Wordsworth may be known as a nature poet. But one of his loveliest pieces is Composed upon Westminster Bridge from 1802, which sings of the joy of man’s creations. It’s actually less self-conscious than his quite tedious stuff about mountains and lakes.
The poet stands still on Westminster Bridge early one morning and drinks in the urban scene:
Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie
Open unto the fields, and to the sky.
Wordsworth’s sentiments were echoed later. Contemplation of that sunset, he said, transported him to paradise.
