From dead men to their kind
You look round on your mother earth
As if she for no purpose bore you;
As if you were her first-born birth
And none had lived before you!"
One morning thus, by Esthwaite lake
When life was sweet I knew not why
To me my good friend Matthew spake
And thus I made reply
"The eye it cannot chuse but see
We cannot bid the ear be still;
Our bodies feel, where'er they be
Against, or with our will
"Nor less I deem that there are powers
Which of themselves our minds impress
That we can feed this mind of ours
This line “Against, or with our will” really highlights the lack of control that comes with being a living entity. You are born into a body, seemingly without choice, that needs to be taken care of, that is, nourished, cleansed, protected, etc. You assume this responsibility of having a body without choice, just as, as Wordsworth is speaking of, not having a choice in the external stimuli that you take in. Our five senses are constantly experiencing stimuli and sensations, and it seems that Wordsworth is delighting in the fact of just sitting still and being able to just take it all in; to just take it all in while sitting still, what he sees, what he hears, what he smells, what he feels, what he tastes, is more than enough for him to stay occupied reflecting on. I think this poem sends a great message for urban society where life is all about the hustle and bustle, and for my generation that always has a cell phone, or a laptop, or a iPad, or a tablet, or whatever in their hands while simultaneously sitting in class or at their work desk or at the dinner table…what this poem is really saying is that sometimes you need to just STOP, breathe, and take it all in and just be in the moment of being alive and let that be your enjoyment instead of constantly occupying yourself with a million and one things.
Expostulation and Reply