The Tables Turned An Evening Scene on the Same Subject by William Wordsworth (Poem, Summary, Paraphrase & Analysis)

 

The Tables Turned

An Evening Scene on the Same Subject

by William Wordsworth

(Poem, Summary, Paraphrase & Analysis) 

The Tables Turned

Up! up! my Friend, and quit your books;

Or surely you'll grow double:

Up! up! my Friend, and clear your looks;

Why all this toil and trouble?

 

The sun, above the mountain's head,

A freshening lustre mellow

Through all the long green fields has spread,

His first sweet evening yellow.

 

Books! 'tis a dull and endless strife:

Come, hear the woodland linnet,

How sweet his music! on my life,

There's more of wisdom in it.

 

And hark! how blithe the throstle sings!

And he is no mean preacher;

Come forth into the light of things,

Let Nature be your teacher.

 

She has a world of ready wealth,

Our minds and hearts to bless—

Spontaneous wisdom breathed by health,

Truth breathed by cheerfulness.

 

One impulse from a vernal wood

May teach you more of man,

Of moral evil and of good,

Than all the sages can.

 

Sweet is the lore which Nature brings;

Our meddling intellect

Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:—

We murder to dissect.

 

Enough of Science and of Art;

Close up those barren leaves;

Come forth, and bring with you a heart

That watches and receives.

 

Summary

Stanza 1

The speaker urges his friend to stop reading books and get up. He warns that too much studying will harm him, both physically and mentally, and suggests it's time to stop working so hard.

 

Stanza 2

The speaker draws attention to the beautiful natural scene outside. The sun is setting over the mountain, casting a gentle golden light over the green fields, creating a peaceful and pleasant atmosphere.

 

Stanza 3

He criticizes the constant struggle of studying books, calling it boring and endless. He invites his friend to listen to the woodland linnet (a small songbird), claiming its song offers more wisdom than any book.

 

Stanza 4

The speaker then points to another bird, the throstle (a song thrush), praising its joyful singing. He describes it as a kind of preacher and encourages his friend to step outside and learn from nature directly.

 

Stanza 5

He praises nature for its rich and spontaneous wisdom. According to the speaker, nature can bless people’s minds and hearts, offering truth and cheerfulness in a natural, healthy way.

 

Stanza 6

The speaker claims that a single moment in a springtime forest can teach a person more about humanity, morality, and life than all the ancient philosophers and scholars ever could.

 

Stanza 7

He acknowledges that nature’s teachings are sweet and valuable. In contrast, human intellect often interferes too much and distorts the natural beauty of things. He gives the example of dissecting something to understand it and thereby killing it in the process.

 

Stanza 8

The speaker concludes by telling his friend to stop relying on science and art found in books, calling them “barren leaves.” Instead, he urges him to come outside with a heart that is open, watchful, and ready to learn directly from nature.

 

Line-by-line Paraphrase

The Tables Turned

An Evening Scene on the Same Subject

 

1. Up! up! my Friend, and quit your books;

 Get up, my friend, and put away your books;

 

2. Or surely you'll grow double:

 Otherwise, you’ll become hunched over or weary from too much reading;

 

3. Up! up! my Friend, and clear your looks;

 Come on, cheer up and brighten your face;

 

4. Why all this toil and trouble?

 Why are you burdening yourself with such hard study?

 

5. The sun, above the mountain's head,

 The sun has risen above the mountaintop,

 

6. A freshening lustre mellow

 Spreading a soft and refreshing glow,

 

7. Through all the long green fields has spread,

 That now shines across the wide green fields,

 

8. His first sweet evening yellow.

 Bringing the gentle golden light of early evening.

 

9. Books! 'tis a dull and endless strife:

 Studying books is a boring and never-ending struggle;

 

10. Come, hear the woodland linnet,

 Instead, listen to the little songbird in the woods;

 

11. How sweet his music! on my life,

 His song is so beautiful—I swear it’s true;

 

12. There's more of wisdom in it.

 You can find more wisdom in that bird’s song than in books.

 

13. And hark! how blithe the throstle sings!

 Listen! The thrush is singing so joyfully;

 

14. And he is no mean preacher;

 And he is just as good as any preacher or teacher;

 

15. Come forth into the light of things,

 Step outside into the real, living world;

 

16. Let Nature be your teacher.

 Let the natural world guide your learning.

 

17. She has a world of ready wealth,

 Nature holds endless riches,

 

18. Our minds and hearts to bless—

 That can nourish both our minds and hearts—

 

19. Spontaneous wisdom breathed by health,

 Offering natural wisdom that comes from healthy living,

 

20. Truth breathed by cheerfulness.

 And truths that are joyfully and effortlessly revealed.

 

21. One impulse from a vernal wood

 A single inspiration from a springtime forest

 

22. May teach you more of man,

 Might teach you more about human nature,

 

23. Of moral evil and of good,

 About right and wrong,

 

24. Than all the sages can.

 Than all the wise philosophers ever could.

 

25. Sweet is the lore which Nature brings;

 The lessons Nature teaches are delightful;

 

26. Our meddling intellect

 But our interfering human mind

 

27. Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:—

 Twists and ruins the beauty of the natural world;

 

28. We murder to dissect.

 We destroy life when we try to analyze it too deeply (like dissecting a bird to understand its song).

 

29. Enough of Science and of Art;

 Let’s leave behind science and art for now;

 

30. Close up those barren leaves;

 Shut those lifeless book pages;

 

31. Come forth, and bring with you a heart

 Step outside, and bring a heart that is

 

32. That watches and receives.

 Open, observant, and ready to take in the wonders of Nature.

 

Analysis in Detail

William Wordsworth’s poem “The Tables Turned” stands as a powerful manifesto of Romanticism, championing nature as the ultimate source of wisdom and condemning the limitations of bookish learning. Through a conversational tone and vivid imagery, Wordsworth presents an argument that knowledge and truth are more effectively grasped through direct experience with the natural world than through the formal education found in books.

The poem opens with a passionate call to action. The speaker addresses a friend, urging him to stop reading and to come outside. The repeated commands—"Up! up!"—set a tone of urgency and excitement, as if the speaker cannot wait for his friend to abandon his books and embrace the beauty of the world around them. Wordsworth immediately contrasts the dullness of intellectual toil with the freshness of the natural evening scene, where the sun casts a golden hue across green fields. The imagery here is warm, alive, and engaging, painting nature as a soothing balm for the mind and soul.

As the poem progresses, the speaker dismisses the value of books, claiming they bring endless strife and offer only a dry, detached form of knowledge. In contrast, he presents the songs of birds—the linnet and the throstle—as sources of genuine wisdom. These birds, symbols of spontaneity and natural joy, teach not through structured arguments but through the intuitive beauty of their music. This opposition between the artificial and the organic is central to the poem. Nature is portrayed as a living, breathing teacher, while books are cold, lifeless, and burdensome.

Wordsworth builds on this idea by attributing to nature a kind of spontaneous and cheerful wisdom. In the stanza beginning “She has a world of ready wealth,” nature is described as offering emotional and intellectual blessings without the need for study or discipline. The phrase “spontaneous wisdom breathed by health” suggests that when people are physically well and connected to the world around them, they naturally absorb truth. This is a striking Romantic idea: that intuition, feeling, and sensory engagement with the world can yield moral and philosophical insight more effectively than analytical reasoning.

The poem continues to elevate the power of nature as a moral teacher. One single impulse from a springtime wood, the speaker claims, can teach more about human goodness and evil than all the philosophical writings ever produced. Wordsworth thus redefines the source of true learning—not through structured arguments or logical discourse, but through experience, reflection, and observation of the natural world. He does not simply advocate for a love of nature but promotes it as a superior educational force.

One of the most provocative lines in the poem is “We murder to dissect.” This metaphor encapsulates Wordsworth’s mistrust of scientific and intellectual interference with nature. By dissecting or analyzing something, we may destroy its essence or beauty. In trying to understand the mechanics of a bird’s song, for example, we might kill the bird itself. For Wordsworth, the attempt to explain nature through logic and reason strips it of mystery and emotional impact.

The final stanza sums up the poem’s core message. The speaker says, “Enough of Science and of Art,” rejecting the structured forms of knowledge and culture. Books are called “barren leaves,” lifeless compared to the richness of the natural world. The poem ends by calling the reader to approach life with a heart “that watches and receives,” emphasizing passive receptiveness over active seeking. This is a quiet but profound shift from Enlightenment ideals of reason and conquest toward a Romantic embrace of humility, wonder, and emotional openness.

In form and language, “The Tables Turned” is simple and conversational, reflecting Wordsworth’s poetic goal of using everyday language to express profound truths. The poem’s rhyme and rhythm are regular, reinforcing the calm and balanced tone even as the speaker passionately urges a radical rethinking of how we learn and grow.

Ultimately, “The Tables Turned” is more than just an ode to nature; it is a philosophical argument in poetic form. Wordsworth challenges the dominance of book-learning and intellectualism in his time, proposing instead that the natural world holds deeper, more intuitive truths. The poem invites readers not just to admire nature, but to learn from it—to step outside the classroom, listen to the birds, feel the sunlight, and discover the spontaneous wisdom that surrounds them.