FREE ESSAY ON DIVINITY IN IT'S A BEAUTEOUS EVENING CALM AND FREE

DIVINITY IN IT'S A BEAUTEOUS EVENING CALM AND FREE

Divinity in "It Is a Beauteous Evening, Calm and Free"
During the late 17th and early 18th centuries the style of poetry changed drastically.
Poets shifted their focus away from the audience and concentrated on the internal self.
This created the expressive, lyric poetry we now recognize as typical of Romanticism.
William Wordsworth is one of the most famous of the Romantics, as well as author of "It
Is a Beauteous Evening, Calm and Free." Written in 1807 after a trip to France to visit
his daughter, "It Is a Beauteous Evening, Calm and Free" focuses on Wordsworth's view of
nature and childhood as essentially divine.
Written as a Petrarchan sonnet, "It Is a Beauteous Evening, Calm and Free" can be divided
into two parts, an octet and a sestet. The octet introduces the reader to Wordsworth's
pantheistic view of nature. His reference to "the mighty Being" (6) may be interpreted
as: God, nature, or God manifested throughout nature, which exemplifies pantheism.
Divinity is evident in God, and in nature through three main qualities: power, eternity
and perfection. In "It Is a Beauteous Evening, Calm and Free", nature is described as
being "breathless with adoration." (3) This suggests that nature possesses underlying
energy and power. Further along in the poem, the Being makes "a sound like thunder" (8),
another symbol of strength and power. One of the most important features of a divine
being is eternal existence. Wordsworth describes nature as being in "eternal motion" (7);
it is constantly changing and evolving. A third quality essential to divinity is absolute
perfection. One scene in the poem depicts the sun sinking from the heavens down into the
sea. Wordsworth creates an image of such harmony and perfection; it is hard to question
the divine essence of nature.
In the sestet, Wordsworth switches the focus from the divinity of nature to the divinity
of childhood. Although Wordsworth is addressing his daughter specifically, his view of
her as divine can be applied to all children. While childhood is regarded as a time of
ignorance, where serious thoughts are seldom entertained, the Romantics also view
childhood as a time of innocence. Wordsworth addresses both these views in "It Is a
Beauteous Evening, Calm and Free". By declaring that, eventhough his daughter is
"untouched by solemn thought, [she] is not therefore less divine"(10-11), Wordsworth is
saying that a child's ignorance is his or her innocence. As the poem continues, the child
is portrayed as "[lying] in Abraham's bosom all the year" (12), suggesting that her soul
is blessed by God. Wordsworth's use of the image of the Temple's inner shrine is perfect
in illustrating a child's innocence and divinity. Normally reserved for the highest
priest of the Israelites to visit but once a year, a mere child is portrayed as
worshipping there, revealing her closeness to God. In fact, this union is so special that
Wordsworth admits that God is with the child even when he knows it not.
Upon close examination of "It Is a Beauteous Evening, Calm and Free", it is apparent that
Wordsworth views nature and childhood as two of the most divine states known to man. What
is not so obvious, are his, as well as the rest of the Romantics, reasons for this
belief. During the Romantic era, the French and Industrial Revolutions were causing great
changes in the world. Several external supports, such as government and religion, were
breaking down. Perhaps it is this turmoil that forced the Romantics to seek solace and
inspiration in the stability of nature. However, despite discovering the sanctity of
nature, the Romantics realized they were still being corrupted by the world around them.
Purity could only be truly maintained in childhood, because of a child's ignorance
towards the problems of the world. It is for this reason, poets such as Wordsworth,
revered childhood as divine.