A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal
This poem is about the death of a loved one. How does the poet feel when he thinks about her death? How does he imagine her to be, after death?
A slumber did my spirit seal—
I had no human fears.
She seemed a thing that could not feel
The touch of earthly years.
No motion has she now, no force—
She neither hears nor sees,
Rolled round in earth’s diurnal course
With rocks and stones and trees.
A slumber did my spirit seal—
I had no human fears.
She seemed a thing that could not feel
The touch of earthly years.
No motion has she now, no force—
She neither hears nor sees,
Rolled round in earth’s diurnal course
With rocks and stones and trees.
Written by: WILLIAM WORDSWORTH
GLOSSARY
diurnal: daily (“Earth’s diurnal course” is earth’s daily rotation on its axis.)
Thinking about the Poem
1. How does the poet react to his loved one's death?
Answer: The poet feels numb and calm, not bitter grief or deep sadness. His soul is "sealed" as if in deep sleep, meaning he is not feeling strong emotions. He seems at peace with her death, rather than overwhelmed by sorrow.
2. Which lines of the poem say that time will no longer affect her?
Answer: The lines that suggest time will no longer affect her are:
"She seemed a thing that could not feel
The touch of earthly years."
3. How does the poet imagine her to be, after death?
Answer: The poet imagines her as a part of nature, not as someone in a happy place like heaven. He describes her as being "rolled round in earth’s diurnal course with rocks and stones and trees." These lines show that he sees her as becoming one with the earth and nature.
diurnal: daily (“Earth’s diurnal course” is earth’s daily rotation on its axis.)
Thinking about the Poem
1. How does the poet react to his loved one's death?
Answer: The poet feels numb and calm, not bitter grief or deep sadness. His soul is "sealed" as if in deep sleep, meaning he is not feeling strong emotions. He seems at peace with her death, rather than overwhelmed by sorrow.
2. Which lines of the poem say that time will no longer affect her?
Answer: The lines that suggest time will no longer affect her are:
"She seemed a thing that could not feel
The touch of earthly years."
3. How does the poet imagine her to be, after death?
Answer: The poet imagines her as a part of nature, not as someone in a happy place like heaven. He describes her as being "rolled round in earth’s diurnal course with rocks and stones and trees." These lines show that he sees her as becoming one with the earth and nature.
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