Poem :: Glory in the Flower (Poetic Musings on Wordsworth)
The thought of our past years in me doth breed
Perpetual benediction: not indeed
For that which is most worthy to be blest;
Delight and liberty, the simple creed
Of Childhood, whether busy or at rest,
With new-fledged hope still fluttering in his breast.
Hence in a season of calm weather
Though inland far we be,
Our Souls have sight of that immortal sea
Which brought us hither,
Can in a moment travel thither
And see the Children spent upon the shore,
And hear the might waters rolling evermore.
What though the radiance which was once so bright
Be now forever taken from my sight,
Though nothing can bring back the hour
Of splendour in the grass, of glory in the flower,
We will grieve not, rather find
Strength in what remains behind.
Thanks to the human heart by which we live,
Thanks to its tenderness, its joys and fears,
To me the meanest flower that blows can give
Thoughts that do often life too deep for tears.
The excerpts from William Wordsworth’s ‘Ode: Intimations of Immortality’ always had a strange interpretative power over me. Be it in times of heartbreak, during guilt and innocence, or even reflecting on failures and achievements- the ode serves as a timely monitor, albeit as random as it can be. George Moore once said, 'A man travels the world in search of what he needs, and returns home only to find it.’ If poetry were a habitual realm, then this ode would be my home: A place where I return to find myself in the stanzas. A place that gives me hope and strength.
It serves as a reminder of undocumented memories from childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. It gives me the choice to pick what I want to cherish and take forward (at the moment). It gives me strength to deal with the present with the power of experience, thanks to the past. It gives me hope to encounter the future with preparedness of the mind and depth of thoughts.
Which brings me to rhyme...
And so, I say unto myself
Thank you, for the tears and the smiles:
A brief abode for emotions “immortal”.
Everything is temporary
So were you, no matter how chaste.
The storm’s blown out
It’s time to come home,
Bid adieu to the demonic tides
Whether from within, or the ones nigh
I welcome you, my arms are wide.
“What though the radiance which was once so bright
Be now forever taken from my sight,
Though nothing can bring back the hour
Of splendour in the grass, of glory in the flower,
We will grieve not, rather find
Strength in what remains behind.”
-
Image source Sagittarius Gallery
-
-
