My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky:
In the first lines of the poem, William Wordsworth explains his reaction to a rainbow. It’s obvious that the poet has a deep affinity for the natural world. He says, “My heart leaps up…” This is an extreme reaction to a not uncommon metrological event. Rainbows are, universally, regarded as beautiful, but I would argue that the rainbow in this poem is a symbol for nature as a whole. I would also argue that Wordsworth’s reaction, as I said before, is somewhat extreme. Most grown men do not react with the same level of enthusiasm to a rainbow. As the poem goes on however, he will argue that we should all share his sense of wonder.
So was it when my life began; So is it now I am a man;
Here, the poet describes that he has always felt the same visceral, joyous reaction to a rainbow and to nature as a whole. His sense of wonder began when he was born and persisted through out his childhood, into his adulthood. Wordsworth has been a fan of nature from the very start.
So be it when I shall grow old, Or let me die!
Wordsworth gets a bit extreme in these lines. First, he states that he hopes to continue to be mesmerized by nature well into old age. Then, he says “Or let me die!” The fairly unambiguous interpretation here is that the poet would rather die than find the world around him boring and bereft of beauty. Death would be preferable to becoming a jaded cynic who cannot grasp the wonder of nature.
The Child is father of the Man;
This is, perhaps, the most important line of My Heart Leaps Up. In his typical fashion, Wordsworth gives a seemingly straightforward metaphor, which actually has enormous implications. All people were once children, so the line makes some sense on that level. We come from children as children come from their parents. The greater implication is that, like a parent, a child can be a great teacher and a great role model. Children are constantly experiencing the world as if for the first time. They have an unending sense of wonder and awe regarding nature and, indeed, life itself. Wordsworth is saying we should be like children in this way and that we should hold on to our childhood sense of the world.
And I could wish my days to be Bound each to each by natural piety
In the last two lines of the poem, Wordsworth closes by reiterating this idea that he hopes to continue being in awe of nature. He wants every day to be tied together by an on going theme of love for the world. The words “natural piety” imply that the poet considered his feeling for nature to be so reverent that seeing a rainbow was an almost religious experience.
您确定给 “0” 位老师发送协议吗？
4008987008