Composed Upon Westminster Bridge

"Composed Upon Westminster Bridge" is a sonnet by William Wordsworth, published in 1802. This was almost at the height of the Industrial Revolution in England. In the sonnet, Wordsworth is admiring the view from the Westminster Bridge in London early one morning. The way he describes his surroundings is in contrast to how London usually is during this time period- industrialized, hectic, and busy.

Wordsworth describes the early morning as "silent" (5) and "bare," (5) and says that the air is "smokeless" (8). This is opposed to the usual state of the city, which is loud and crowded, with the air full of smoke from factories. He begins to reflect, stating that he's never felt this calm here before. "Dear God" (Wordsworth 13), he says, exclaiming his amazement over how serene everything is in this moment. The final line includes a metaphor, referring to industrialized London as a "mighty heart" (Wordsworth 14). Like a heart, the city is always active and working; However, at this moment early in the morning, the "heart" is at rest.

Throughout the sonnet, Wordsworth manages to find the beauty in the industrialized city, something that resulted from the efforts of the Enlightenment era. The lack of busy people, loud sounds, and smokey skies makes the natural beauty of the setting much more apparent, and is something Wordsworth is pleasantly taken aback by. 

"Earth has not any thing 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 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!"

Works Cited

Wordsworth, William. “Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802 by William Wordsworth.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45514/composed-upon-westminster-bridge-september-3-1802.