SHE WAS A PHANTOM OF DELIGHT by William Wordsworth (Poem, Summary & Analysis)

 

SHE WAS A PHANTOM OF DELIGHT

by William Wordsworth

(Poem, Summary & Analysis)

 

Wordsworth was the poet of Renaissance of Wonder. It was the beginning of romanticism. The general characteristics of this age are:

·      Mystery

·      Interest in the past

·      Love for nature

·      Interest in inhumanity

·      Love for the elemental simplicities of life

·      Freedom of imagination

·      Subjectivity and spontaneity

·      Speculative and inquisitive tendency and

·      Regeneration of poetic style.

Wordsworth was born in 1770 at cocker mouth, Cumberland. In the later part of his life, he settled in Dorset with his sister Dorothy. In his poetry, we find imagination, nature, human life, mysticism and the poetic art. With Coleridge, he wrote Lyrical Ballads. He is known as the poet of nature, the poet of man and the poet of child.

She Was a Phantom of Delight

 

She was a Phantom of delight

When first she gleamed upon my sight;

A lovely Apparition, sent

To be a moment's ornament;

Her eyes as stars of Twilight fair;

Like Twilight's, too, her dusky hair;

But all things else about her drawn

From May-time and the cheerful Dawn;

A dancing Shape, an Image gay,

To haunt, to startle, and way-lay.

 

I saw her upon nearer view,

A Spirit, yet a Woman too!

Her household motions light and free,

And steps of virgin-liberty;

A countenance in which did meet

Sweet records, promises as sweet;

A Creature not too bright or good

For human nature's daily food;

For transient sorrows, simple wiles,

Praise, blame, love, kisses, tears, and smiles.

 

And now I see with eye serene

The very pulse of the machine;

A Being breathing thoughtful breath,

A Traveller between life and death;

The reason firm, the temperate will,

Endurance, foresight, strength, and skill;

A perfect Woman, nobly planned,

To warn, to comfort, and command;

And yet a Spirit still, and bright

With something of angelic light.

In the poem She was a phantom of delight Wordswoth describes the three stages of, how his wife look like before the marriage, after the marriage and after many years of their marriage.

The poem is divided into three parts. The first part tells us how Mary Hutchinson looks like, when they were not married. In the second part, Mary is seen both, a spirit and a woman but in the last part of the poem the poet calls her “A traveler between life and death” and “A perfect woman”.

Before their marriage Mary Hutchinson was so beautiful for Wordsworth, that he considered her, a ‘Phantom of Delight’. She was a lovely apparition for him. Her eyes were like the stars, her hairs were dusky and her other things were drawn from ‘the cheerful dawn’ or ‘from the may time’. According to the poet, she looked like a dancing shape with a gay image. He was so much attracted by the beauty of Mary Hutchinson, that she used to visit his thoughts again and again.

The poet further says, that after their marriage, when he sees her with nearer view, he finds, that she had the qualities of both a spirit and a woman. The qualities of a spirit, which he finds in his wife are: her light and free house hold motions, steps of virgin liberty, a countenance with sweet records and promises. The qualities of woman are: like other human beings she also needs human nature’s daily food, like temporary sorrows, simple wiles, blames, love, kisses etc.

After many years of their marriage, the poet looks at his wife with serene eye. Both husband and wife have now reached so far in their marriage life, that Wordswoth can see the very pulse of his wife. He says, that after many years of their marriage, he finds that his wife is a perfect woman, having firm reason, temperate will, endurance, foresight, strength and skill. According to the poet his wife is a noble plan of God. She is sent to him to warn, to comfort and command him. He says that though she is a perfect woman, but she still carries the light of an angel, that’s why she is still dear to him.

The poem She was a phantom of delight shows Wordsworth’s love for nature at different stages. The poem is divided in three parts. The first part expresses poet’s feelings for the girl, whom he loved. The second part expresses his love for his wife after five years of their marriage and the last part expresses his love for his wife after many-many years of their marriage. He wrote this poem after five years of their marriage. The poem is written in rhyming couplet. The poet has written this poem with eight syllabic lines, each of three metrical feet. The poem is a superb example of romanticism.