Contemporary Elements
The Romantic Period lasted about fifty years, but that doesn't mean that no more poetry with romantic elements has been written since. Let's have a look at a modern poem and see what we find.
First, read the poem.
First, read the poem.
Sea Fever I must down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky, And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by, And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking, And a grey mist on the sea's face, and a grey dawn breaking. I must down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied; And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying, And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying. I must down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life, To the gull's way and the whale's way where the wind's like a whetted knife; And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over. By John Masefield (1878-1967). (English Poet Laureate, 1930-1967.)
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Task 11:
Answer the following questions
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We may also ask ourselves if and how the Romantic poems are still relevant today. After all, we live in the so-called computer age, which is industrialization of a higher degree. Life, for most of us takes place in cities, and even in villages there is no escaping technology and the murderous pace of modern life.
Read this poem by William Wordsworth
Read this poem by William Wordsworth
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.
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.
Task 12:
Answer the following questions
- What is this poem about do you think?
- Do you think this poem is still relevant/true today, for us in our modern world?
- Explain and give examples from the text and our lives.
Task 13
Choose a fitting illustration to accompany this poem.
Explain why you have chosen particularly this illustration.