Ode: Intimations of Immortality

Ode: Intimations of Immortality Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting: The Soul that rises with us, our life's Star, Hath had elsewhere its setting, And cometh from afar: Not in entire forgetfulness, And not in utter nakedness, But trailing clouds of glory do we come From God, who is our home: Heaven lies about us in our infancy! Shades of the prison-house begin to close Upon the growing Boy, But He beholds the light, and whence it flows, He sees it in his joy; The Youth, who daily farther from the east Must travel, still is Nature's Priest, And by the vision splendid Is on his way attended; At length the Man perceives it die away, And fade into the light of common day. Earth, and these trees, for ever young, In eloquent silence, whisper thro' the trees, A language that is ever-gentle On the listening mind; And in their leafy utmost branches The vital winds of Heaven do stir and breathe, That, through their agency, the vital spirit Of our human nature is kept free; And from the blessed influence Of this sweet Fern-land, The Soul, that, while it holds The sacred seats of its Inhabitants, Doth also seem to hold The sacred seats of its Inhabitants, Doth also seem to hold Inmates of a heavenly mansion, That hath no bound, no circumscription, But the vast and the unbounded, In the depth of which, like diamonds, The spirits of the just, and the blest, Shine with intenser light, and with more vivid hue. Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting: The Soul that rises with us, our life's Star, Hath had elsewhere its setting, And cometh from afar: Not in entire forgetfulness, And not in utter nakedness, But trailing clouds of glory do we come From God, who is our home: Heaven lies about us in our infancy! Shades of the prison-house begin to close Upon the growing Boy, But He beholds the light, and whence it flows, He sees it in his joy; The Youth, who daily farther from the east Must travel, still is Nature's Priest, And by the vision splendid Is on his way attended; At length the Man perceives it die away, And fade into the light of common day. The earth, and every common sight To me did seem Apparelled in celestial light, The glory and the freshness of a dream. It is not now as it hath been of yore;— Turn wheresoe'er I may, By night or day, The things which I have seen I now can see no more. The Rainbow comes and goes, And lovely is the Rose, The Moon doth with delight Look round her when the heavens are bare, Waters on a starry night Are beautiful and fair; The sunshine is a glorious birth; But yet I know, where'er I go, That there hath passed away a glory from the earth. Now, while the blessed sun is rising, and illumes The dew-drop on the grass, the morning primrose, And the unripe flax, that in the garden blows, And all around the verdant meadows gleam, The gentle brook, that, softly murmuring, flows From out the earth, and, with its gentle song, Doth chant the praise of God, who gave it birth, And all the while, the dew, in silence deep, Doth weep, and with its tears, the grass doth keep. O joy! that in our embers Is something that doth never die, That in our darkness is a light, That, in our sorrow, is a peace, That, in our fear, is a calm, That, in our deepest despair, is a hope, That, in our greatest joy, is a sense Of something that doth never fade. The thought of our past years in me doth breed Perpetual benedictions: not indeed For that which is most worthy to be blest;— Delight and liberty, the simple creed Of childhood, whether busy or at rest, With new-fledged hope still fluttering in his breast:— Not for these I raise The song of thanks and praise; But for those obstinate questionings Of sense and outward things, Fallings from us, vanishings; Blank misgivings of a Creature Moving about in worlds not realised, High instincts before which our mortal Nature Did tremble like a guilty Thing surprised: But for those first affections, Those shadowy recollections, Which, be they what they may, Are yet the fountain light of all our day, Are yet a master light of all our seeing; Uphold us, cherish us, and make Our noisy years seem moments in the being Of the eternal Silence: truths that wake, To perish never; Which neither listlessness, nor mad endeavour, Nor Man nor Boy, Nor all that is at enmity with joy, Can utterly abolish or destroy! Hence in a season of calm weather Though inland far we be, Our Souls have sight of that immortal sea Which brought us hither, Can in a moment travel thither, And see the Children sport upon the shore, And hear the mighty waters rolling evermore. Then, sing ye Birds, sing, sing a joyous song! And let the young Lambs bound As to the tabor's sound! And, ye that pipe and ye that dance, And ye that through your children's laughter Innocence and joy do make your own, Ye that are now no more, yet still are here, And in the earth, and in the elements, And in the heavens, and in the hearts of men, Do live, and will live on, forevermore. Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting: The Soul that rises with us, our life's Star, Hath had elsewhere its setting, And cometh from afar: Not in entire forgetfulness, And not in utter nakedness, But trailing clouds of glory do we come From God, who is our home: Heaven lies about us in our infancy! Shades of the prison-house begin to close Upon the growing Boy, But He beholds the light, and whence it flows, He sees it in his joy; The Youth, who daily farther from the east Must travel, still is Nature's Priest, And by the vision splendid Is on his way attended; At length the Man perceives it die away, And fade into the light of common day. Ode ini adalah salah satu karya terbaik dari William Wordsworth, yang membahas tentang keabadian jiwa dan keindahan alam. Puisi ini terdiri dari beberapa stanzas yang membahas tentang bagaimana jiwa manusia datang dari Tuhan dan bagaimana keindahan alam dapat membantu kita mengingat keabadian jiwa kita.