. Backgrounds of literature. she Hved, like its fellows in thevillage, is small and unpretentious. The villagelies in the beautiful country between Winder-mere and Coniston Water, with EsthwaiteWater close at hand. It is a quaint old markettown, with narrow streets, low archways, houseswith many-paned windows; the old churchdominating the place: The snow-white church upon the hillSits like a throned lady, sending outA gracious look all over her domain. The Prelude lingers long over the scenes,incidents, and experiences of the eight years atHawkshead; and it would be quite impossibleto find a l
. Backgrounds of literature. she Hved, like its fellows in thevillage, is small and unpretentious. The villagelies in the beautiful country between Winder-mere and Coniston Water, with EsthwaiteWater close at hand. It is a quaint old markettown, with narrow streets, low archways, houseswith many-paned windows; the old churchdominating the place: The snow-white church upon the hillSits like a throned lady, sending outA gracious look all over her domain. The Prelude lingers long over the scenes,incidents, and experiences of the eight years atHawkshead; and it would be quite impossibleto find a locality more nobly planned for theunfolding and enrichment of a poets imagina-tion. The lover of Wordsworth can still feelsomething of the spell which was laid upon theboy in those golden days of fresh and aspiringyouth. The teaching which the school gavewas, for its time, admirable; but the deepesteducation was gained out of school hours, and,largely, out of doors. The memory of thoseyears was always fresh and grateful: 22. AND WORDSWORTH Well do I call to mind the very weekWhen I was first intrusted to the careOf that sweet Valley. The Prelude makes us aware of the spir-itual richness and growth of these school days;of the joy of reading and the deeper joy ofseeing; of long walks of exploration; of silenthours upon Esthwaite, or, in vacation, uponWindermere, when the deep and solemn beautyof mountain and star sank into his heart: Dear native Regions, wheresoeer shall closeMy mortal course, there will I think on you;Dying, will cast on you a backward look;Even as this setting sun (albeit the ValeIs nowhere touched by one memorial gleam)Doth with the fond remains of his last powerStill linger, and a farewell luster shedsOn the dear mountain-tops where first he rose. Within easy walking distance one comesupon some of the most impressive or enchant-ing scenery of the Lake Country. Winder-mere, with its group of mountains; the strikinglines of the Langdale Pikes, and other peaks,c
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectauthors, bookyear1903
