Earth has not anything to show more fair:

Dull would he be of soul who could pass by

A sight so touching in its majesty:

This City now doth, like a garment, wear

The beauty of the morning; silent, bare,

Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie

Open unto the fields, and to the sky;

All bright and glittering in the smokeless air.

Never did sun more beautifully steep

In his first splendour, valley, rock, or hill;

Ne'er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep!

The river glideth at his own sweet will:

Dear God! the very houses seem asleep;

And all that mighty heart is lying still!

Questions (Write three sentences per question)

1. Pick out a passage in which the city of London is presented as a living being. What is the effect of this personification? Use a different passage from students who have already submitted their posting.

2. Does Wordsworth have a mostly positive view or negative view of London? Give examples.

3. At which time of day does he describe London? Does this have an effect on his view of the city? How so? How is the city different in early morning than from mid-day in your experience?