Summary and Analysis of 'Lines Written in Early spring'

Lines written in early spring

Theme

The major theme of this poem is nature, in all senses of the word. The poem touches on visually stimulating descriptions of a natural environment and the nature of mankind. It also underlines the natural connection between everything on Earth, both the tangible and intangible. Nature, as she is named in the poem, is not an entity man can see or touch in and of itself. However, through the theme of connection, we do see and touch Nature in all we consume, destroy, make, and love.

SUMMARY OF LINES WRITTEN IN EARLY SPRING

The speaker tells that while sitting reclined on a woodland grove, his mind was filled with several thoughts. While he finds solace in the nature’s beauty, the same beauty also reminds him of bad thoughts. The speaker appreciates the nature for her god like abilities of linking a human soul to her but he also feels grief while thinking about how cruelly man has separated himself from Mother Nature. The speaker is highly appreciative of the nature’s beauty, he finds delight in the green bowers and has faith that the beautiful flowers enjoy every ounce of the air they breathe, they are thankful for living besides the nature. The speaker observes the birds which sing and hop around him; he is in awe of these creatures. Though the speaker does not understand their language and ways, he does recognize that the birds’ are creating all these movements out of sheer pleasure and joy. The breeze flowing is sweet and light, the twigs are spreading out as if to catch the sweet air and all the speaker can do is gather pleasure in their existence. The speaker questions that if this is heaven and this is the holy plan of nature then what has man made of man that is himself and his kind, by separating from such joy.

Short Summary “Written in Early Spring”

It was a day in early spring. The poet sardines in a grove. It was then that he heard some sweet music. It was a happy blending of a large many musical notes like the song of birds, the whispering of the breeze, the rustling of leaves and the murmur of the streams etc. the poet’s mind was at rest. He was in pleasant and meditative mood. When one is on such a state one experiences pleasant thoughts.

The pleasant thoughts brought about by the joys in nature induce sad thoughts as one thinks of man and his world. Nature linked the human soul in the poet to her fair works. The more joy he saw in Nature the more it grieved his heart to think what man had made of man.

Occupying himself with the drudgery of earning and spending only man has shut himself to the pleasures the universe offers to him and, as a result, has brought misery and sorrow for himself.

The poet looked around. He saw the primrose tufts. He watched the periwinkle trailing its wreaths in that sweet bower. The flowers were pleasant, joyful. The poet strongly believed that every flower enjoyed the air it breathed. The birds around him hopped and played. The poet could not measure their thoughts. He could not know what made them playful, joyous. He could only see that they were ecstatic.

Every motion they made seemed “a thrill of pleasure.” The joyful sight of the flowers, the birds and the twigs along with the “thousand blended notes” made the poet think there was pleasure there.

The poet’s mind is caught between; his mood fluctuates between nature and the human world. Nature is all joy, all pleasure. The human world is full of sorrows. Man is a part of Nature. He ought to have been a part of Nature’s holy plan. The poet laments how man, by severing himself from Nature’s holy plan, has brought about miseries and disaster upon himself.