Appreciation Of the
poem Upon Westminster Bridge
‘Upon
Westminster Bridge’ is a Petrarchan sonnet written by the renowned Nature poet
William Wordsworth. It is a 14-line poem divided into an octave and a sestet.
The poem is about the poet’s feelings of fascination and wonder as he watches
the early morning in the city of London from the Westminster Bridge.
The poet has
used poetic devices such as Hyperbole, Personification, Alliteration, Metaphor
and Simile. The use of Simile –‘This city now doth, like a garment, Wear the
beauty of the morning’ creates a picturesque image. The artistic use of
end-rhymes gives a song-like rhythm to the poem. The rhyme scheme is Ababa
cdcdcd.
The main
message of the poem is the beauty of the city in its natural setting before the
routine activities have begun. This highlights the negative impact of
industrialization which the poet believes may ruin the city. Overall, the poem
is brilliantly outstanding and allows the readers to visualize the picture
painted by Wordsworth. The tone of the poem changes from overwhelmed to calm,
to excited and amazed by the end. The poet’s calling out to God in sheer
amazement is indeed a sublime finish to the beautiful sonnet. This poem
validates the fact that Wordsworth was a true Nature poet.
I like this
poem for its simplicity, freshness & picturesque depiction. This over 200 year’s
old poem has the supreme power to take anyone close to nature.