"Elegiac Stanzas, Suggested by a Picture of Peele Castle in a Storm, Painted by Sir George Beaumont" by William Wordsworth (Poem, Summary, Paraphrase & Analysis)

 

"Elegiac Stanzas, Suggested by a Picture of Peele Castle in a Storm, Painted by Sir George Beaumont"

by William Wordsworth

(Poem, Summary, Paraphrase & Analysis) 

Elegiac Stanzas

I was thy neighbour once, thou rugged Pile!

Four summer weeks I dwelt in sight of thee:

I saw thee every day; and all the while

Thy Form was sleeping on a glassy sea.

 

So pure the sky, so quiet was the air!

So like, so very like, was day to day!

Whene’er I looked, thy Image still was there;

It trembled, but it never passed away.

 

How perfect was the calm! it seemed no sleep;

No mood, which season takes away, or brings:

I could have fancied that the mighty Deep

Was even the gentlest of all gentle Things.

 

Ah! THEN, if mine had been the Painter’s hand,

To express what then I saw; and add the gleam,

The light that never was, on sea or land,

The consecration, and the Poet’s dream;

 

I would have planted thee, thou hoary Pile!

Amid a world how different from this!

Beside a sea that could not cease to smile;

On tranquil land, beneath a sky of bliss.

 

Thou shouldst have seemed a treasure-house divine

Of peaceful years; a chronicle of heaven;—

Of all the sunbeams that did ever shine

The very sweetest had to thee been given.

 

A Picture had it been of lasting ease,

Elysian quiet, without toil or strife;

No motion but the moving tide, a breeze,

Or merely silent Nature’s breathing life.

 

Such, in the fond illusion of my heart,

Such Picture would I at that time have made:

And seen the soul of truth in every part,

A faith, a trust, that could not be betrayed.

 

So once it would have been,—’tis so no more;

I have submitted to a new control:

A power is gone, which nothing can restore;

A deep distress hath humanised my Soul.

 

Not for a moment could I now behold

A smiling sea, and be what I have been:

The feeling of my loss will ne’er be old;

This, which I know, I speak with mind serene.

 

Then, Beaumont, Friend! who would have been the Friend,

If he had lived, of Him whom I deplore,

This work of thine I blame not, but commend;

This sea in anger, and that dismal shore.

 

Oh ’tis a passionate Work!—yet wise and well,

Well chosen is the spirit that is here;

That Hulk which labours in the deadly swell,

This rueful sky, this pageantry of fear!

 

And this huge Castle, standing here sublime,

I love to see the look with which it braves,

Cased in the unfeeling armour of old time,

The lightning, the fierce wind, and trampling waves.

 

Farewell, farewell the heart that lives alone,

Housed in a dream, at distance from the Kind!

Such happiness, wherever it be known,

Is to be pitied; for ’tis surely blind.

 

But welcome fortitude, and patient cheer,

And frequent sights of what is to be borne!

Such sights, or worse, as are before me here.—

Not without hope we suffer and we mourn.

 

Summary

🔹 Stanza 1–4: Fond Memories of Peaceful Days

Wordsworth begins by recalling the time he spent near Peele Castle, a place he once lived close to for four summer weeks. During that time, he saw the castle daily and remembered it surrounded by calm seas and tranquil skies. The castle's reflection in the still water gave the impression of an unchanging, eternal calm.

He believed nature was peaceful and gentle, almost dream-like, and if he had been an artist, he would have painted it as an idealized scene—one full of light and beauty that surpasses reality, embodying a kind of spiritual perfection.

 

🔹 Stanza 5–8: Idealized Vision of the Castle

Wordsworth continues imagining how he would have represented Peele Castle in those serene days. He would have placed it in a world filled with constant peace, where the sea always smiled and the skies were blissful.

To him, the castle was a symbol of peace and divinity, surrounded by the sweetest sunbeams and gentle natural motion—such as a light breeze or soft waves.

In his heart, he would have created a picture of eternal joy and unwavering trust in life. He would have believed it was a vision of truth, untouched by pain.

 

🔹 Stanza 9–10: A Change of Heart After Personal Loss

However, Wordsworth now confesses that this vision no longer holds true. He has gone through deep personal sorrow (likely referring to the death of his brother, John Wordsworth, in a shipwreck).

This grief has changed him. A "power"—perhaps his ability to view the world with innocent optimism—has left him, and no vision or painting can restore it.

Now, he cannot look upon a peaceful sea and feel the same joy. His grief will never grow old or fade, though he speaks of it calmly now.

 

🔹 Stanza 11–13: New Appreciation of the Painting

Wordsworth addresses his friend, Sir George Beaumont, whose painting of Peele Castle in a storm inspired these stanzas. Instead of criticizing the stormy, dramatic depiction, Wordsworth praises it.

The painting’s angry sea, gloomy sky, and fearful mood align more with reality than the ideal image he once held.

The ship struggling in the rough waters and the fierce elements are not just passionate and dramatic—they are truthful. Even the castle, strong and unfeeling in the storm, earns his admiration for its enduring strength.

 

🔹 Stanza 14–15: A Farewell to Illusions and Embrace of Reality

In the final stanzas, Wordsworth says farewell to the heart that lives in dreams, far from human sorrow. Though that kind of joy once seemed desirable, he now sees it as blind to life’s truths.

He welcomes instead fortitude, cheerfulness despite suffering, and the honest vision of life's difficulties—like those depicted in the stormy painting.

Wordsworth ends with a hopeful note: though we suffer and mourn, we do not do so without hope.

 

✅ Summary in Brief:

First part: Wordsworth recalls a peaceful, ideal view of Peele Castle and nature.

Middle part: He confesses that grief has changed his perspective.

Final part: He now finds truth in the stormy, painful aspects of life and embraces them with patience and hope.

 

Line-by-line Paraphrase

1. I was thy neighbour once, thou rugged Pile!

I once lived close to you, ancient and rough castle!

 

2. Four summer weeks I dwelt in sight of thee:

For four weeks in summer, I stayed where I could see you clearly.

 

3. I saw thee every day; and all the while

I looked at you every day, and during that time,

 

4. Thy Form was sleeping on a glassy sea:

You stood quietly beside a calm, mirror-like sea.

 

5. So pure the sky, so quiet was the air!

The sky was clear, and the air so still!

 

6. So like, so very like, was day to day!

Every day looked almost exactly the same!

 

7. Whene’er I looked, thy Image still was there;

Whenever I looked at you, your reflection was always the same;

 

8. It trembled, but it never passed away.

It shimmered slightly, but it never disappeared.

 

9. How perfect was the calm! it seemed no sleep;

What a flawless calm it was! It didn’t feel like slumber;

 

10. No mood, which season takes away, or brings:

Not a passing feeling brought by a season:

 

11. I could have fancied that the mighty Deep

I could imagine that the powerful ocean

 

12. Was even the gentlest of all gentle Things.

Was the softest and kindest thing of all.

 

13. Ah! then, if mine had been the Painter’s hand,

Oh! If only I had been the painter,

 

14. To express what then I saw; and add the gleam,

To paint what I saw, and capture the glow

 

15. The light that never was, on sea or land,

That special light that’s not of this earth—neither sea nor land—

 

16. The consecration, and the Poet’s dream;

That sacred, visionary light seen only in a poet’s dream;

 

17. I would have planted thee, thou hoary Pile,

I would have painted you, old grey castle,

 

18. Amid a world how different from this!

In a world so different from what I now know!

 

19. Beside a sea that could not cease to smile;

Next to a sea that always looked cheerful;

 

20. On tranquil land, beneath a sky of bliss.

On peaceful land under a blissful sky.

 

21. A Picture had it been of lasting ease,

The painting would have shown eternal calm,

 

22. Elysian quiet, without toil or strife;

Heaven-like peace, with no struggle or pain;

 

23. No motion but the moving tide, a breeze,

Nothing moving except the tide and a gentle breeze,

 

24. Or merely silent Nature’s breathing life.

Or just the quiet breath of nature itself.

 

25. Such, in the fond illusion of my heart,

That’s what I imagined in the dream of my heart,

 

26. Such Picture would I at that time have made:

That is the kind of picture I would have painted then:

 

27. And seen the soul of truth in every part,

And I would have believed it captured truth in every detail,

 

28. A faith, a trust, that could not be betrayed.

A belief, a hope, that would never be proven false.

 

29. So once it would have been,—’tis so no more;

But that’s how I used to think—now I don’t anymore;

 

30. I have submitted to a new control:

I have surrendered to a new understanding:

 

31. A power is gone, which nothing can restore;

Something powerful has left me, and nothing can bring it back;

 

32. A deep distress hath humanised my Soul.

Profound sorrow has made me more deeply human.

 

33. Not for a moment could I now behold

Now, I cannot even look at

 

34. A smiling sea, and be what I have been:

A cheerful sea and feel like I used to:

 

35. The feeling of my loss will ne’er be old;

My grief will never grow old or fade away;

 

36. This, which I know, I speak with mind serene.

And I say this calmly, with peace in my mind.

 

37. Then, Beaumont, Friend! who would have been the Friend,

So, dear Beaumont, who would have shared this view,

 

38. If he had lived, of him whom I deplore,

If the person I mourned had lived, you both would’ve been friends,

 

39. This work of thine I blame not, but commend;

I do not blame your painting, but praise it;

 

40. This sea in anger, and that dismal shore.

This stormy sea and gloomy shore are fitting.

 

41. Oh ’tis a passionate Work!—yet wise and well,

It’s a deeply emotional painting—but wise and skillful too,

 

42. Well chosen is the spirit that is here;

The mood you chose is exactly right;

 

43. That Hulk which labours in the deadly swell,

That wrecked ship struggling in the violent waves,

 

44. This rueful sky, this pageantry of fear!

This sorrowful sky, this majestic display of terror!

 

45. And this huge Castle, standing here sublime,

And this massive castle standing so grand,

 

46. I love to see the look with which it braves,

I admire how boldly it faces

 

47. Cased in the unfeeling armour of old time,

Armoured in the emotionless strength of history,

 

48. The lightning, the fierce wind, and trampling waves.

The lightning, violent winds, and pounding waves.

 

Analysis in Detail

This elegiac poem was inspired by a painting of Peele Castle in a storm, created by Wordsworth’s friend Sir George Beaumont. While the painting shows the castle under harsh, stormy weather, Wordsworth had seen it during a period of serene, calm days. The contrast between the real-life tranquility he remembered and the emotional violence of the painting acts as the central tension in the poem.

But even deeper than the visual contrast is the emotional transformation Wordsworth confesses: the death of his brother, John, at sea in 1805 profoundly changed how he perceived the world. The poem thus becomes a meditation on how personal grief alters our perception of nature, art, and truth.

 

 Tone and Structure

The tone of the poem moves from nostalgic and idealistic to sober, accepting, and reflective.

At first, Wordsworth expresses a peaceful joy in the natural world, full of trust and spiritual calm. As the poem progresses, this is gradually replaced by the voice of someone who has endured deep loss. The poet speaks with a kind of resigned wisdom, accepting that life includes suffering, and that art must reflect the full range of human experience—not just the ideal.

The poem is composed of fifteen quatrains (four-line stanzas), written in iambic pentameter with an ABAB rhyme scheme. This form provides rhythmic stability and reflects the thoughtful, meditative nature of the content.

 

 Imagery and Symbolism

Wordsworth’s early imagery of the castle—“sleeping on a glassy sea,” with “sunbeams” and “tranquil land”—conveys an almost heavenly ideal. The castle becomes a symbol of permanence and peace, seemingly untouched by suffering. This dreamlike vision corresponds to a younger, more innocent mindset—what Wordsworth calls “the fond illusion of my heart.”

However, following his grief, he no longer sees Peele Castle (or nature) the same way. The image of the angry sea, the rueful sky, and the labouring hulk (ship) represent the painful truths of life: storms are real, suffering is real, and these must be acknowledged in both art and life.

The castle, now “cased in the unfeeling armour of old time,” becomes a metaphor for stoic endurance—still standing in the face of chaos. The natural world has not changed, but Wordsworth’s emotional lens has shifted. The storm, once an unlikely intrusion, now seems more honest than the former peace.

 

 Themes

Grief and Transformation

The death of Wordsworth’s brother profoundly reshapes his worldview. Grief does not destroy him, but “humanises” his soul—making him more aware, more grounded, more real.

 

Illusion vs. Truth

The earlier, idealized image of nature was a kind of illusion. The poet now recognizes that beauty without awareness of suffering is incomplete, and possibly even blind.

 

The Power of Art

The poem is a reflection on the purpose of art. At first, he imagined painting nature as peaceful and divine. But now he appreciates the truthfulness of the stormy painting—because it reflects real human experience. Good art, like Beaumont’s painting, should not shy away from pain.

 

Hope Through Suffering

Despite his sorrow, the final line affirms hope: “Not without hope we suffer and we mourn.” Suffering is not the end; it becomes a path to deeper insight and a more truthful relationship with life.

 

 Philosophical Undertone

This poem sits within Wordsworth’s broader Romantic philosophy—that nature mirrors the emotional and spiritual life of the individual. But here, he critiques a simplified version of that belief. Nature does not only reflect joy and calm; it must also contain tragedy, danger, and change. Real emotional depth includes both light and darkness. This poem, then, is a turning point from his youthful optimism to a mature realism grounded in suffering and acceptance.

 

 Conclusion

“Elegiac Stanzas” is not just an elegy for Wordsworth’s brother—it is an elegy for the loss of innocence and an idealized vision of the world. Yet, this loss leads to greater strength and honesty. The poem honors that transformation. Through its rich imagery and evolving emotional tone, Wordsworth shows that the truest beauty is found not in denying sorrow, but in embracing life with fortitude, patience, and hope.