The Prelude or, Growth of a Poet's Mind; An Autobiographical Poem is an autobiographical poem in blank verse by the English poet William Wordsworth. Intended as the introduction to the more philosophical poem The Recluse, which Wordsworth never finished, The Prelude is an extremely personal work and reveals many details of Wordsworth's life.
“Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive,
But to be young was very heaven!”
Bk. XI, l. 108.
Source: The Prelude (1799-1805)
“Free as a bird to settle where I will.”
Bk. I, l. 1.
The Prelude (1799-1805)
Context: Oh there is blessing in this gentle breeze,
A visitant that while it fans my cheek
Doth seem half-conscious of the joy it brings
From the green fields, and from yon azure sky.
Whate'er its mission, the soft breeze can come
To none more grateful than to me; escaped
From the vast city, where I long had pined
A discontented sojourner: now free,
Free as a bird to settle where I will.
“There is
One great society alone on earth:
The noble Living and the noble Dead.”
Bk. XI, l. 393.
The Prelude (1799-1805)
Bk. I, l. 398.
The Prelude (1799-1805)
Bk. III, l. 60.
The Prelude (1799-1805)
“Fair seedtime had my soul, and I grew up
Fostered alike by beauty and by fear.”
Bk. I, l. 301.
The Prelude (1799-1805)
“Brothers all
In honour, as in one community,
Scholars and gentlemen.”
Bk. IX, l. 227.
The Prelude (1799-1805)
Bk. I, l. 1
The Prelude (1799-1805)
