A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal

A detailed Summary of A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal


The poem that I have chosen to study is called "A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal", and it was written by William Wordsworth, in seventeen-ninety-nine.

She seemed a thing that could not feel

Rolled round in earth's diurnal course,

This poem is essentially an expression of the way that the poet suddenly realizes the humanity and reality of a close friend of his, a realization that is brought about by her death.

This poem is only eight lines, and a result of this is an incredible density of information. Every nuance of the poem is near vital for the expression of the concerns of poet, in a number of different ways.

The way that the poet thought about his friend is established in the first quatrain. He expresses the


The second quatrain brings the poem, and the reader, back down to earth. While avoiding words or word connotations that directly express her death, the poet establishes clearly the she has died. In doing so, he expresses his view of death; where another poet may have said that she has risen to heaven, Wordsworth tells how his friend has been committed to the earth. He uses very natural language and imagery to do this. The word connotations of "No motion", "no force" and "she neither hears nor sees" all seem to communicate a quiet death, and a final one, with no concept of an afterlife. The imagery of "rolled round" and "rocks, and stones, and trees" eludes to the natural, as opposed to supernatural, view of death that the poet held. The assonance of "rolled round" and "rocks, and stones, and trees" also slows the pace of the poem down, and gives the impression of peacefulness, and reflection.

unearthly qualities that he ima

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Approximate Word count = 627
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

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