Summary of The World Is Too Much With Us
Wordsworth’s sonnet mourns the widening distance between humanity and nature. In the opening lines he condemns the way our everyday concerns and the relentless pursuit of material goods have robbed us of a sense of wonder and stewardship toward the natural world. He closes the poem with an appeal to the ancient voices of the past, suggesting that we might regain that reverence if we turn our attention back to the environment.
Poem
The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers;
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!
This sea that bares her bosom to the moon;
The winds that will be howling at all hours,
And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers;
For this, for everything, we are out of tune;
It moves us not. Great God! I’d rather be
A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn;
So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,
Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;
Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;
Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn.
Lines 1–4: Material Concerns
These first four lines present the central problem of the poem: an alienation from the natural world that is fueled by a frantic pursuit of material wealth. The phrase “late and soon” underscores that this alienation is not a momentary lapse, but a continuous, ever‑present condition. Wordsworth’s verb “lay waste our powers” signals that we squander the very gifts and energy that nature offers us. He points out that we perceive little of the “Nature that is ours,” implying that our hearts no longer belong to the natural world but have been exchanged for something of lesser value.
Lines 5–8: Nature’s Majesty and Human Indifference
In the next four lines Wordsworth celebrates the beauty of the sea and the winds. “This sea that bares her bosom to the moon” and the description of the winds “howling at all hours” contrast sharply with the human disinterest expressed earlier. The concluding couplet “For this, for everything, we are out of tune” draws a direct comparison between the harmonious rhythms of the natural world and our failure to keep pace with it.
Lines 9–14: A Call to Reconnect
Wordsworth’s plea to return to an ancient relationship with the Earth is made clear in the final six lines. He asks, “It moves us not. Great God! I’d rather be a Pagan suckled in a creed outworn.” This request for a simpler, older faith signals a desire to reconnect with a more authentic form of reverence for nature. The stanza ends with the image of Proteus and Triton, sea‑deities who personify the wild, untamed waters that humanity has largely ignored.
Literary and Poetic Devices
- Personification: Wordsworth gives human traits to the sea and the winds, such as “bares her bosom” and “howling.” This gives the poem an intimate, vivid quality.
- Alliteration: The repetition of initial consonants, for instance in “and are up‑gathered now like sleeping flowers,” creates a musical effect.
- Sound: The poem’s rhyme pattern is irregular. The octave follows the scheme A B B A C C D D, while the sestet uses E F G G H H. The poem therefore does not follow the strict ABBA ABBA CDECDE pattern that is typical of some Petrarchan sonnets.
- Poetic language: Wordsworth uses metaphors such as “sordid boon” and “out of tune” to describe how society feels detached from nature.
- Form: The sonnet is organized into an octave (eight lines) that presents the problem, and a sestet (six lines) that proposes a solution. The poem is written in iambic pentameter, giving it a regular, rhythmic feel.