126. 201. Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802 (33)
1. What is the theme of "Composed upon Westminster Bridge"? Ans:- The theme of "Composed upon Westminster Bridge" is that a city, before it awakens, can offer the same calm and serenity as a wholly natural scene. The theme of the poem is that peace and tranquility can be found just as much or more in contemplating a cityscape as in contemplating a landscape in the country. To achieve this effect, the poet describes London in anthropomorphic terms as if it were a human or even a godlike entity. Its clothing is the bright glittering beauty of the morning. For the moment, as Wordsworth observes, its "mighty heart is lying still." Its various components, such as its houses, "ships, towers, domes, theaters, and temples" are devoid of the bustling of humans, which brings a preternatural hush and pause on the scene. The loveliness that Wordsworth glimpses while standing on the bridge is observed in a moment out of time. This will not last long,...