"What Man Has Made Of Man"
To her fair works did Nature link
The human soul that through me ran;
And much it grieved my heart to think
What man has made of man.
. . .
If this belief from heaven be sent,
If such be Nature's holy plan,
Have I not reason to lament
What man has made of man?
In "Lines Written in Early Spring," William Wordsworth poignantly contrasts the purity of nature with the corruption he perceives in human society. As the poem unfolds, Wordsworth reflects upon the innate connection between nature and the human soul. This connection stirs within him a profound sorrow for the degradation caused by humanity's actions. He envisions nature as a divine creation, suggesting that if nature's joy and harmony are indeed "heaven sent" and part of a "holy plan," then the current state of human affairs is even more tragic. The repeated lament, "What man has made of man," underscores his disappointment with the moral decline and social injustices he observes. Thus, Wordsworth's verses serve as a meditation on the loss of innocence and a call to return to a more harmonious existence with the natural world.
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