Lines Written In Early Spring (But Read In Mid-Winter)

Lines Written In Early Spring is a six quatrains replete with earnest and eloquent observations of nature. The author, William Wordsworth , composes beautiful descriptions of a number of natural phenomena and how it makes him feel as he observes them in early spring.

The fourth quatrain of this poem especially struck me where he states:

" The birds around me hopp'd and play'd:
Their thoughts I cannot measure,
But the least motion which they made,
It seem'd a thrill of pleasure"

In this stanza Wordsworth observes birds playing around and it leads him to reach an understanding of human boundaries. Although humans often see themselves as superior to animals (especially on an intellectual level), the author's inability to understand the bird's thoughts and behavior troubles him and demonstrates an example of the limitations of human understanding. Who knows what those birds were even thinking? Although humans may be smarter than animals, we cannot necessarily understand them, especially in their own context.

This uncertainty leads Wordsworth to the conclusion that, based on their "hopping and playing," that they were happy and enjoying life. Nonetheless, however, this stanza exposes a profound vulnerability we humans have and although we can boast our accomplishments, there are still many things in life - and in nature - we simply cannot comprehend. For Wordsworth, it saddens him. For Evan, it humbles me.