In his "Preface to Lyrical Ballads," William Wordsworth concentrates his attention on how truth is discovered through poetry. His assertion is that "all good poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (Wordsworth Preface 19). From this assertion, the poet draws a clear connection between the perceived experience and the poetic expression of that experience. In Wordsworth's poetry, this overflow of feelings manifests itself primarily through the experience of nature. This theme of experience serving as stimuli for poetry can be seen in "Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood," "The Prelude," and "Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey," where the poet captures the experience and the raw emotion associated with it through poetry. These poems illustrate Wordsworth's notion that from experience springs forth poetry and these two aspects operate together to heighten his relationship with nature, poetry, and self. .

             In "Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood," the first stanza captures what the poet is learning from experience, which is the fact that it changes over time. The poet tells us that every "meadow, grove, and stream" (Ode I.1) that once seemed "Apparelled in celestial light" (I.4) are like a dream and the things which he once saw he "now can see no more" (I.9). Here the poet is realizing that while there is a sense of loss associated with growing up, there is also a renewed sense of appreciation. Though the poet may not be able to see things as they once were, he can still appreciate "splendor in the grass" (178) and "glory in the flower" (178). In the last stanza of the poem, he admits that he can still feel the might (188) of nature and realizes that he loves the "Brooks which down their channels fret,/Even more than when I tripped lightly as they" (392-3). Here we see how the spontaneous overflow of powerful feeling is still present--but it has changed as the poet has changed.