Talk:Tintern Abbey (poem)

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In the poem, Wordsworth refers to a Wye river: which one of the disambiguation page? --Daĉjo^почта 17:14, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

I am pretty sure that it is the River Wye. The River Wye article says that Wordsworth's poem refers to it. Furthermore, the River Wye flows through a district called Tintern. I have wiki-linked to the River Wye page in the first sentence. Dave Runger^(t)⁄_(c) 21:39, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

This page needs an expert to revise it. At the moment it sounds like a mediocre high school essay.

17jul2007 It is a mistake to suppose that Wordsworth's poem was inspired by, or had any meaning connected or referring to, Tintern Abbey -- and, by inference, to any religious motif. The complete title is "Lines Written a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey, on Revisiting the Banks of the Wye During a Tour" and the whole poem talks about the natural environment the poet had known as a young man and its influence on his later life. 201.13.104.176 18:29, 17 July 2007 (UTC)pabzum201.13.104.176 18:29, 17 July 2007 (UTC)

Agreed. Revolution? Dark deeds of the anniversary date? Questioning God/religion? The burden Nature relieves is the "din/of towns and cities," not an existential crisis. Read Shelley for that... 96.20.143.38 (talk) 02:41, 31 March 2008 (UTC)Dead Horse

[edit] The Abbey is not the subject

I agree with previous points raised on this discussion board. I think that the author of this article has overlooked the true meaning of the poem. The subject of this poem is indeed nature; it is of 'these waters, rolling from their mountain-springs', 'these steep and lofty cliffs', 'a wild secluded scene' and the environment around the Abbey. For it is through these things that the sublime can be accessed. It would be folly to assume that Wordsworth is suggesting the Abbey itself is what is giving him 'tranquil restoration', for it is a man-made structure; this would run counter to the entirety of Lyrical Ballads which, if anything, emphasises man's need to embrace nature; for the sublimity of nature is 'the guide, the guardian of my heart, and soul of all my moral being'.

I also challenge the notion that there is much religious connotation involved within this poem. As previously stated the Abbey is not the subject, therefore there is no grounds for argument of an implied connection to God as he is writing a poem about Holy grounds. The implications of this poem are access to the sublime, and indeed what the sublime actually is - 'A motion and a spirit, that impels all thinking things, all objects of all thought, and rolls through all things'.

The significance of this poem is that it is the last poem in Lyrical Ballads - it is a poem of re-visitation, both to the central themes of the Advertisement, and to nature itself. Wordsworth is revisiting this place after 5 years of absence, and what we learn is that he has changed since then ('I cannot paint what then I was'). He is revisiting a place where once he had no knowledge of the sublime, and no 'feeling' towards nature; now however he has. This is perhaps a symbol for his works of Lyrical Ballads, that now the reader must revisit values that he/she once held and challenge them; it is also a poem that shows the importance of revisiting nature itself. Previously in the works of Lyrical Ballads 'man' as a group has been very much been distanced from nature and the sublime. For example 'what man has made of man' in Lines Written in Early Spring. Here 'the mind of man' is included in a definition of the sublime and where it exists. Perhaps Wordsworth is encouraging us all to revisit nature and to embrace that connection so that we can all experience the 'serene and blessed mood'. This certainly could be argued to be the case as the poem ends with his encouragement to his dear sister Dorothy to embrace nature as he did, and his prayer to nature to 'let the moon shine on thee in thy solitary walks' (as Dorothy walks). There is even encouragement perhaps for any would be disciple of this message: the line to his sister 'I behold in thee what I was once', can perhaps be taken as Wordsworth saying that once he too was apart from nature and the sublime, and that so long as you embrace nature as he did and does, anyone can achieve access to the sublime.

Jez (195.92.67.74 12:13, 11 October 2007 (UTC))