William Wordsworth

William Wordsworth Poems

William Wordsworth was an English poet whose verse is some of the most influential and important in the English language. Read more about William Wordsworth.

Some of Wordsworth’s most famous poems include ‘I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud,’ ‘Lucy Gray‘, ‘The World is Too Much With Us,’ ‘My Heart Leaps Up,’ and ‘Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey.’

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud

by William Wordsworth

William Wordsworth’s literary classic, ‘Daffodils,’ also known as ‘I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud,’ is one of the most popular poems in the English language. It is a quintessential poem of the Romantic movement.

This is without a doubt Wordsworth's most famous poem. It is also considered by many to be his best.

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey

by William Wordsworth

‘Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey’ by William Wordsworth is a well-loved poem that describes a speaker’s return to a specific spot along the banks of the River Wye and his understanding of nature.

A fantastic poem that's highly representative of William Wordsworth's poetry.

Five years have past; five summers, with the length

Of five long winters! and again I hear

These waters, rolling from their mountain-springs

With a soft inland murmur.—Once again

My Heart Leaps Up

by William Wordsworth

On the surface, William Wordsworth’s ‘My Heart Leaps Up’ is about the simple beauty of a rainbow. Looking at it more closely, the poet is saying people should maintain their sense of childlike wonder well into adulthood and old age.

This poem evokes the joy that Wordsworth imbued in much of his most affective verse.

My heart leaps up when I behold

A rainbow in the sky:

So was it when my life began;

Lines Written in Early Spring

by William Wordsworth

‘Lines Written in Early Spring’ by William Wordsworth is a beautiful landscape poem that is largely concerned with nature.

A beautiful poem that explores the power of nature, particularly spring. It is highly representative of Wordsworth's verse.

I heard a thousand blended notes,

While in a grove I sate reclined,

In that sweet mood when pleasant thoughts

Bring sad thoughts to the mind.

London, 1802

by William Wordsworth
Unlike other Wordsworth poems, this one engages with social issues in a way that's still relevant today.

Milton! thou shouldst be living at this hour:

England hath need of thee: she is a fen

Of stagnant waters: altar, sword, and pen,

Fireside, the heroic wealth of hall and bower,

To My Sister

by William Wordsworth
An exceptional Wordsworth poem that speaks on his favorite theme--nature and everything one can learn from it.

It is the first mild day of March:

Each minute sweeter than before

The redbreast sings from the tall larch

That stands beside our door.

Surprised by Joy

by William Wordsworth

‘Surprised by Joy’ is a heart-breaking poem in which Wordsworth describes his grief after his daughter passed away.

This is a startlingly emotional Wordsworth poem that is also highly personal to the poet.

Surprised by joy—impatient as the Wind

I turned to share the transport—Oh! with whom

But Thee, long buried in the silent Tomb,

That spot which no vicissitude can find?

Explore more poems from William Wordsworth

The Tables Turned

by William Wordsworth

In ‘The Tables Turned,’ Wordsworth invites us to break free from the constraints of modern society and rediscover the natural world’s beauty and wisdom.

'The Tables Turned' is a well-constructed poem with a unique meaning compared to all of William Wordsworth's other Nature poems. As a poet who wrote a lot about nature, this uses that same theme but advances it to a contrasting ironic piece of literature instead of a one focused. The back and forth in Wordsworth's persuasive tone, as he attempts to explain why nature is the true teacher, is a definite highlight in ironic poetry as the poem written on paper is the very concept the speaker wants the reader to discontinue.

The Solitary Reaper

by William Wordsworth

“The Solitary Reaper” by William Wordsworth is a recollection of the poet’s emotional experience as he listens to a woman singing in the fields.

Character of the Happy Warrior

by William Wordsworth

‘Character of the Happy Warrior’ by William Wordsworth is a poem about what it means to be a “happy warrior” and what the elements of this kind of person’s life would be. 

This is a great and very commonly quoted William Wordsworth poem, but it is not his best. Today, readers can find the poem in famous speeches, films, television shows, and much more. Pieces of the poem are often used to describe famous governmental leaders.

To a Butterfly

by William Wordsworth

There are two poems by the title ‘To a Butterfly’ in William Wordsworth’s 1807 poetry collection, “Poems, in Two Volumes.” The first poem is the best-known in comparison to the latter one.

William Wordsworth was a leading Romantic movement figure known for his poems about nature and childhood. 'To A Butterfly' shares many of the same themes and concerns as Wordsworth's best-known poetry, including the power of nature to evoke deep emotions and the importance of childhood memories.

A Character

by William Wordsworth

‘A Character’ by William Wordsworth speaks on the moral character of a segment of mankind in relation to the feelings he has for the intended listener. 

A Complaint

by William Wordsworth

In the poem ‘A Complaint’ by William Wordsworth, the first and primary emotion is loss – loss of ideals, loss of friendship, loss of love.

A Night Thought

by William Wordsworth

‘A Night Thought’ by William Wordsworth describes a speaker’s displeasure at those among the human race who do not appreciate what fortune has given them.  

A Slumber did my Spirit Seal

by William Wordsworth

‘A Slumber did my Spirit Seal’ by William Wordsworth is one of five “Lucy” poems that Wordsworth published in the volume Lyrical Ballads, that he co-authored with Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

Animal Tranquility and Decay

by William Wordsworth

This fascinating poem, ‘Animal Tranquility and Decay,’ by William Wordsworth depicts an old man who walks in peace and tranquility. He seems to walk aloof from the cares and concerns of this world.

Expostulation and Reply

by William Wordsworth

‘Expostulation and Reply’ a ballad, written by William Wordsworth, tells the story of Matthew, dissuading the speaker (William) from idling away his precious time in “wise passiveness” or simply daydreaming.

Lucy Gray

by William Wordsworth

Any readers familiar with William Wordsworth’s poetry, such as ‘Lucy Gray,’ know that the death of a child is a common theme throughout his works. Wordsworth suffered the loss of his own son and daughter, and those deaths seem to forever haunt him.

Michael

by William Wordsworth

Financial ruin, a lost son, and hostile living conditions– these are some of the striking features of this sorrowful ballad. You may find yourself asking, how can one man maintain his values amid so many struggles?

Nutting

by William Wordsworth

‘Nutting’ by William Wordsworth describes a speaker’s boyhood journey into the woods and the resulting pleasure and rage he experiences. 

October, 1803

by William Wordsworth

‘October, 1803’ by William Wordsworth describes England’s fear over an expected French invasion and how the speaker sees the world being transformed.

Resolution and Independence

by William Wordsworth

‘Resolution and Independence’ is one of the important poems of Wordsworth. It is a lyric poem composed in the year 1802 and published in 1807 in his collection Poems in Two Volumes.

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