To What Extent do Wordsworth and Coleridge consider nature ‘sacred’?
In ‘Lyrical Ballads’, nature is one of the major, if not the main, theme explored by both authors. Wordsworth and Coleridge have slightly different views of nature but both seem to consider it a strong and sacred force.
In many of his poems, Wordsworth refers to nature in a way that equates it with a kind of god, and so could be viewed as ‘sacred’. In ‘Tables Turned’, Wordsworth claims that nature is ‘no mean preacher’ and advises his reader to ‘Come forth into the light of things’. The word ‘mean’ contrasts the holiness and goodness of nature to the restrictive, dominating force of organised religion, as Wordsworth sees it. ‘Light’ is a traditional symbol of God’s grace, and Wordsworth invites his reader to let nature be their ‘preacher’ rather than God. The words ‘preacher’ and ‘light’ with its connotations equate nature with God in Wordsworth’s eyes. In ‘Tintern Abbey’, Wordsworth also names himself a ‘worshipper of Nature’. The capitalisation in particular is effective in allowing a reader to realise his views of nature as his religion, because it is usual to see ‘God’ capitalised in this way. This shows that Wordsworth certainly considers nature to be very sacred, as sacred to him as God.
Wordsworth seems to challenge organised Christian religion by suggesting paradise can be found on earth. In ‘Tintern Abbey’ in particular, he implies that nature is like a divine place and instils in him a divine state. The description in the first stanza uses evocative imagery and enjambment to convey the beauty of his surroundings and in the second stanza claims that nature helps him to ‘see into the life of things’ and helps him enjoy ‘unremembered pleasure’ in his ‘purer mind’. The word ‘pure’ could be taken to link the sensations evoked by nature on Wordsworth with the religious idea of innocence. He is also able to see ‘into the life of things’, which suggests a deeper understanding of life. These feelings he has, coupled with the glorious description in the opening stanza, reveal nature as the epitome of morality, innocence and beauty. It can be argued that these qualities associate nature with paradise, a ‘Garden of Eden’ on earth. This idea challenges somewhat Christian traditions, because the overwhelming idea of Christianity, or indeed any religion, is that paradise can not be found on earth. Earth is traditionally pictured as flawed and sinful, and your life on earth is seen as simply a kind of test as to whether you deserve eternal ‘paradise’, but Wordsworth challenges this strongly by implying paradise can be found on earth, in nature.
Coleridge makes a slightly less direct case for the appreciation of nature in his poem, ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’. At a simple level, the moral Coleridge teaches is to love all living things, ‘He prayeth best who loveth best, / All things both great and small’. He uses his message and language to portray all creatures, which are all part of nature, as holy. The depiction of the water-snakes in the latter stages of the poem is an example of the glorifying language used. They are described as ‘Blue, glossy green, and velvet black’ and their tracks are a ‘flash of golden fire’. The colours and adjectives used add vividness to the water-snakes, and are an effective way to bring life to the creatures. They are made to seem extraordinarily exciting and alive, revealing Coleridge’s respect for nature. The language throughout the poem is in a similar vein when discussing natural phenomenon, showing Coleridge also views nature as ‘sacred’ and special.
However, the word ‘sacred’ can be interpreted in different ways. In one sense, it could be taken to mean extremely holy and something that should be left untouched. This is one meaning that Wordsworth could be viewed as disagreeing with. Although he does worship nature and respect it, he believes the best way to a perfect existence is for man and nature to combine and live in harmony with each other. This is most clearly expressed in ‘Tintern Abbey’. In the opening description of Wordsworth’s ideal scene, he paints pictures of cottages nestled among trees, ‘Green to the very door; and wreathes of smoke / Sent up, in silence, from among the trees’. This image displays the perfect mix of human activity with nature; the greenness extends ‘to the very door’ of the cottage and the smoke is sent up ‘in silence’, so as not to disturb nature. God has not altered the landscape, humans have, but he finds this acceptable, and even encourages it. Although Wordsworth seems to value nature wild and unspoilt in certain poems, he makes it clear here he does not believe nature to be so sacred it is untouchable; indeed, he finds that additions to nature by man that are unobtrusive extend nature’s beauty and holiness, rather than impeding it. ‘Tintern Abbey’ is the final poem of the collection, meaning its moral outlook will stay with the reader most. In this sense, it appears that the views exhibited in this poem are Wordsworth’s definitive portrayal of nature. While he certainly values nature in its pure form, he understands it is not so sacred that it must be isolated from human creation. This view is perhaps the most realistic and valuable given by Wordsworth; he holds strong respect for nature, but realises it cannot be isolated from the human world and creates an ideal balance between the two.
‘Sacred’ could also imply something consecrated and devoted only to a few. The view of nature as sacred in this sense can be both contradicted and justified in different Wordsworth poems. He clearly does not intend to make people feel segregated from nature; he actually stated his intent when writing the ballads was to create poetry that was accessible to the masses, in the language of everyday men. Since a main theme in all his poetry in this collection is nature, love and respect for nature is certainly something he wishes to instil in his readers. To this end, Wordsworth makes many clear statements to the reader in his poems including in ‘The Tables Turned’, the line ‘Let nature be your teacher’. He encourages everyone to live their lives by learning through nature, and so trying to make both art and nature accessible and available to everyone.
Conversely, Wordsworth can be criticised for being too idealistic when voicing this opinion. In ‘Expostulation and Reply’, he recounts being criticised for sitting idly on a stone to just ‘dream [his] time away’. While he makes a good case as to why he believes it is a good thing to sit and dream, for many at the time it would simply not have been a practical reality. If his book of poems was indeed aimed everyday men, they would surely not have time to sit and dream; they would have to work. So while his plan to spread poetry and its ideals to the masses was admirable, he is being either hypocritical or naïve to suggest to his reader that they should follow his example and sit all day to appreciate nature. Therefore, this interpretation depicts nature as something sacred, in that Wordsworth implies it can only be truly valued and appreciated by the few who have time to sit and ‘absorb’ it.
There are different interpretations of the word ‘sacred’, and Coleridge and Wordsworth’s ‘Lyrical Ballads’ seem to agree that nature is sacred in the basic sense of the word through religious symbolism and beautiful imagery in relation to nature. Wordsworth seems to argue that nature alone is not as sacred, but when it is combined with man’s careful influence, it becomes something of a paradise to him. But this does not actually contradict the fact that he finds nature sacred, just that refined nature is more sacred than wild nature. However, the very premise of the collection challenges the concept that nature is ‘sacred’ in the sense of being holy and inaccessible to many. The ‘common’ language makes the collection appeal to the masses, and it teaches the reader to respect and love nature. Nature is portrayed as special, powerful and sacred in the majority of the ‘Lyrical Ballads’, although discrepancies over the meaning of ‘sacred’ could allow room for argument that some poems contradict this view of nature.