William Wordsworth, Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802

Earth has not any thing to show more fair:
Dull would he be of soul who could pass by
A sight so touching in its majesty:
This City now doth, like a garment, wear
The beauty of the morning; silent, bare,
Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie
Open unto the fields, and to the sky;
All bright and glittering in the smokeless air.
Never did sun more beautifully steep
In his first splendour, valley, rock, or hill;
Ne'er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep!
The river glideth at his own sweet will:
Dear God! the very houses seem asleep;
And all that mighty heart is lying still!

Links

• Reading of the poem on the Poetry Foundation website.
• Article on the poem by John Mullan, British Library website.
• Discussion of the poem by Carol Rumens in the Guardian, 13 April 2015.
• Free online course on Wordsworth from the University of Lancaster and Wordsworth Trust.