William Wordsworth’s attitude to Nature and Man as revealed in "Tintern Abbey"

William Wordsworth’s attitude to Nature and Man as revealed in "Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey" (commonly referred to as "Tintern Abbey"), the cult and creed of Wordsworth’s poetry, was the outcome of his direct communion with nature. This education of Wordsworth’s feelings, passions, receptive powers were derived namely from natural phenomena. Nature was a necessity of his being and through it he lives and breathes. Here, Wordsworth expresses a profound and evolving relationship between Nature and Man. His attitude in the poem reveals his deep reverence for the natural world and highlights the crucial role it plays in shaping human consciousness, emotions, and moral values. Wordsworth contrasts his youthful, passionate connection with nature to the more reflective, spiritual understanding he gains as an adult.

1. Nature as a Source of Solace and Tranquility

In "Tintern Abbey" Wordsworth has carefully analyzed the stages of his spiritual development with nature. During the first of these stages he had no conscious acquaintance to Nature. It was to him a mere playground giving him all these feeling of physical sensation. Stopford Brooke has rightly observed that in the first stage of his acquaintance with Nature it was not he that was in search of Nature but it was Nature who allured the boy but eluded him with its beautiful and myriad manifestation. The mountains and the hills, the deep rivers and the lonely stream charmed his eyes and he wondered about whenever Nature led. At this stage Nature was but,

“Secondary to my own pursuits

And animal activities and all
Their trivial pleasure” (The prelude)

Wordsworth views Nature as a powerful force that provides peace and solace to the human soul. Throughout "Tintern Abbey," he emphasizes how the natural landscape acts as a restorative agent, helping him recover from the pressures and stresses of daily life. The natural scenes he recalls from his earlier visit to the abbey serve as "tranquil restoration" during times of sorrow or stress:

"How oft, in spirit, have I turned to thee,
O sylvan Wye! thou wanderer through the woods,
How often has my spirit turned to thee!"

For Wordsworth, nature becomes a spiritual refuge, offering comfort and renewing his sense of well-being. It reminds him of something greater than the mundane concerns of the world and connects him to deeper, more eternal truths.

2. The Evolving Relationship with Nature

Wordsworth’s relationship with nature in "Tintern Abbey" has matured over time. As a younger man, he experienced nature with a sense of pure joy and wild passion, responding to its beauty and power with his senses. He describes his youthful excitement:

"The sounding cataract
Haunted me like a passion: the tall rock,
The mountain, and the deep and gloomy wood,
Their colours and their forms, were then to me
An appetite; a feeling and a love,
That had no need of a remoter charm,
By thought supplied, nor any interest
Unborrowed from the eye."

However, in adulthood, his connection to nature has deepened into a more reflective and spiritual experience. No longer just an immediate sensory thrill, nature now offers him moral guidance and deep philosophical insights. He calls nature "the nurse, / The guide, the guardian of my heart, and soul / Of all my moral being." This demonstrates that, for Wordsworth, nature has become a spiritual force that nurtures and shapes his inner self. In the second stage , his own love for nature baffled his own power of description. He says, “I can’t paint what then I was”. The coarser pleasure of his boyhood days and his glad animal movements were all gone by. Nature was to him all in all. It was the stage when all that he behaves was dear and hence to finer influences his mind lay open for a more exact and close communion. The world of eye and ear came near to him and the sensuous beauty of nature was loved with an unreflecting passion altogether untouched by intellectual interest. The sounding cataract, the toll rocks, the dense forest with their beautiful colours and forms were to him like a passion of an appetite. This ardent and fierce influence that nature made on him was purely sensuous. Wordsworth at this stage was a veritable realist and the idealistic view of life held no charm for him.

3. Nature as a Moral Teacher

In "Tintern Abbey," Wordsworth attributes to nature the role of a moral teacher. He believes that nature has the power to influence human behavior and moral character. Nature's tranquility and beauty inspire reflection and contemplation, allowing individuals to gain wisdom and develop a sense of inner peace. Through nature, Wordsworth feels he can grasp universal truths and ethical guidance, which he expresses in these lines:

"For I have learned
To look on nature, not as in the hour
Of thoughtless youth; but hearing oftentimes
The still, sad music of humanity,
Nor harsh nor grating, though of ample power
To chasten and subdue."

This shift from youthful exuberance to mature contemplation reveals Wordsworth’s belief that nature serves as a constant moral influence, helping humans align with higher virtues.

4. Connection Between Nature and the Human Mind

Wordsworth sees an intimate connection between the natural world and the human mind. In the poem, he describes how nature acts as a mirror to his own thoughts and emotions, helping him understand himself better. His experiences in nature give rise to both his emotional depth and intellectual insight. He writes:

"And I have felt
A presence that disturbs me with the joy
Of elevated thoughts; a sense sublime
Of something far more deeply interfused,
Whose dwelling is the light of setting suns,
And the round ocean, and the living air,
And the blue sky, and in the mind of man."

Here, Wordsworth hints at a transcendental connection between nature and the human spirit. Nature, to him, is not just a physical entity, but a manifestation of a higher, spiritual presence that influences the human soul.

5. Man's Alienation from Nature

While Wordsworth’s attitude towards nature is mostly celebratory, he also acknowledges the growing alienation between Man and nature, especially as society becomes more industrialized. He longs for a return to a more harmonious relationship between humans and the natural world. In this sense, the poem anticipates a Romantic critique of urbanization and industrialization, where Wordsworth feels that modern life can cause people to lose touch with the natural forces that nurture their emotional and moral lives.

6. A Sense of Continuity and Permanence

Wordsworth’s connection to nature is also imbued with a sense of continuity and permanence. In the poem, he expresses hope that the same deep bond he shares with nature will be passed on to his sister, Dorothy, whom he addresses in the closing stanzas. He wishes for her to experience the same comfort and guidance from nature that he has found:

"Nor wilt thou then forget,
That after many wanderings, many years
Of absence, these steep woods and lofty cliffs,
And this green pastoral landscape, were to me
More dear, both for themselves and for thy sake!"

He sees his sister as the continuation of his connection with nature, ensuring that future generations will also benefit from the wisdom and solace that nature offers.

7. Heat and Furvour of the French Revolution

But the mental repose of this stage was terribly shattered by the heat and furvour of the French Revolution. He, for a moment, lost faith in nature as a beneficial to him. All the aching joys and dizzy raptures of youth were gone and his mind was diverted to the tragedy of humanity. He gained faith in the dictum which Keats was to declare after lapse of many years – “Nature may be fine but human nature in finer still”. For in the interim he had heard the still sad music of humanity”. Nature now opens to him the gate of spiritual meditation and suggested to him the deeper truth of human life. This mystic insight into the mystery of life has already been limited in his other poem The Tables Turned:

“One impulse from a vernal wood

May teach you more of man

Of moral evil and of good

Then all the sage can”. 

8. Pantheistic Philosophy

The final stage was thus a complete departure from the super sensuous world suggested by nature. The outer world was cast into oblivion on. He felt in his heart an echo of great soul, the presence of Devine motion and spirits which pervades through the infinite variety of beautiful objects. The recognition of one in the many laid him to the glorious part of pantheistic philosophy. He felt the vibration of the same mighty soul every where, in the light of the setting sun, in the waves of the sea, in the living air, in the blue sky and in the mind of man. If God is never absent from the earth, it every natural beauty is a living image of a simple divine presence then we can glory everywhere. Pantheism, thus poetically realized can create a new heaven and a new earth out of the common stuff of daily experience.

Conclusion

In "Tintern Abbey," William Wordsworth reveals his deep, multifaceted relationship with Nature. He portrays nature as a source of comfort, spiritual guidance, and moral education. Over time, his relationship with nature evolves from youthful exuberance to mature reflection, offering him not only aesthetic pleasure but also a sense of spiritual connection and insight into the human condition. Wordsworth’s vision in this poem reflects his belief that Nature is essential to human well-being and a crucial counterbalance to the materialism and alienation of modern life. "Tintern Abbey", thus record the acute spiritual crisis suffered by Wordsworth as well as his ultimate success in rediscovering his lost faith. His attitude towards nature in "Tintern Abbey" is one of reverence and awe.

Some Key Points :

• William Wordsworth expresses a deep appreciation for nature and its ability to provide solace and spiritual renewal. 
• Nature is a source of emotional and intellectual inspiration
• It has the power to elevate the human spirit and provide a sense of transcendence
• The beauty and grandeur of nature can lead to a greater understanding of oneself and the world
• The memories of nature can be a powerful force for healing and restoration

Ardhendu De

Reference:

1.Brooke, Stopford Augustus, 1832-1916 | The Online Books Page. (n.d.). Brooke, Stopford Augustus, 1832-1916 | the Online Books Page. https://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/book/lookupname?key=Brooke%2C%20Stopford%20Augustus%2C%201832%2D1916