In the 18th century, two important poets started the Romantic Movement, the two
being William Wordsworth, and Samuel Coleridge. These two poets essentially gave
birth to the Romantic Movement, starting with the co-produced works of the Lyrical
Ballads. In the Preface to the Lyrical Ballads, Wordsworth describes poetry as "the
spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings," and details his philosophy and the meaning
nature has to him. The poem collection includes the poems which I am going to discuss,
"Tintern Abbey," by Wordsworth and "Frost at Midnight," by Samuel Coleridge. These
poems are both great poems, however "Frost at Midnight" is a conversational poem
compared to the romantic poem, "Tintern Abbey." Although written by two different poets, both poems, "Tintern Abbey" and "Frost at Midnight" deal with the beauty and serenity of nature, and contrasting human distress, while reminiscing about the past, present and future.
In the poems "Tintern Abbey," and "Frost at Midnight," happiness is derived from
the beauty of nature and its deeper meaning and influences for the poets. Reading
"Tintern Abbey" I got a sense of feeling of Wordsworth's love for nature and the
understanding he has for nature. This is quite obvious with the lines (62-65):
"While here I stand, not only with the sense
Of present pleasure, but with pleasing thoughts
That in this moment there is life and food
In "Frost at Midnight," happiness is not as evident, due to the poet's regrets of being
"reared in the great city" (line 52), and not raised in the country, and finding only beauty
in the sky, and stars. This leads to the hope, and later happiness that his cradled son will
be raised in the country, which is evident through lines (52-56):
In the great city, pent 'mid cloisters...