The world is too much with us

By William Wordsworth

William Wordsworth (1770-1850) was a leading English Romantic poet, renowned for his deep connection to nature and his belief in its restorative power. He was a central figure in the Romantic movement, emphasizing emotion, imagination, and the beauty of the natural world in his work. Wordsworth’s poetry reflects his philosophy that nature and human experience are deeply intertwined. His contributions helped to shape the course of English literature in the 19th century.

“The World is Too Much with Us” is a sonnet by William Wordsworth which was first published in 1807. The poem laments the withering connection between humankind and nature, blaming industrial society for replacing that connection with material pursuits. He contrasts it with his desire for a more profound connection with nature and a return to a simpler way of life. Wordsworth wrote the poem during the First Industrial Revolution, a period of technological and mechanical innovation spanning the mid-18th to early 19th centuries that thoroughly transformed British life.

Text of the poem:

The world is too much with us; late and soon,

Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers; —

Little we see in Nature that is ours;

We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!

This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon;

The winds that will be howling at all hours,

And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers;

For this, for everything, we are out of tune;

It moves us not. Great God! I’d rather be

A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn;

So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,

Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;

Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;

Or hear old Triton blow his wreathèd horn.