from the link provided. It is a beautiful poem but unfortunately, were you to stand upon Westminster Bridge today you would get a very different and much degraded view for your trouble. Not that London isn't a wonderful city - it is - but the fields of 1802 when this poem was written have long since been built upon. So much for the coexistance between nature and civilization. Sad, isn't it? I have to disagree with the writer's contention that lines 6 and 7 emphasise the compactness of the city though. The two lines simply make a statement about the city and possibly its skyline.

I would suggest you read this lovely, serene poem again. Read the analyses that you receive or that your own internet researches (via google) reveal. Then write your own analysis. I'm sure you'll do a fine job of it. Best of luck.

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