Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Remembrance of Collins" is a poem by William Wordsworth, written in memory of the poet William Collins, who had died in 1759. The poem is a tribute to Collins' life and work, and it reflects on the themes of memory, loss, and mortality.

The poem is structured as a series of stanzas, each of which reflects on a different aspect of Collins' life and work. In the first stanza, Wordsworth describes the way that Collins' poetry captures the beauty and power of the natural world, saying, "How sleep the Brave, who sink to rest / By all their Country's wishes blest! / When Spring, with dewy fingers cold, / Returns to deck their hallow'd mould, / She there shall dress a sweeter sod / Than Fancy's feet have ever trod."

In the second stanza, Wordsworth reflects on the way that Collins' poetry captures the themes of loss and mortality, saying, "By fairy hands their knell is rung, / By forms unseen their dirge is sung; / There Honour comes, a pilgrim gray, / To bless the turf that wraps their clay; / And Freedom shall awhile repair / To dwell a weeping hermit there!"

In the final stanzas, Wordsworth reflects on the way that Collins' life and work have influenced his own poetry, saying, "Hark, how each giant-oak, and desert-cave, / Sighs to the torrent's awful voice beneath! / O'er thee, oh King! their hundred arms they wave, / Revenge on thee in hoarser murmurs breathe; / Vocal no more, since Cambria's fatal day, / To high-born Hoel's harp, or soft Llewellyn's lay."

Throughout the poem, Wordsworth's language is vivid and poetic, capturing the beauty and power of Collins' poetry and the themes that it explores. The poem is a tribute to the enduring power of memory and the way that it can help us to celebrate and commemorate the lives of those who have passed away.

In conclusion, "Remembrance of Collins" is a powerful and moving poem that celebrates the life and work of the poet William Collins, and it reflects on the themes of memory, loss, and mortality. The poem is a tribute to the enduring power of poetry and the way that it can capture the beauty and power of the natural world, as well as the complex emotions and experiences of the human spirit. The poem is a reminder of the importance of taking the time to appreciate and celebrate the lives and works of those who have gone before us, and of the way that memory can help us to find solace and comfort in the face of mortality.

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