워즈워스와 바실리오스

Abstract

In his poem, “The Tuft of Primroses,” William Wordsworth shows his appreciation of St. Basil, who once invited his friend St. Gregory to Pontus in ways not too dissimilar from how Wordsworth once invited Coleridge to Grasmere. As some critics argue, he had a lifelong interest in monasticism. It may seem redundant to address the influence Christianity had on Wordsworth, but by looking at the influence of St. Basil we can at least argue that the poet should not be assessed purely from a Western Christian perspective alone. The Eastern Christianity, which St. Basil belongs to, has some views on nature different from those in the Western tradition. For example, from the Western Christian perspective, Wordsworth was often considered as a pantheist but he would not have been considered as such in the Eastern Church. This paper argues that St. Basil framed the poet’s views on nature and language. St. Basil believes that the energy of God, not God himself, is immanent in nature and that by loving nature people will, by feeling His energy, get closer to God. Wordsworth also expresses his love of nature for the same reason as he feels its presence in nature in his poem “Tintern Abbey.” This is also the message to correct the despondent solitary from the wanderer in The Excursion: feeling His energy. St Basil also believes that the incarnation of God’s words mysteriously brought Jesus into being as savior. Likewise, Wordsworth believes that the mysterious quality of the poetic words can make it possible for his thoughts to become incarnated in his poems. This is why in the Preface of Lyrical Ballads he treats poetic language differently from any other kinds of language.