"Composed upon Westminister Bridge, September 3,1802"

I'm sure that many of you are tired of this poem by William Wordsworth. As everyone knows, I like to pass the time in my study by the fireplace drinking a nice scotch and reading poems. Actually, I discovered it reading through a book of his poems while taking a break from receiving discount books in the warehouse of a local bookstore that I worked at while back. It struck a chord with me and sometimes I recite it (however garbled) in my mind. Specifically, I love the lines "Never did the sun more beautifully steep, In his first splendour, valley, rock, or hill; Ne'er saw I, never felt a calm so deep!".



"Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802"

Earth has not anything to show more fair:

Dull would he be of soul who could pass by

A sight so touching in its majesty:

This City now doth like a garment wear

The beauty of the morning; silent , bare,

Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie

Open unto the fields, and to the sky,

All bright and glittering in the smokeless air.

Never did the sun more beautifully steep

In his first splendour, valley, rock, or hill;

Ne'er saw I, never felt a calm so deep!

The river glideth at his own sweet will:

Dear God! the very houses seem asleep;

And all that mighty heart is lying still!