Dorothy Wordsworth

Dorothy Wordsworth may have been hidden in the shadow of her older brother William. Though she did not wish to be a published author, she definitely had great unseen talent as a writer. Through her journals and poems, we can gain a greater sense of her relationship with William. From the podcast, I learned that she only wrote to make William happy, and this is evident from her writings. She recorded many events of the two of them together. These can also help to provide insight to some of William’s works as well.

In her poetry and journals, Dorothy Wordsworth shows great compassion. On page 295, she gives money to a young woman who begs at her door. The woman has three children and has just recently buried her husband. Dorothy shows care and concern for those less fortunate than herself.

In “Thoughts on My Sick-bed”, we are exposed to some of Dorothy’s feelings of nature and her physical ailments. Being no stranger to a debilitating illness, she portrays her feelings of missing out on the wonders of spring as her sickness has forced her to remain indoors. Her passion is evident when describes what she is missing outside:

The violet betrayed by its noiseless breath,/ The daffodil dancing in the breeze,/
The caroling thrush, on his naked perch,/ Towering above the budding trees. (293)

No! then I never felt a bliss/ That might with that compare/ Which, piercing to my
couch of rest,/ Came on the vernal air. (293)

These sentiments are also expressed in “When Shall I Tread Your Garden Path?” However, I feel like Dorothy Wordsworth shows her true Romantic nature when she says that a memory of nature will suffice if she cannot be outdoors. I think this parallels William Wordsworth’s thoughts that a memory of nature can make him feel better. Dorothy writes:

No need of motion, or of strength,/ Or even the breathing air:/ I thought of
Nature’s loveliest scenes;/ And with Memory I was there.