To The Cuckoo by William Wordsworth and Youth and Age by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
To The Cuckoo by William Wordsworth and Youth and Age by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
To The Cuckoo by William Wordsworth and Youth and Age by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
poems. This century was called the Romantic era. Their poetry often includes concepts such
as nature, individuality as well as the past. Hence in this analysis, I will be discussing two
poems which are To the Cuckoo by William Wordsworth and Youth and Age by Samuel
Taylor Coleridge. The two themes I choose are nature and ageing.
To the Cuckoo (1804) by William Wordsworth describes his awe when he hears a
cuckoo singing. Wordsworth (17701850) uses exclamation marks four times in this poem.
The first exclamation mark is used to welcome the bird as a newcomer and followed by
calling its name, Cuckoo. The third is using a metaphor for the cuckoo as the darling of
the Spring and the fourth one is when he states that the mythical earth suits the cuckoo.
There are hints of surprised and pleased tone from these examples. The exclamation mark
shows the intensification of emotion towards the nature (cuckoo) which is felt throughout the
poem. Strong emotion is one of the elements of romanticism. Romantic era stresses the
In comparison to Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) in his poem Youth and Age
(1834), there is also intensity of emotion which is shown through the usage of exclamation
marks. His poem is longer than Wordsworths and uses exclamation marks 13 times.
However, instead of praising youth or old age he is reflecting and contrasting youth and
old age. He also reminisces when he was young. Some examples taken from line 5 and line 6
respectively, When I was young! and When I was young?--Ah, woful When! There is a
hint of melancholy tone in these two lines. Thus, Coleridges poem also evokes strong
emotions.
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The theme is nature for To the Cuckoo. His diction also focuses on nature,
especially the bird itself. This can be seen when common nouns, which usually begin with
lowercase letters, are capitalized. For example, words such as New-comer, Cuckoo,
Bird, Voice, Cry. The capitalisation emphasises the cuckoos importance to the poet.
Throughout the poem, the cuckoo was praised and even mentioned as the darling of the
Spring (line 13). This shows the poet thinks highly of the cuckoo. Our visual sense is also
filled with nature scenery that the poet has painted vividly. The hills, the cuckoo, the flowers,
and the sunshine conjure serenity and sublimity. His actions whereby he is lying or
wandering (rove) stimulates our imagination to imagine him immersing himself in nature.
Hence, Wordsworths poem has a nature theme which is one of the common themes used in
include nature in his poem but he focuses more on being young and growing old. He also
includes friendship, love, and liberty in relation to the passing of time. In his poem, we can
feel his emotional turbulence. When describing youth, he feels he could do anything. But
when discussing about old age, he gets overwhelmed by it. He also tries to console himself to
retain the youthfulness. This can be seen in line 37 and line 38, Life is but thought: so think
I will / That Youth and I are house-mates still. Coleridge also shows a reaction towards
ageing. This can be seen in line 23, Ere I was old? Ah woful Ere, and line 24, Which tells
me, Youth's no longer here! His longing for youth and his aversion towards old age show his
reaction towards changes. This also shows the inclination to resist changes especially with
age. An ageing theme is often favoured by the romanticists because they can use it to
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Wordsworth also touches on the past. This is another element of romanticism
whereby poets usually include the past or fixate on it. The cuckoo singing brings back
memories to him from when he was a boy. He had experienced a similar experience where he
could not see the bird but he had heard it sang. This shows him romanticizing the past. While
remembering the past, the poems mood changes from joyful to nostalgic. The poet rejoices
when the cuckoo enters the setting and then he starts to feel sentimental when he remembers
his boyhood. His memories reminds him of his desire to look for the cuckoo from line 19,
Which made me look a thousand ways, and line 20, In bush, and tree, and sky. And
presently he is entertaining his memories from line 27, And listen, till I do beget and line
28, That golden time again. Through nature, he regained something he used to have in the
past. A sense of glorification of the past and nature are shown in this poem.
Coleridge also uses the past to elaborate more on the youthfulness. This demonstrates
a similarity shared between the two poems. Both poets view youth in a positive light. While
there is a sense of longing for childhood moments in Wordsworths poem, Coleridges poem
believes that with youth, anyone can do anything and be fearless. This can be seen from line
14 and line 15, That ask no aid of sail or oar, / That fear no spite of wind or tide! Coleridge
also uses word such as yore which reflects the past. The word yore means time past and
especially long past and is often used to recreate nostalgia moments. The poet also uses
some words in the past tense form. For example, in line 11, How lightly then it flashed along
and in line 28, It cannot be that Thou art gone! The words flashed and gone are in past
tense form and both words reflect movement. The movements reinforce the notion of youth
being transient. By using the past, he can retrieve the glory of being young. Thus both poems
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There is also an emphasis on individuality in Wordsworths poem. Individuality is
one of the romanticism key aspects. Romanticists were against the Industrial Revolution that
promotes herd mentality. Thus, they often look inwardly to recapture the essence of ones
admired the cuckoo. The individuals experience whereby only focusing on the cuckoo
instead of praising all birds for making sounds. His appreciation has made the cuckoo a
special kind of bird. The poem also uses a first person perspective which depicts the
Furthermore, he is able to tell a story of his childhood because he heard the bird. His boyhood
experience brings out a good memory to him as seen in line 28, That golden time again.
While the others might think that the cuckoo only make incoherent noises, he feels it has a
story to tell. Line 9, Though babbling only to the Vale and line 11, Thou bringest unto me
reflection. The reflection is based on his own life experience. His life experience is portrayed
through the personification of youth which can be inferred from line 17, When Youth and I
lived in't together and line 38, That Youth and I are house-mates still. He uses
unconventional ways to show his favouritism towards youth. The poet gave Youth plenty of
human attribution making it as if it was a human being. An abstract idea is being turned into a
physical creature. This engages readers to look at youth from a different angle. Moreover,
despite the poems title Youth and Age, he still includes liberty, friendship, and love. This
enriches the poem and showcases the uniqueness of an individuals belief. The poem suggests
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Both Wordsworth and Coleridge have their own ideal regarding their subject matter.
In the poem To the Cuckoo, from line 31, An unsubstantial, faery place; and line 32, That
is fit home for Thee! These two lines suggest Wordsworths ideal that the cuckoo is a bird
that deserves to exist in a mystical earth. The idealization of nature is shown in his poem.
Another perspective suggested in the poem is the poet taking a stance against the reality. The
persona was lying down when his memories returned to him. He entertained the memories
instead of brushing them off. This suggests the cuckoo (nature) works as a reminder of our
While Coleridges ideal is shown in line 37, Life is but thought: so think I will. This
encapsulates his take on life after long deliberation between youth and old age. This line
gives him a purpose to dismiss his negative view on being old. His ideal would be to not lose
hope in ones life. The whole final stanza showcases how devastating it would be if one loses
hope. Without hope, life would be a grieving process. This can be seen in the final stanza
These lines also suggest the poet is making a reflection. The repetition of That only serves to
make us grieve brings out the sombre tone to the poem. In addition the final line, line 49,
And tells the jest without the smile also indicates the solemnity of his reflection. This in
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To conclude, both poems have included nature concept to express their emotions.
However, the tones of both poems are different. While the other one is praising nature
through a bird and reminiscing a fond memory, the other one is contemplating youth and old
age. Thus, the key theme is different nature theme versus ageing theme. Despite the
differences, there are some similarities in both poems. Intense emotions were conveyed and
both yearn for the past. Both poems also champion that youth is the golden age. The
individualism and idealism aspects also help to substantiate the different themes, nature and
ageing. The use of strong emotion reflects the individuals personal experience is
demonstrated in both of the poems. Both poets do feel strongly about their ideals. Hence it is
best to sum romantic poetry using Wordsworths own words, All good poetry is the
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REFERENCE
"RPO -- Samuel Taylor Coleridge : Youth And Age". Tspace.library.utoronto.ca. N.p., 2017.
"To The Cuckoo By William Wordsworth". Poetry Foundation. N.p., 2017. Web. 17 Mar.
2017.
2017.