Introduction
In 1792, a young William Wordsworth visited France and met Annette Vallon. The lovers had a daughter, Caroline, but were sundered when Revolutionary France declared war on Britain. Shortly before William married Mary Hutchinson in October 1802, with her encouragement William seized the opportunity of the Peace of Amiens to visit Calais for a seaside walk with his little daughter.
IT is a beauteous Evening,
calm and free;
The holy time is quiet as a Nun
Breathless with adoration; the broad sun
Is sinking down in its tranquillity;
The gentleness of heaven is on the Sea:*
Listen! the mighty Being is awake,
And doth with his eternal motion make
A sound like thunder—everlastingly.*
Dear Child! dear Girl! that walkest with me here,
If thou appear’st untouched by solemn thought,
Thy nature is not therefore less divine:
Thou liest ‘in Abraham’s bosom’ all the year;*
And worshipp’st at the Temple’s inner shrine,*
God being with thee when we know it not.
As the Spirit of God ‘moved upon the face of the waters’ in Genesis 1:2.
The thunder of the surf. See also Revelation 14:2.
A reference to the Parable of Dives and Lazarus, in Luke 16:19-31: ‘And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom.’ Wordsworth means that in their simplicity and innocence, children live in the courts of heaven at all times, even if they do not know it, or do not appear to think seriously. See also Matthew 18:10.
The Temple here is the body, which according to St Paul is the temple of the Holy Spirit. See 1 Corinthians 6:19. The idea that the invisible energies of God may be found suffusing Nature and dwelling in the Temple of the heart was a theme to which the poet returned again and again: see also The Rainbow, written just a few months earlier. Theologically, his instincts are highly sophisticated, far beyond the custom of his day to see Christianity in terms of moral restraint, or political and social activism.
Précis
On a seaside walk with his daughter, listening to the surf and enjoying the evening sunshine, William Wordsworth reflected that although little Caroline was too young to have any weighty thoughts about God or religion, like all children she was (he firmly believed ) able to find God within herself, for all nature seems imbued with the divine energy. (58 / 60 words)
On a seaside walk with his daughter, listening to the surf and enjoying the evening sunshine, William Wordsworth reflected that although little Caroline was too young to have any weighty thoughts about God or religion, like all children she was (he firmly believed ) able to find God within herself, for all nature seems imbued with the divine energy.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 65 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 55 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: because, may, must, not, otherwise, since, unless, who.
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Word Games
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Beauteous. If. Untouched.
2 All. Girl. Mighty.
3 Adoration. Do. Here.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
Verb and Noun Find in Think and Speak
Many words can serve as noun or verb depending on context: see if you can prove this with the examples below. Nouns go well with words such as the/a, or his/her; verbs go well after I/you/he etc..
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Sink. 2 Time. 3 Make. 4 Sound. 5 Sun.
Variations: 1.if possible, use your noun in the plural, e.g. cat → cats. 2.use your verb in a past form, e.g. go → went. 3.use your noun in a sentence with one of these words: any, enough, fewer, less, no, some.
Homophones Find in Think and Speak
In each group below, you will find words that sound the same, but differ in spelling and also in meaning. Compose your own sentences to bring out the differences between them.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
High Tiles Find in Think and Speak
Make words (three letters or more) from the seven letters showing below, using any letter once only. Each letter carries a score. What is the highest-scoring word you can make?
Your Words ()
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