The Prelude

Purpose:

Form:

• Free Verse & Pentameter: The poem flows naturally, echoing spoken language with a steady ten-syllable rhythm.

• Intimate & Confessional: Reflects the speaker’s inner thoughts and personal journey.

• Extended Reflection: Uses simple, vivid imagery to explore nature, boundaries, and self-discovery.

• Pantheistic Tone: Emphasizes that God is found in nature, blurring the lines between the divine and the natural world.

"One summer evening (led by her) I found / A little boat tied to a willow tree"

• Natural Setting: "One summer evening" sets a warm, gentle scene.

• Nature as Guide: "(Led by her)" personifies nature as a guiding force.

• Moment of Discovery: Finding the boat signals opportunity and a break from routine.

• Symbolic Connection: The willow and boat suggest vulnerability and the promise of adventure.

"The horizon's utmost boundary; far above / Was nothing but the stars and the grey sky."

• Limit & Mystery: "Horizon’s utmost boundary" hints at nature’s edge and unexplored realms.

• Vast Emptiness: "Far above" evokes the endless, sometimes desolate expanse of the sky.

• Dual Imagery: Stars (distant light) contrast with the "grey sky" (mood of uncertainty).

• Symbolic Distance: Illustrates the tension between aspiration and the inevitable limits of our world.

"And growing still in stature the grim shape / Towered up between me and the stars, and still,"

• Imposing Presence: "Growing still in stature" signals a persistent, menacing force.

• Barrier to Aspiration: The "grim shape" blocks the view of the stars, symbolizing lost dreams or obstacles.

• Foreboding Mood: Conveys a sense of impending dread that overshadows ambition.

• Repetitive Emphasis: "And still" stresses its unyielding, ongoing threat.

"my brain / Worked with a dim and undetermined sense / Of unknown modes of being"

• Inner Reflection: "My brain worked" shows active introspection.

• Vague Awareness: "Dim and undetermined sense" indicates uncertainty and hazy understanding.

• Existential Inquiry: "Unknown modes of being" suggests exploring uncharted aspects of identity and existence.

• Intellectual Struggle: Captures the complexity of trying to grasp elusive, new ideas about life.

"But huge and mighty forms, that do not live / Like living men, moved slowly through the mind / By day, and were a trouble to my dreams."

• Supernatural Imagery: "Huge and mighty forms" evoke grand, almost otherworldly presences.

• Otherness: "That do not live / Like living men" distinguishes them from ordinary life.

• Mental Intrusion: They "moved slowly through the mind by day," suggesting persistent, overwhelming thoughts.

• Haunting Influence: "Trouble to my dreams" implies these forms disturb and unsettle the speaker even in sleep.