‘Composed Upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802’ is a petrachan sonnet, not written about love, but one in which eulogises the view over West Minster Bridge. William Wordsworth is describing the view because he is inspired it and the feelings surrounding the beauty of the view. It is similar to ‘Symphony in Yellow’ because it is an idealistic view of the surroundings; it also has a beautiful, tranquil impression of city life.
The poem is set in the early morning, which gives a special sort of radiance to the city. It gives an impression of a clean and refreshed setting that is virtually seen as shiny and new. It beauty is enhanced by introducing the dazzling sun. The poem is different to ‘Conveyancing’ as it is more peaceful and calming.
Later in the day it would be more tense, more rushing, and lots of hustle and bustle. Wordsworth’s impression is based on London at a time of the morning where everything is asleep, and the time when nature invades a man-made scene. He uses antiquated words such as, “doth,” and “ne-er” which gives a sense of the city being more special, “The city now doth.” Wordsworth also uses similes such as, “like a garment, wear the beauty of the morning,” suggests that the morning is the striking part, like a garment cloaking the reality of the city. It is a covering, a beautiful façade that is only temporary while the morning lasts.
The word “steep” means to be saturated in. The sun is completely saturating the hill; never did it more beautifully shine until it shone onto the buildings. The power of the sun if infusing all buildings with light. The effect given is that of the sheer radiance of sun, which is saturating everything.
The metaphor, “That mighty heart” relates towards the human body; the heart, being the main organ, is at the centre. The heart pumps resources around and therefore gives life and feeds the rest of the city. Everything centres around the city, while country is a life-giving organ.
“Touching and majesty”’ in line 3 suggests awe and wonder, the poet is emotionally moved by the sight. It is a graceful and elegant sight that holds certain power that allows it to come across as commanding and reveal an impressive nature. It is to be looked upon, and it forces you to be humble upon its present.
“The beauty of the morning; silent, bare,
Ships, towers, domes, theatres and temples lie.”
This list helps to construct the landscape as well as to create an image of all the buildings in the distant. It fills in the reader’s knowledge of the actual physical features that lay in the city, which help to understand the overall image created by filling in more detail to it.
“Bright and glittering” implies a sense that the buildings are treasures, like jewels all glittering as the sun is shimmering through.
“Never did sun more beautifully steep” contains alliteration, which produces sibilant sounds. This contributes to a tranquil feeling, certainly not an aggressive sound. It creates a restful atmosphere, and with the aid of soft consonants such as ‘s’ a smooth dreamy effect is created.
“Ne’er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep!” This repetition disrupts the flow and draws attention to the fine feeling he has. Quite a spontaneous feeling is illustrated by adding as it goes along; it is a personal attempt to record feelings.
“The river glideth at his own sweet will,” is a form of personification that infuses the river with a sense of life. The personality of the river is amiable and sweet natured, it is a sentimental way of making it a positive feature.
“Dear God!” The abrupt exclamation jolts the poem in attempt to suddenly articulate his feelings. It is quite a conversational line that recreates the experience of personal thought and emotion.
The poem ‘Conveyancing’ is a ballad that uses comedy to portray a bustling picture of life in London. Conveyancing is a general term for ‘moving things from one place to another,’ which is exactly what this poem is about. It is a ballad, which tells a story, and is characterized by stanzas of four lines that rhyme alternately. The poem has a regular rhythm/rhyme scheme throughout, and regular syllables to help people sing it fluently. It is a version of a comedy poem with a punch that portrays London as a place of trade, poverty and stealing.
The word “Bustling” suggests light-hearted action. Hood is being affectionate towards London but critical also, “no one ever stops.” It suggests that the city is too busy, and life is always on the go, “loco-motion!”
“Machine or man, or caravan,” implies that people are always busy making and taking money. It also means that you can practically have anything if you pay for it.
There is a lot of mention about the actual people in the city, and what happens in their life. Also, how they make an impact on how the city looks at a stereotypical perspective. There is talk about gambling, people getting drunk, and journalists. There are also jokes about horses being out of condition, “Then if you like a single horse, This age is quite a cab-age.” This suggests the poverty and scarcity in the city.
“Perched up to behind, at last to find, Your dinner is all dickey!” This is being critical of the cafes in London, and also of the standard of food that is served there.
There is a satirical tone that is brought in throughout the poem, whence the positive and negative aspects are shown. Some of the words are italicised, this defines a certain emphasis on words that create a constant rhythm going.
There are a lot of references to transport such as steam, train and horses. This adds to the impression of a fast-paced moving environment.
‘Symphony in Yellow’ is a poem where Wilde picks out dimensions of a scene that he is describing.
There is far less activity in this poem than ‘Conveyancing,’ and more of a tranquil atmosphere. The humans are not dominant impressions unlike ‘Conveyancing.’ ‘Symphony in Yellow’ is more about the nature and the soothing tone of the country.
“Crawls like a yellow butterfly,” is associating with meadows and peace. It adds to the calm and relaxed mood of the poem.
“The thick fog hangs along the quay.” This quote shows the fact that for is not just described as a dismal and depressing feature, but as elegant and enhancing.
There are signs of trees and vegetation, “The yellow leaves begin to fade.” Also, “And flutter from the Temple elms.” Again, this enhances the nature prospect and the beauty of the poem. “Pale green Thames,” is another dazzling luxury, which brings colour to the scene.
Wilde’s ‘Symphony in Yellow’ is a simple image-based soporyphic poem. It is written in a very idealistic motion, painting a misleading portrait. It is more artistic that accurate.
The poem is rather like ‘Composed Upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802’ as it is an idealistic view of London, taking into account the nature and character of the city instead of focusing on man-made features.
