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References to Light

References to light appear throughout the poem, creating a motif that is symbolically linked to concepts of truth, beauty, memory, and immortality. Light appears prominently in the poem’s opening sentence (lines 1–5):

There was a time when meadow, grove, and stream,
       The earth, and every common sight,
                          To me did seem
                      Apparelled in celestial light,
            The glory and the freshness of a dream.

The speaker is referring here to a younger version of himself, one that was not yet aware of the fact that all living things, no matter how beautiful, are destined to die. Unfamiliar with the fact of mortality, all things “did seem / Apparelled in celestial light,” and therefore eternal. Now, however, the speaker is all too aware of life’s ephemerality, and this knowledge causes him profound grief. Over the course of the poem, however, the speaker shifts his focus from the fleeting nature of life to the immortal nature of the soul. With this shift of attention, the speaker turns from the darkness of death to the shining truth of the soul, which he refers to as “our life’s Star” (line 59). Just as “the sunshine is a glorious birth” (line 16) at the beginning of the day, it’s likewise true that our soul-star “rises with us” (line 59) when we are born. Although this truth dims as we age, the speaker insists that, through acts of recollection, our memories can provide “the fountain-light of all our day” (line 151).

Pastoral Imagery

“Intimations of Immortality” is filled with pastoral imagery of idealized country life. This imagery reflects the poem’s rural setting on a spring day in May, the idyllic nature of which stands in sharp contrast to the speaker’s melancholy disposition. In stanza 3, for instance, the speaker describes a delightful pastoral scene that nonetheless produces a feeling of alienation in him (lines 19–22):

Now, while the birds thus sing a joyous song,
       And while the young lambs bound
                      As to the tabor’s sound,
To me alone there came a thought of grief

Aside from the joyous birdsong, the key image here is that of young lambs bounding around as if dancing to the accompaniment of a shepherd playing a small drum known as a tabor. Such an image of rural leisure is central to the tradition of pastoral poetry, which often represents the countryside in an eternal and unchanging spring. However, the seeming perfection of the scene only serves to highlight just how unhappy the speaker feels. And crucially, the speaker experiences “grief” at the thought that such beauty is not eternal. It’s telling, then, that when the speaker references this same pastoral scene after having speculated on the soul’s immortality, he’s more willing to join in the festivities (lines 168–174):

Then sing, ye Birds, sing, sing a joyous song!
                      And let the young Lambs bound
                      As to the tabor’s sound!
We in thought will join your throng,
                      Ye that pipe and ye that play,
                      Ye that through your hearts to-day
                      Feel the gladness of the May!

No longer alienated from his surroundings, the speaker gladly welcomes the pastoral atmosphere.

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