Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802
Earth has not anything to show more fair:
Dull would he be of soul who could pass by
A sight so touching in its majesty:
This City now doth, like a garment, wear
The beauty of the morning; silent, bare,
Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie
Open unto the fields, and to the sky;
All bright and glittering in the smokeless air.
Never did sun more beautifully steep
In his first splendour, valley, rock, or hill;
Ne'er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep!
The river glideth at his own sweet will:
Dear God! the very houses seem asleep;
And all that mighty heart is lying still!
By William Wordsworth
This was such a wonderful poem for me to visual as I have stood on that very bridge looking in both directions he describes (I couldn't figure out the direction of the sun "steeping" as I believe it means both rising and falling...maybe he was standing on the bridge for a long duration! On one side of the bridge you see the Parliament Building and Big Ben at the end of the bridge and numerous little roadside shops and the opening to one of the most popular underground stops on the whole line. I am not sure if you can actually see Westminster Abbey from the bridge or if it is slightly around the corner, but probably just the top. On the other side of the bridge which he appears to be describing in more depth is the London Eye, Aquarium, 2 more bridges in the distance, houses, and the road that runs alongs the Thames. I stopped here many times when I was there a few years ago and I bet a lot of people do. If I am ever there again I will most surely include the writing of a poem in my stop. Wordsworth is so easy to understand and flows words and rhythms so beautifully...
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