II. Sources of Imagination

As Wordsworth recalls his youth, he brings back memories of episodes of childhood explorations. He calls the episodes “spots of time,” which he relies on to connect the consciousness of his past and his present. Describing the sceneries of nature from his past, he narrates from a perspective of how he senses and feels those sceneries in the past and present. The sceneries are often common and ordinary, e.g., a breeze, sunshine, and blue sky, as are the senses and feelings.

OH there is blessing in this gentle breeze, A visitant that while it fans my cheek Doth seem half-conscious of the joy it brings From the green fields, and from yon azure sky. Whate'er its mission, the soft breeze can come To none more grateful than to me

(Book I, 1-6)

Feeling of blessing in the gentle breeze as he senses the breeze fanning his cheek, being half-conscious of the joy the breeze brings from the green fields and the azure sky, the poet is grateful for the soft breeze. A common breeze invokes common senses and feelings. If one is transported back in time to sense and feel the same, one may feel a true sense of tranquility no matter the state of mind.

But the mind cannot stay tranquil, as it is how the mind works. Questions of “where do I belong” soon invade the poet. Imagining himself to be a bird, having escaped the city, the poet wonders:

What dwelling shall receive me? in what vale Shall be my harbour? underneath what grove Shall I take up my home? and what clear stream Shall with its murmur lull me into rest?

(Book I, 10-14)

With the unknown, one may be concerned or scared. The poet shows how he copes. Still feeling joyous from the soft breeze, the poet reminds himself that he is not scared of his liberty and the many questions he faces, that he cannot misses his way. The wandering cloud can be his guide. He breathes again and shakes off what is in his mind and the weight on himself. What is described is the beginning of the Prelude - the poet does not miss a beat to start the education of feelings and senses from the very beginning of the poem.

For Wordsworth, imagination is essential, as the human mind, the sense of self, human reason, and rationality all intertwine with imagination. For him, the very foundation of spiritual life, the love from God, cannot exist without imagination. Thus, the poet calls the faculty of imagination the “feeding source of our long labor.” He writes:

This spiritual Love acts not nor can exist Without imagination, which, in truth, Is but another name for absolute power And clearest insight, amplitude of mind, And Reason in her most exalted mood. This faculty hath been the feeding source Of our long labour

(Book II, 188-194)

If imagination is the feeding source for all the richness of the mind and human life, what is the source of imagination? How does one learn to imagine? Or to have the right kind of imagination? For him, the primary source of imagination comes from nature. The poet suggests paying homage to nature as a way to build up the imagination. In the below verses, “fancy” is used in place of imagination.

A homage frankly offered up, like that Which I had paid to Nature. Toil and pains In this recess, by thoughtful Fancy built, Should spread from heart to heart

(Book III, 379-382)

Nature plays an indispensable role in the Prelude. Not only is nature present throughout the poem, but it is also the primary topic for Book VIII, titled “Retrospect - Love of Nature Leading to Love of Man.” The main reason that loving nature can lead to the love of man is that loving nature causes one to be cheerful and tranquil, and as the cheerfulness and tranquility spread from man to man, so does love. Nature not only can instill in the mind through extrinsic passion - imagination - with “forms sublime or fair,” it can lead to an intellectual charm - another form of imagination.

Nor, sedulous as I have been to trace How Nature by extrinsic passion first Peopled the mind with forms sublime or fair, And made me love them, may I here omit How other pleasures have been mine, and joys Of subtler origin; how I have felt, Not seldom even in that tempestuous time, Those hallowed and pure motions of the sense Which seem, in their simplicity, to own An intellectual charm

(Book I, 549-555)

To benefit from nature as the source of imagination, one has to open his heart to the beauty of nature. Nature and the human heart are what the poet turns to when imagination needs repair.

With deep devotion, Nature, did I feel, In that enormous City's turbulent world Of men and things, what benefit I owed To thee, and those domains of rural peace, Where to the sense of beauty first my heart Was opened

(Book VIII, 70-75)

Imagination also comes from sources other than what nature impresses upon the poet. Other minds, books, or music can be sources of delight and imagination. Thus, from Shakespeare to Milton, from books to music, all senses can be hungry and can be fed. Once the senses are fed with a good feeding source, one is delighted, and imagination flows. The works of poetry can be particularly captivating for the poet. He writes:

Oftentimes at least Me hath such strong entrancement overcome, When I have held a volume in my hand, Poor earthly casket of immortal verse, Shakespeare, or Milton, labourers divine!

(Book V, 161-165)

The memory from experience is also a source of imagination when one's surroundings trigger the memory. As the poet observes the “parent hen amid her brood” (Book V, 246), the memory of his late mother comes to mind. Like his imagination of nature, the imagination of his mother similarly brings the poet to a state of tranquil contemplation.

And spot in which she lived, and through a grace Of modest meekness, simple-mindedness, A heart that found benignity and hope, Being itself benign.

(Book V, 290-293)

In short, according to the poet, the primary source of imagination is from nature. Pleasure will come from the meditation of nature, and such pleasure leads to a state of tranquil contemplation. Memory, poetry, music, and anything that nourishes the senses can be a source for imagination. All of these external factors working with the mind mysteriously give rise to the power of imagination. Although there is no sure way to lead to the imagination of the right kind, there are the main factors that can influence the imagination.