Surprised
by Joy—Impatient as the Wind
by
William Wordsworth
(Poem, Summary, Paraphrase & Analysis)
Surprised
by Joy—Impatient as the Wind
Surprised
by joy—impatient as the Wind
I
turned to share the transport—Oh! with whom
But
Thee, deep buried in the silent tomb,
That
spot which no vicissitude can find?
Love,
faithful love, recalled thee to my mind—
But
how could I forget thee? Through what power,
Even
for the least division of an hour,
Have
I been so beguiled as to be blind
To
my most grievous loss!—That thought’s return
Was
the worst pang that sorrow ever bore,
Save
one, one only, when I stood forlorn,
Knowing
my heart’s best treasure was no more;
That
neither present time, nor years unborn
Could
to my sight that heavenly face restore.
Summary
William
Wordsworth’s poem Surprised by Joy—Impatient as the Wind is a deeply personal
reflection on the sudden resurgence of grief after the death of a loved one.
The poem begins with the poet describing a fleeting moment of joy that catches
him unexpectedly, almost like the force of the wind. In that moment of delight,
his instinct is to turn and share the feeling with someone dear to him.
However, he is immediately struck by the painful realization that the person he
wishes to share it with is no longer alive but lies in the grave, beyond the
reach of change or human contact.
This
awareness brings back the memory of love—faithful and enduring—that reminds him
of the deceased. He questions himself with astonishment: how could he, even for
the briefest moment, forget the depth of his loss? He marvels at how he could
have been so distracted by a passing feeling of happiness that he became blind
to the reality of his sorrow. The return of this thought is described as the
most piercing anguish he has ever endured. The only moment of grief more
painful than this sudden reminder was the original one, when he first faced the
death itself and recognized that his heart’s dearest treasure was gone.
The
poem closes with Wordsworth acknowledging the permanence of his loss. Neither
the present moment nor all the years to come will ever restore the beloved’s
face to his sight. This realization solidifies the depth of his bereavement:
the joy that briefly lit his heart only makes the grief sharper when he
remembers that it can no longer be shared.
Line-by-line
Paraphrase
Surprised by joy—impatient as the Wind
I
was suddenly struck by a burst of happiness, quick and restless like the wind.
I
turned to share the transport—Oh! with whom
My
first impulse was to turn and share that joy—oh, but with whom?
But Thee, deep buried in the silent tomb,
With
you, the one who now rests in the silent grave.
That spot which no vicissitude can find?
A
place untouched by change, where nothing in life can reach you anymore.
Love, faithful love, recalled thee to my mind—
Love,
steady and faithful, immediately brought your memory back to me.
But how could I forget thee? Through what power,
Yet
how could I have forgotten you? By what force or distraction—
Even for the least division of an hour,
Even
for the briefest moment, not even a single small fraction of time—
Have I been so beguiled as to be blind
Could
I have been so deceived as to overlook my terrible loss?
To
my most grievous loss!—That thought’s return
The
memory of my loss came rushing back,
Was the worst pang that sorrow ever bore,
And
it was the sharpest stab of grief I have ever felt,
Save one, one only, when I stood forlorn,
Except
for one other moment: when I first stood alone in despair,
Knowing my heart’s best treasure was no more;
Realizing
that the dearest one of my heart was gone forever.
That neither present time, nor years unborn
And
that neither the present, nor the future years to come,
Could to my sight that heavenly face restore.
Could
ever bring back your beautiful face for me to see again.
Analysis
in Detail
William
Wordsworth’s Surprised by Joy—Impatient as the Wind is one of his most personal
and poignant sonnets, often read as an elegy for his young daughter Catherine,
who died at the age of three. The poem explores the unpredictable nature of
grief and the way memory and love continually resurface, even when one is
momentarily distracted by joy. Unlike some of his more philosophical works,
this sonnet is intensely intimate, capturing the raw, human experience of loss.
The
poem opens with a striking confession: the speaker is “surprised by joy.” This
is not a calm or reflective happiness but an impulsive, almost involuntary
feeling—described as being “impatient as the Wind.” Immediately, Wordsworth
sets up the tension between joy and grief. The speaker’s instinct, upon feeling
this sudden joy, is to share it with someone close. But the bitter realization
follows at once: the person with whom he wishes to share it is gone, buried “in
the silent tomb.” This juxtaposition of joy and death highlights how grief
lingers in every moment, ready to return even in times of lightness.
The
sonnet then moves into a moment of self-questioning. Love, which Wordsworth
calls “faithful love,” recalls the lost beloved to his mind. This love is so
strong that it seems impossible he could ever forget. Yet he admits that, for
the briefest instant, he had been “beguiled” into overlooking his loss. This
moment of forgetfulness does not feel like relief; instead, it intensifies the
sorrow when remembrance returns. The poet marvels at how easily joy deceived
him into blindness, even for “the least division of an hour.”
The
emotional climax of the sonnet comes when Wordsworth describes this renewed
awareness as the worst pang of grief he has ever felt—worse, even, than the
moment of distraction itself. He concedes, however, that there was one pain
deeper still: the first moment of loss, when he “stood forlorn” and knew that
his “heart’s best treasure” was gone. This statement acknowledges the singular
devastation of death, but also shows how grief is not confined to that first
moment. It resurfaces in waves, often unexpectedly, even when joy seems to
reappear.
The
closing couplet reinforces the permanence of the loss. Neither the present nor
“years unborn” can restore the beloved’s face. Time, which often brings
healing, cannot undo death. The sonnet ends not with comfort, but with the
solemn recognition that some losses remain irretrievable. The “heavenly face”
is gone, and no joy, no memory, no future moment can bring it back.
The
sonnet’s power lies in its honesty. Wordsworth does not idealize grief or
suggest that it can be easily overcome. Instead, he portrays its unpredictable
nature: how it mingles with joy, how it interrupts daily life, how it returns
with renewed force even when one is momentarily distracted. The formal
structure of the sonnet—with its measured lines and rhymes—acts as a kind of
containment for emotions that are otherwise overwhelming. This balance between
structure and feeling reflects Wordsworth’s broader poetic aim: to capture the
spontaneous overflow of emotion, but shaped and held within the discipline of
form.
In
essence, Surprised by Joy is both a tribute to enduring love and a meditation
on the permanence of loss. It reveals how the memory of the beloved continues
to live in the heart, even as the absence is felt more sharply with each
reminder. The paradox is that joy itself becomes a trigger for grief, because
joy longs to be shared, and the beloved is no longer there to share it. Through
this, Wordsworth expresses a universal truth: grief is not a single moment in
the past, but a companion that returns in unexpected ways, reshaping every
experience of joy and sorrow in life.
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