The Question

• Theme of Poetry and Artistic Inspiration

  • Poem presents the imagination as a lush garden where poetic inspiration grows like flowers.
  • The speaker's imaginary garden springs to life "suddenly" suggesting the brain's ability to create new ideas out of nothing.
  • The fertile garden reflects the fertility of the imagination.
  • Speaker arranges the "visionary flowers" into a bouquet which suggests that all inspiration must be taken to create something beautiful.
  • Poetry presented as organic.
• Theme of the Beauty and Power of the Imagination

  • The poem suggests that the imagination is boundlessly fertile with no limits to human creativity.
  • The speaker's inner landscape reflects the beauty of the outside world, but unlike nature the human mind has no limits.
  • Flower and garden imagery suggests an endless supply of creativity, never destroyed by the harsh realities of the real world.
• Theme of Artistry and Audience

  • The speaker takes private delight in gathering a "nosegay" from the garden of his imagination, a representation of creating a poem.
  • The urge to share artistry comes with both excitement and anxiety.
  • Speaker doesn't have a plan for his impulsive act of creation, and they only think to give it to someone after making it.
  • Poem raises the question all artists face, who will appreciate their work?
• "I dreamed that, as I wandered by the way, // Bare Winter suddenly was changed to Spring."

  • The speaker immediately declares their dream at the start of the poem and sets the scene for their imaginary journey.
  • Syntax of the poem beginning with a personal pronoun may suggest the speaker's sense of self-importance.
  • Verb "wandered" reflects Romantic ideas of the individual experience of the sublime as the speaker goes through the dream-like garden of their imagination.
  • Iambic pentameter and the alternating AB rhyme scheme matches the speaker's careful steps.
  • "Winter" evokes the uninspired mind while the lush growth of "Spring" suggests a fruitful imagination. Implies that inspiration comes "suddenly."
  • Sibilance creates soothing tone and shows the quick shift in seasons.
• "Daisies, those pearled Arcturi of the earth, // The constellated flower that never sets;"

  • Metaphor of "Arcturi" compares the daisies to constellations of the stars.
  • The "flowers" of the dream-like garden represent the speaker's imagination and carefully crafted poetry. Linking them to "constellations" suggest a sort of spiritual and natural power.
  • Speaker may present their imagination are more powerful than nature itself, as the human mind has no limits.
  • "never sets" might link to the setting sun, emphasising nature's inferiority to the human imagination. "Never" is absolute.
• "Tender bluebells (...) The sod scarce heaved; and that tall flower that wets - // Like a child..."

  • "tender" creates a soft and sweet tone, highlighted by the colour imagery of "blue" as dream-like.
  • Sibilance emphasises the soothing atmosphere, almost like a gentle breeze.
  • Simile "like a child" reflects Romantic ideas of the innocence of children.
  • Personification of "tall flower" suggests ideas of mother nature, that the earth has given birth to the flowers and hence the "child[ren]."
  • Emphasised later with quote "mother's face."
• "And cherry-blossoms, and white cups, whose wine // Was the bright dew..."

  • Metaphorically "dew" and "wine" are compared to highlight a sense of intoxicating joy in the act of creation.
  • Mentions of colours such as "white" and "cherry" conveys rich imagery as though the imaginary garden is full of life, therefore the speaker's imagination is full of ideas.
  • This stanza has polysyndeton which reflects overwhelming fertile imagery of both the garden/nature and the speaker's imagination.
• "...streaked with gold, // Fairer than any wakened eyes behold."

  • Connotations of "gold" reflect precious materials and wealth, suggests the speaker's imagination is fruitful and sophisticated.
  • "behold" suggests a sense of importance, the speaker presents their imagination as better than reality. "Fairer" acts as a direct comparative.
  • Semantic field of colours and nature brings this stanza to life.
• "And nearer to the river's trembling edge // There grew broad flag-flowers, purple pranked with // white..."

  • Repeated polysyndeton emphasises overwhelming fertile imagery of both nature and the speaker's imagination.
  • "trembling" suggests a gentle motion but also suggests instability, nature seems afraid and powerless. The speaker may be weakening nature in their imagination for a sense of power and self-importance.
  • Fricatives and plosive alliteration conveys the power of nature and the human mind through the flowers' overwhelming presence.
• "And starry river buds among the sedge, // And floating water-lilies, broad and bright..."

  • Allusion to a speech from 'Romeo and Juliet' of Queen Mab, a fairy queen who feels people's sleep through their dreams. This highlights the dreamworld setting of the poem.
  • Plosives of "broad and bright" reflect the power of the human mind.
  • "Starry" and "floating" suggest dream-like imagery.
  • "River buds" and "water-lilies" present the fertility of the garden.
• "And bulrushes and reeds of such deep green // As soothed the dazzled eye with sober sheen."

  • Semantic field of water, comparing the human mind to a free-flowing river of inspiration.
  • Repeated "ee" sounds through assonance convey a calming and soothing effect, highlighted by "soothed."
  • Sibilance emphasises the power of the speaker's imagination.
  • "dazzled eye" connotes ideas of dreams and sparkles, very idealistic and magical imagery.
• "Methought that of these visionary flowers // I made a nosegay, bound in such a way..."

  • "Methought" is archaic English to add a sense of drama and importance. Links to ideas of self-importance as the speaker praises their own creativity.
  • "visionary" is religious imagery of the artistic vision. Emphasises the importance of the creative process.
  • "nosegay" acts as a representation of the garden and the bouquet made by the speaker, which is metaphorical for their poetry and artistry.
  • "bound in such a way" reflects careful artistry and careful arrangement.
  • Allusion to Canto 28 of Dante's 'Purgatorio' in the poem titled 'Matilda Gathering Flowers' that has a similar dream-like setting.
• "I hastened to the spot whence I had come, // That I might there present it! - Oh! to whom?"

  • Verb "hastened" suggests urgency and a sense of excitement.
  • Caesura is created by the unusual combination of the exclamation and dash.
  • The last two lines shift from the structured rhyme scheme that is continuous throughout the rest of the poem. May perhaps reflect that the speaker is done creating carefully, and can now speak freely, separately from his artistry.
  • Exclamation presents the speaker's joy while the rhetorical question that closes the poem conveys a sense of fear and anxiety.
  • It emphasises its importance to the poet/speaker as they question "whom" might enjoy their artistry.