William Wordsworth Splendor in the grass full poem

March 16th, 2012 (07:34 am)

William Wordsworth Splendor in the grass full poem

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What though the radiance
which was once so bright
Be now for ever taken from my sight,
Though nothing can bring back the hour
Of splendour in the grass,
of glory in the flower,
We will grieve not, rather find
Strength in what remains behind;
In the primal sympathy
Which having been must ever be;
In the soothing thoughts that spring
Out of human suffering;
In the faith that looks through death,
In years that bring the philosophic mind.
- a portion of Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood by William Wordsworth

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The portion of William Wordsworth's poem from the 1961 movie 'Splendor in the Grass' with Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty.

Stephanie Urias

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The portion of William Wordsworth's poem from the 1961 movie 'Splendor in the Grass' with Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty.

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The portion of William Wordsworth's poem from the 1961 movie 'Splendor in the Grass' with Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty.

Find this Pin and more on movies by Stephanie Urias.

11th Jun 2018 | 156 notes

by William Wordsworth

What though the radiance
which was once so bright
Be now for ever taken from my sight,
Though nothing can bring back the hour
Of splendour in the grass,
of glory in the flower,
We will grieve not, rather find
Strength in what remains behind;
In the primal sympathy
Which having been must ever be;
In the soothing thoughts that spring
Out of human suffering;
In the faith that looks through death,
In years that bring the philosophic mind.

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Life comes at you fast. One day, the whole god-damned world sparkles like a trio of bindis on your forehead. The next, you're jaded and your only solace is a vague nostalgic sense of how glorious things once were.

Why do we put forward such a bleak vision of the world as a lovely sunny winter weekend descends upon us?

William Wordsworth Splendor in the grass full poem

We're confident that 18th century Romantic poets almost certainly never experienced the joy of tie-dyed outfits. which is a shame, really.

Mark Metcalfe via Getty Images

Because this was pretty much the world view of Romantic poet William Wordsworth (1770-1850). And it's Wordsworth who originally coined the phrase "Splendour In The Grass" in his poem Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood.

Wait, the phrase "Splendour in the Grass" is over 200 years old?

It is. People often think it originates from a 1961 Oscar-winning film of the same name. But they're wrong.

HuffPost Australia is at the festival this weekend and spoke to its founders. They said they almost called the festival "Home and Away", but eventually settled upon the name of the 1961 film.

William Wordsworth Splendor in the grass full poem

Not much grass but loads of splendour.

Getty Images

But if they'd seen the film lately, they'd recall that it pays direct homage to old Wordsie. Indeed, Natalie Wood's character reads key Wordsworth lines at the end of the film. Here's the stanza she reads:

Though nothing can bring back the hour

Of splendour in the grass, of glory in the flower;

We will grieve not, rather find

Strength in what remains behind;

So what does these words mean and why does it matter?

We put that question to Professor Will Christie at the Australian National University. He's an English literature expert and thoroughly good bloke who knows his Wordsworth backwards. Among other things he said:

"What the poem's about is a sense in a particular kind of nostalgia, the idea of childhood as a time of extraordinary visionary clarity.

The challenge is how do you overcome this [as you get older], and that's where the idea of the splendour of the grass comes in.

What is more ordinary than grass? Grass is not supposed to be splendid, but if you see it with the right eyes...

The answer is there. We have to recover the sense of importance of even the most ordinary things."

So there you have it. The name of this festival has a lovely message tied in.

And to reiterate, that message is to savour your youthful years, which are the best, clearest, most wonderful years of your life.

But when those years fade, don't get washed-up and cynical and despairing. Instead, find beauty and inspiration and yes, even splendour, in the most mundane situations and objects -- and what could be a better metaphor for ordinariness than boring old grass?

William Wordsworth Splendor in the grass full poem

Grass is even more splendid when you turn it into slidey mud.

Cassandra Hannagan via Getty Images

One last thought...

Wordsworth was obsessed with youth in other poems too. In his poem My Heart Leaps Up, he famously wrote "The Child is father of the Man", implying that we're pure in our precious early years before world-weariness sets in and the grass is no longer so splendid.

The people who named "Splendour in the Grass" likely had none of that in mind. Seems like they pretty much chose the phrase because it has an upbeat feel to it suggesting excitement, outdoorsiness, even sexiness.

But it's nice to know there's a deeper message we can all take home, don't you think?

William Wordsworth Splendor in the grass full poem

He won't be there this year because he hates Queens of the Stone Age. Oh, and also because he's dead.

ullstein bild via Getty Images

ALSO ON HUFFPOST AUSTRALIA

What is the poem from splendor in the grass?

'Splendour in the Grass' by William Wordsworth is an excerpt from the poet's much longer, 'Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood. ' The excerpt describes aging and where, after their youth has ended, one should seek strength and happiness.

What is the quote from splendor in the grass?

Wilma Dean : [voiceover] Though nothing can bring back the hour of splendor in the grass, glory in the flower, we will grieve not; rather find strength in what remains behind.

What does the ending of splendor in the grass mean?

The film's ending is timeless. Deanie finds out that Bud lives out of town, dirt poor with a wife and child. She pays him one last visit to wish him happiness, though both admit that they do not think much about the concept anymore. Then they part.

Who wrote the poem Splendour in the grass?

Quote by William Wordsworth: “Splendour in the Grass What though the radianc...”