Prelude

• The Prelude is different to the poems in the anthology. It is an extract taken from a longer, autobiographical epic poem by William Wordsworth. The speaker in the poem remembers a night when he steals a boat and rows out to the middle of a lake. Initially this was exciting, but then scary. The image of the mountain troubles him for days. The overall idea is that Wordsworth is confident when he takes the boat out to the lake, but he changes when faced with the vast and imposing mountain. It reminds of the fragility of human life when compared to the lasting and absolute power of nature.
• The central theme in the poem, therefore, is the power of nature and self-realisation of the speaker’s own insignificance compared to nature
• The Prelude breakdown

  Lines 1-6

  “One summer evening (led by her) I found

  A little boat tied to a willow tree

  Within a rocky cove, its usual home.

  Straight I unloosed her chain, and stepping in

  Pushed from the shore. It was an act of stealth

  And troubled pleasure, nor without the voice"
• The Prelude breakdown

  Lines 6-16

  "Of mountain-echoes did my boat move on;

  Leaving behind her still, on either side,

  Small circles glittering idly in the moon,

  Until they melted all into one track

  Of sparkling light. But now, like one who rows,

  Proud of his skill, to reach a chosen point

  With an unswerving line, I fixed my view

  Upon the summit of a craggy ridge,

  The horizon’s utmost boundary; far above

  Was nothing but the stars and the grey sky.”
• Translation (lines 1-16):

  • The speaker is guided by nature to a boat tied to a willow tree
  • The speaker unties the boat and gets in, stealing it
  • He knows that he shouldn’t steal the boat, but it also brings him pleasure
  • The oars leave circular ripples in the water that glitter in the moonlight, and merge into one in the wake of the boat
  • The speaker feels proud of his rowing skills as he fixes his gaze on a jagged mountain peak in order to row in a straight line
  • It is the farthest point on the horizon; above it there are only stars and sky
• Lines 1-16

  Wordsworth’s intention

  • The poet refers to “her” which can be interpreted as Mother Nature
  • Nature can be seen as female in that it is responsible for the feminine task of creating, sustaining and nurturing life
  • By personifying nature, Wordsworth is contrasting the role of nature to the role of a human
  • Nature nurtures an entire planet, thus demonstrating its superior power 
  • It is clear that, at the beginning of the poem, the speaker has a peaceful view of, and relationship with, nature
  • The poet paints a tranquil and beautiful picture of nature and a boy’s ability to engage with it
• Lines 17-20

  “She was an elfin pinnace; lustily

  I dipped my oars into the silent lake,

  And, as I rose upon the stroke, my boat

  Went heaving through the water like a swan;”

  Translation

  • The speaker describes his small boat as an “elfin pinnace”, like an elf’s boat
  • Even though the boat is small, the boy enthusiastically rows and controls his boat to cut through the water “like a swan”
• Lines 17-20

  “She was an elfin pinnace; lustily

  I dipped my oars into the silent lake,

  And, as I rose upon the stroke, my boat

  Went heaving through the water like a swan;"

  Wordsworth’s intention

  • These lines reveal that the boy believes in his ability to control nature
  • However, this is deception:
  • Nature is guiding him, so ultimately has control of the boy’s direction