William Wordsworth (1770-1850) - Nutting

—It seems a day
(I speak of one from many singled out)
One of those heavenly days that cannot die;
When, in the eagerness of boyish hope,
I left our cottage-threshold, sallying forth
With a huge wallet o'er my shoulders slung,
A nutting-crook in hand; and turned my steps
Tow'rd some far-distant wood, a Figure quaint,
Tricked out in proud disguise of cast-off weeds
Which for that service had been husbanded,
By exhortation of my frugal Dame—
Motley accoutrement, of power to smile
At thorns, and brakes, and brambles,—and, in truth,
More ragged than need was! O'er pathless rocks,
Through beds of matted fern, and tangled thickets,
Forcing my way, I came to one dear nook
Unvisited, where not a broken bough
Drooped with its withered leaves, ungracious sign
Of devastation; but the hazels rose
Tall and erect, with tempting clusters hung,
A virgin scene!—A little while I stood,
Breathing with such suppression of the heart
As joy delights in; and, with wise restraint
Voluptuous, fearless of a rival, eyed
The banquet;—or beneath the trees I sate
Among the flowers, and with the flowers I played;
A temper known to those, who, after long
And weary expectation, have been blest
With sudden happiness beyond all hope.
Perhaps it was a bower beneath whose leaves
The violets of five seasons re-appear
And fade, unseen by any human eye;
Where fairy water-breaks do murmur on
For ever; and I saw the sparkling foam,
And—with my cheek on one of those green stones
That, fleeced with moss, under the shady trees,
Lay round me, scattered like a flock of sheep—
I heard the murmur, and the murmuring sound,
In that sweet mood when pleasure loves to pay
Tribute to ease; and, of its joy secure,
The heart luxuriates with indifferent things,
Wasting its kindliness on stocks and stones,
And on the vacant air. Then up I rose,
And dragged to earth both branch and bough, with crash
And merciless ravage: and the shady nook
Of hazels, and the green and mossy bower,
Deformed and sullied, patiently gave up
Their quiet being: and, unless I now
Confound my present feelings with the past;
Ere from the mutilated bower I turned
Exulting, rich beyond the wealth of kings,
I felt a sense of pain when I beheld
The silent trees, and saw the intruding sky.—

Then, dearest Maiden, move along these shades
In gentleness of heart; with gentle hand
Touch—for there is a spirit in the woods.

William Wordsworth was born in 1770, in Cumberland and published his work in the Romantic era where it was at its peak from 1800-1850. ‘’Wordsworth was one of the most influential of England's Romantic poets’’, and is generally considered one the greatest sonneteers. Romanticism emerged from the French Revolution as it was influence by the effects of the social transformation caused by the French Revolution, and his ‘’works transitioned from extremely natural experiences to facing the realities and ills of life, including society and the Revolution’’ Furthermore, under new laws, writers, artists, and society’s citizens had the freedom to express themselves which highlighted the significance of free expression, which also gave literature the opportunity to take a new turn.

Firstly the title of the poem, ‘Nutting’ instantly tells the audience that there is some kind of sexual reference to the poem. There is no hidden meaning or ambiguity in the title. ‘Nutting’ is made up of two stanzas which is narrated in first person, with no rhyming scheme. Wordsworth uses very sensuous language and   explores nature portraying it to be a very powerful force. He demonstrates conflict between man and nature by exploring the destruction of human purity due to nature, and the role of innocence. The poem can be seen as a metaphorical conceit as Wordsworth describes the abduction of human innocence by referring to the wrecking of nature.

The first line ‘’It seems a day’’ suggests something which happened in the past and is being reminisced upon. The next 8 lines is one sentence which briefly tells a story, where he is walking in the woods with a ‘nutting crook’’ in his hands, and describes this wood as a pure place where no one has been, and he has come here to destroy this purity by picking the flowers and taking it away. He links this to human nature by describing the woods as a ‘virgin scene’, where his ‘’Maiden’’ being a virgin , is about to have her virginity taken away from her. This also signifies the dominance man can have over nature and purity. In lines 17-19 , Wordsworth vividly presents sexual imagery showing the desire of a man to conquer the land and in this case , to conquer his ‘Maidens’ virginity. This male dominance is also evident as Wordsworth says he has ‘forc’d his way’ showing a sense of power and domination. In lines 14-15, Wordsworth illustrates the purity of nature; ‘’dear nook Unvisited’’, and then demonstrates the vulnerability of nature. He also describes his feelings as ‘’Voluptuous’’ and ‘’fearless’’, expressing his desire to destroy the untouched. Lines 41-51 emphasizes on the violence, corruption and the ‘’merciless ravage’’ which he causes. The last 3 lines addresses his ‘’dearest Maiden’’ and implies that the way he has taken the flowers from the woods and the purity from nature, he is now going to take her virginity from her. This brutality is described as a ‘’spirit in the woods’’; taking something away from its purest form.  

Like William Wordsworth, John Donne also takes negative approach to love and sex in his poem ‘’Elegy XIX: To his mistress going to bed’’. This poem is also a metaphysical conceit as he describes his sexual desires with aspects of nature. In the first line ‘’Come, Madam, Come’’ , Donne immediately uses demanding language , already portraying power and dominance. Unlike his other pieces of work, ‘Elegy XIX’ demonstrates more soul and less intimacy and passion. In contrast to his other poems, the explicit imagery presented almost shows a sense of rudeness and lack of respect for his lady; He shows off his lady as someone who is only there to fulfill his desires. The use of the word ‘’kingdom’’ is similar to the use of the ‘’woods’’ in Wordsworth’s ‘Nutting’. Both poets present love in a merciless manner and also show the divine power that man has over nature.

tahsin.