On the Power of Sound by William Wordsworth (Poem, Summary, Paraphrase & Analysis)

 

On the Power of Sound

by William Wordsworth

(Poem, Summary, Paraphrase & Analysis) 

On the Power of Sound

I

Thy functions are ethereal,

As if within thee dwelt a glancing mind,

Organ of vision! And a Spirit aerial

Informs the cell of Hearing, dark and blind;

Intricate labyrinth, more dread for thought

To enter than oracular cave;

Strict passage, through which sighs are brought,

And whispers for the heart, their slave;

And shrieks, that revel in abuse

Of shivering flesh; and warbled air,

Whose piercing sweetness can unloose

The chains of frenzy, or entice a smile

Into the ambush of despair;

Hosannas pealing down the long-drawn aisle,

And requiems answered by the pulse that beats

Devoutly, in life’s last retreats!

 

II

The headlong streams and fountains

Serve Thee, invisible Spirit, with untired powers;

Cheering the wakeful tent on Syrian mountains,

They lull perchance ten thousand thousand flowers.

‘That’ roar, the prowling lion’s ‘Here I am’,

How fearful to the desert wide!

That bleat, how tender! of the dam

Calling a straggler to her side.

Shout, cuckoo! — let the vernal soul

Go with thee to the frozen zone;

Toll from thy loftiest perch, lone bell-bird, toll!

At the still hour to Mercy dear,

Mercy from her twilight throne

Listening to nun’s faint throb of holy fear,

To sailor’s prayer breathed from a darkening sea,

Or widow’s cottage-lullaby.

 

Summary

William Wordsworth’s poem On the Power of Sound is a two-part reflection on the far-reaching effects and varied expressions of sound in the world. The first part focuses on the inner, almost mysterious mechanism of hearing, while the second part turns outward to examples of sound in nature, daily life, and human emotion.

In the opening section, the poet addresses the sense of hearing as if it were an ethereal, almost divine faculty. Wordsworth likens it to an “organ of vision,” suggesting that hearing, like sight, has its own kind of insight. He calls the ear an “intricate labyrinth” — a complex and hidden structure more mysterious than the fabled caves used by ancient oracles. Through this delicate passageway come a wide variety of sounds: sighs and whispers that move the heart, shrieks that cause the body to shiver, and melodies whose sweetness can release the mind from madness or, conversely, lure a person into despair. The poet also points to the grandeur and solemnity of religious sounds: hosannas echoing through a long church aisle, and requiems accompanied by the steady pulse of a devout heart in life’s final moments. This section thus builds a portrait of hearing as a gateway to some of the most intimate and profound experiences in human existence.

The second section shifts from the inner ear to the world’s many sources of sound, portraying them as the servants of an “invisible Spirit” that works tirelessly. Here, Wordsworth lists examples from both nature and human life. Mountain streams and fountains offer their music, whether to refresh a lonely traveler or to lull countless flowers into rest. In the wilderness, the roar of a lion announces its presence with fear, while the bleat of a mother animal gently calls her lost young. Birdsong carries across great distances — the cuckoo’s call bringing springtime cheer even to cold regions, and the bell-bird tolling in solitary places at times of mercy and compassion. The poem closes with moments where sound accompanies acts of human devotion and tenderness: the quiet throb of a nun’s prayer, a sailor’s plea in the darkness of the sea, and the soothing lullaby in a widow’s humble home.

Through these carefully chosen scenes, Wordsworth presents sound not merely as a sensory experience but as a constant presence in the natural and human world — capable of comforting, warning, inspiring, or solemnly marking the passage of life.

 

Line-by-line Paraphrase

I

Thy functions are ethereal,

→ Your abilities are delicate, light, and almost heavenly in nature.

 

As if within thee dwelt a glancing mind,

→ It is as though a quick, intelligent spirit lives within you.

 

Organ of vision! And a Spirit aerial

→ Like the eye that sees, and like an airy spirit,

 

Informs the cell of Hearing, dark and blind;

→ You bring life to the dark, unseen chamber of the ear.

 

Intricate labyrinth, more dread for thought

→ You are a complex maze, more intimidating to imagine entering

 

To enter than oracular cave;

→ Than the ancient caves where prophecies were spoken.

 

Strict passage, through which sighs are brought,

→ You are a narrow channel through which gentle sighs pass,

 

And whispers for the heart, their slave;

→ And also soft whispers meant to move the heart, which listens helplessly.

 

And shrieks, that revel in abuse

→ And you carry screams that take pleasure in causing fear or pain,

 

Of shivering flesh; and warbled air,

→ As well as melodious tunes,

 

Whose piercing sweetness can unloose

→ Whose intense beauty can free someone

 

The chains of frenzy, or entice a smile

→ From the grip of madness, or tempt someone to smile

 

Into the ambush of despair;

→ Even when that smile leads into hidden sorrow.

 

Hosannas pealing down the long-drawn aisle,

→ Joyful praises echoing down the length of a church aisle,

 

And requiems answered by the pulse that beats

→ And funeral hymns answered by the steady heartbeat

 

Devoutly, in life’s last retreats!

→ Beating faithfully in life’s final moments.

 

II

The headlong streams and fountains

→ Swift-flowing streams and gushing fountains

 

Serve Thee, invisible Spirit, with untired powers;

→ Serve you, unseen Spirit of Sound, with tireless energy;

 

Cheering the wakeful tent on Syrian mountains,

→ They bring cheer to the sleepless traveler resting in tents on Syrian hills,

 

They lull perchance ten thousand thousand flowers.

→ And perhaps lull countless flowers into peaceful rest.

 

‘That’ roar, the prowling lion’s ‘Here I am’,

→ That roar is the lion declaring, “I am here,” as it prowls,

 

How fearful to the desert wide!

→ How frightening it sounds in the vast desert!

 

That bleat, how tender! of the dam

→ That bleat is so gentle — it is the cry of a mother animal

 

Calling a straggler to her side.

→ Calling her wandering young one back to her.

 

Shout, cuckoo! — let the vernal soul

→ Call out, cuckoo! — let the spirit of springtime

 

Go with thee to the frozen zone;

→ Travel with you even to cold, frozen lands;

 

Toll from thy loftiest perch, lone bell-bird, toll!

→ Ring out from your highest perch, solitary bell-bird,

 

At the still hour to Mercy dear,

→ At that quiet time so precious to mercy,

 

Mercy from her twilight throne

→ When Mercy sits on her twilight throne

 

Listening to nun’s faint throb of holy fear,

→ Listening to the soft heartbeat of a nun’s sacred fear,

 

To sailor’s prayer breathed from a darkening sea,

→ To the sailor’s prayer spoken from the darkening ocean,

 

Or widow’s cottage-lullaby.

→ Or to the gentle lullaby sung by a widow in her small home.

 

Analysis in Detail

William Wordsworth’s On the Power of Sound is a lyrical meditation on the sense of hearing and the vast range of emotions, experiences, and meanings that sound carries. Divided into two sections, the poem blends a reverence for the physical mechanism of hearing with a celebration of sound’s presence in both nature and human life. Its structure mirrors its subject — beginning with an inward gaze into the mysterious “labyrinth” of the ear, and then expanding outward to encompass the entire world as an orchestra of voices, calls, and echoes.

In the first section, Wordsworth addresses hearing as though it were an almost supernatural faculty. He personifies it, granting it an “ethereal” function and comparing it to an “organ of vision,” suggesting that sound is a means of perception just as essential and profound as sight. The ear’s intricate structure is portrayed as a “dark and blind” passage, yet it is capable of channeling a wide spectrum of sounds. These range from intimate, emotional communications — sighs and whispers that move the heart — to harsh and unsettling noises such as shrieks that disturb the flesh. Wordsworth also considers the dual power of music: it can free the mind from madness or lure it into despair, showing that sound is never neutral but always charged with the ability to influence human feeling deeply. The closing images of this section focus on religious sound — hosannas and requiems — reinforcing the spiritual dimension of hearing. Here, sound is tied to both joy and solemnity, marking life’s significant moments and its final farewells.

The second section shifts tone and scope, moving from the anatomical and personal to the cosmic and natural. The “invisible Spirit” of sound is now seen as served by the natural world. Streams and fountains are tireless servants, offering cheer or lulling rest, depending on the context. Wordsworth then provides a series of vivid auditory scenes that span the globe and emotional registers: the lion’s roar in the desert is filled with menace, while the bleat of a mother calling her stray young is tender and protective. Birdsong becomes a metaphor for the universality of sound’s reach — the cuckoo’s call carries the spirit of spring even to frozen lands, and the bell-bird’s toll resonates in solitary, sacred moments.

The poem concludes with an intimate sequence of human situations tied together by the theme of mercy and compassion: the nun’s quiet heartbeat of holy reverence, the sailor’s prayer on a dark sea, and the widow’s lullaby in her humble home. These moments link sound not only to grandeur and nature but also to private acts of devotion, hope, and care.

Overall, Wordsworth’s poem presents sound as a multi-layered phenomenon: it is physical yet spiritual, personal yet universal, capable of stirring terror, joy, tenderness, and reverence. Through careful progression from the internal mechanics of hearing to the vast orchestration of the natural and human world, Wordsworth reveals sound as a force that connects all living beings, marking both the heights of human experience and the quiet depths of everyday life.