Nature in Selected Poems of William Wordsworth and Raghunath Choudhary: A Glimpse

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IJCAES SPECIAL ISSUE ON [ISSN: 2231-4946]

BASIC, APPLIED & SOCIAL SCIENCES, VOLUME II, JULY 2012

Nature in Selected Poems of William


Wordsworth and Raghunath Choudhary: A
Glimpse
Foyzal Hoque
Research Scholar, Department of English,
Singhania University

Abstract – William Wordsworth is a nature poet. But his outlook is certainly different from the outlook of
others. Poets like Pope looked nature quite objectively. But Wordsworth’s view of Nature is coloured by
his hipper individualism. To him nature is a living Being. Wordsworth's nature is not merely a physical
phenomenon, but a living entity. To him nature has not only life but feeling also. He goes even beyond that.
Nature is endowed not only with life and feeling but also with a will purpose. He ascribes to it all the
attributes of humanity, life feeling, thinking and willing. Wordsworth's conception of Nature can be
studied dividing into there stages. In the first stage nature served only a background to the poet's boyish
sports. Like Wordsworth Raghunath Choudhary is also a worshiper of nature. He regarded nature as his
friend, philosopher and guide
Keywords – Pope, Worshipper, Philosopher, Humanity, Boyish.

I. INTRODUCTION
A poet searches for knowledge and understanding of the nature and meaning of the universe and of human life
with particular sets of beliefs resulting from this search for knowledge. He wants to find out an attitude to life that is
a guiding principle for behaviour. A poet who writes on the Creator with the elements like rivers, hills plants, stars,
animals, birds, flowers, air, etc. that attract the mind of the people who can peep into the inner heart of the same.
Beauty is reality. Reality exists in Nature. The overflow of beauty of the Nature through the emotion and thinking of
the human being always inspires and increases the treasure of world literature. It does not matter whether the poet or
the man is from the East or the West or he is of what age. A deep study on such aspects of overflow of poetic zeal in
the minds of the poets of different corners of the globe brings the matter into light that at the same time two or more
individuals may think, write, or create literature of the same subject matter or in the same direction To give due
justification I have tried to study the thoughts, writing, and the life of William Wordsworth and Raghunath
Choudhary, the two famous poets of the west and the East respectively. While comparing the writings of both the
poet we become astonished that how almost equal thoughts, emotions and love towards the Nature come to the
minds of both these poets.

II. ANALYSIS
In his early days of boyhood, Wordsworth passed most of his time in childish joys, such as bathing in streams,
laying the mother -birds of their young ones from their nests, hunting hare, boating and skating and the like.
Raghunath Choudhary is also one of the famous of Indian literature. Like Wordsworth Roghunath Choudhary is
also a worshiper of nature. He regarded nature as his friend, philosopher and guide. His poem Sakhiloi is not a poem
from the pen of Rahgunath. In childhood when he took shelter in others home he had a bosom girl friend with whom
he played and passed time. But in the course of time she got married and part away from Raghunath. One day
fortunate though after a long period he could meet the girl. But he was surprised with the behaviour of the girl
showed to him. He did not find simplicity, tenderness in her manner which she had earlier. This poem has
beautifully drawn two different parts of life of childhood and youth of Raghunath Choudhary. In Childhood the poet
was passing time with his bosom friend. He says in his poem ''Sakhiloi''
“Sansaror ao bhao eko nubujila
Nubujila bewa bhal
Umali katala kal”
But in youth his friend is quite different. In youth she has lost her simplicity of life, sweet words etc. She now
lives in the world of illusion. The poison of illusion. The poison of illusion and selfishness dwells in her. Now she is
so different that the poet cannot recognize her.

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Foyzal Hoque

The poem Gasar pats (Leaves of Tree) reveals the deviation of Raghunath from Nature. In this poem the poet has
vividly portrayed the picture of creative and destructive power of the creation. That is the leaves of tree. The leaves
are the imagery of human life. In this poem it is shown how in the course of a child becomes old.
This touches the deep philosophical thoughts of the poet.
Raghunath realizes life and says-
“Bichitra kalar gati; Lila adbhut
Nabujilo bidhir bidhan,”
In the second stage Wordsworth developed a liking for sensuous beauty. of nature . At this stage he was under
the spell of his despotic senses as is evident in the following lines of the prelude, Book-II
''I roam from hill to hill, from rock to rock,
Still craving combinations of new forms,
New pleasure, winder, expire for the sight,
Proud of her own endowments and rejoiced to lay the inner faculties asleep''
Wordsworth's view of nature is with a purely physical passion. At this stage the picturesque beauty of nature
became or object of passions of the poet. A feeling and a love that had no need of a remoter charm un borrowed
from the eye.
Wordsworth regarded Nature as his best teacher. The prelude is an account of the poet’s education that he
received from Nature. He was always grateful to Nature. Nature exercised upon the poet the discipline of fear and
joy; this disciplined enabled the poet feel Nature presence in the background of all his activities.
Wordsworth, who lived an uneventful life, talked much of himself, his own experiences, thoughts and beliefs. It
was for this reason that Keats called him the egotistical sublime'' A larger part of his poetry is a record of his own
mind. The 'Lucy' poems, the ''Mathew'' poems and a number of sonnets through sufficient light on the poet's mind
and personality. But amongst these the prelude, Tintern Abbey and the Immortality ode are especially remarkable
for their autobiographical significance.
The immortality ode is the great philosophical ode which has an autobiographical charm. The poet feels the loss
of the celestial light that appeared to him covering every earthly sight in his childhood but now that light is lost.
'' Whither is fled the visionary gleam?
Where is it now, the glory and the dream?”
Loneliness and visionary experience go together with Wordsworth. He was able to perceive the new meaning in
the ordinary object of Nature in moments of solitude. He experience the mysterious voice of nature during his
boyhood sports only in solitary moments when he was all alone. He says in the prelude, Book- I
“Among the solitary hills,
Low breathing coming after me, and sounds.”
Wordsworth treats nature as his sole guardian. teacher, and nurse. In the poem 'Tin tern Abbey' he calls nature-
''The anchor of my purest thoughts, the nurse, the guide,
the guardian of my heart and soul
of all my mural being''
William Wordsworth is a poet of the west and Raghunath Choudhary is a poet of the East of the globe, still there
is a vast similarity in the writing, thoughts and philosophy, vision, sense and sensibility, voices of both the poets of
different corners of the world. Like Wordsworth, Raghunath is also a poet and worshiper of nature. Both of the poets
regarded nature as their teacher, guide, philosopher and nurse. Nature's hills, woods, open field etc. are the play
grounds of Raghunath's Keteki (A bird).
Wordsworth reminds his childhood while hears the song of cuckoo.
'' The same whom is any school boy days
I listened to..................”
Raghunath also listens the song of Keteki and throw his mind to his childhood. Not only Childhood but the poet
also reminds his past also He says in his poem.
“Parene manat pakhi
Jamuna totini
Kadam Gasat pari karisila Brajangana Mon unmadini”
Wordsworth's Cuckoo sings roaming into the woods. So Wordsworth wanders in search of the Cuckoo. He says-
'' To seek thee did I often roam

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Nature in Selected Poems of William Wordsworth and Raghunath Choudhary: A Glimpse

Through woods and the green''


The same happens in the case of Raghunath also. He excited Listening to the song of keteki. He searches keteki
roaming around the woods. He writes
'' Kunje kunje ghuri ghuri
cheo dhari dharigeet gai''
Raghunath's Dahikatara recalls the memory of childhoodof Raghunath Choudhary.
‘‘Udise Manat Mor
Saisabor chitrabor Kaun dur Atitor mayar sapan
Jogai tulili priya smrity bitopor''
Raghunth's Dahikatara is singer as well as musician but Worthworth's cuckoo only sings.
''Etheral Minister''
Wordsworth paid no heed to the tumultuous and fiery aspects of human life. As his own life was marked with a
note of tranquility, placidity and peace. So he supplied in the presentation of human life, the peace and tranquility
that awaked his mind the poet says in heart leap well. The heart giving accident is only trade to freeze the blood.
Wordsworth is also found as a poet of solitude and solitude. B .Groom also refers to the sense of the souls of the
lonely places. in his nature poetry solitude and solitary figures appealed to the poet's imagination more favorably
than anything else. Wordsworth himself acknowledges his fascination for solitude in the following lines.
'' The beautiful flower Golap (The Rose) overwhelmed Raghunath Choudhary. In his Golap Raghunath addresses
Golap as 'pulak bhara milan' which reveals his closeness to nature. Not only flowers Raghunath loves birds also. In
his keteki (A lovely bird) he loves the tune song of keteki and expects to hear it again.
He says-
'Koi ja koi ja monor kathati
Logote loi ja mok.''
Raghunath thus reveals a touch to strong emotion and imagination. There is connection between the animal
world and human world. Raghunath Choudhary also is fed up with the human world. From his childhood he had
dissatisfaction. Like other poets Raghunath also wanted to avoid sufferings, pain and sorrows.
Realization of life of Raghunath Choudhary is very strong. His poem Bhiksha (Begging). The source of the
poem is the failureness of the poet in his life. In this poem the poet has expressed how people lose their peace,
happiness and joy of life, running extreme desires, incomplete hopes, unlimited wealth and honour make the worldly
life full of suffering strong belief in God facing, poverty, disgrace, cheating, pain and suffering get uncountable joy
and happiness.
Raghunath Choudhary was a man of simple living. he says in his poem Bhikhya (Begging)
“Uchchakankha nai mor prabhu khudra hridayat
kara mok sakalere saru”
The beauty of Nature not only makes the poet happy but also the whole world. The poem Golap (The Rose) of
Raghunath Choudhary is the best example.He says-
“Tori Rupat jagat bibhole
Dhalili premar bimal dhara.”
Raghunath addresses Golap (The Rose) as 'pulak bhara milan' which reveals his closeness to Nature. Not only
flowers Raghunath love birds also. In his poem keteki (A Bird) he loves the tune and song of keteki. He writes-
“Koi ja koi ja moner kathati
Logote loi ja mok”
Thus, here a touch of strong emotion and imagination is found, there is the connection between the animal world
and the human world.
A. Objectives Of The Study
The following major objectives have been formulated for the present study.

 The study aims at finding out similarities and dissimilarities in the Vision of William Wordsworth and
Ranghunath Choudhary.
 The study aims to touch the thoughts of Nature, Philosophy, sense and sensibility etc.
 The study measures the experience and imagination of both the poets.
 The study gives a comparative study of the writings of both the poets.

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Foyzal Hoque

 To study the intuition and intelligence in their writing.


B. Methodology
Hypothesis formation, comparative method, Analytical method, inter-disciplinary Research method, observation
method etc.

III. CONCLUSION
Though there is vast similarities in the writings, thoughts, vision and philosophy of William Wordsworth and
Raghunath Choudhary, still there is divergence in there writings. Both the poets though lived in different corners of
the world they wrote almost the same. Both of them are worshippers of nature. According to them nature is friend,
philosopher and guide for men. Their feelings of realization of life are very strong.
Solitude and loneliness is loved by them. To Wordsworth nature is a Living Being. Nature can teach us. Both the
poets believe in God. Both Raghunath and Wordsworth express the inner heart of man, the deepest secrets of the
human mind, the mysterious responses of heart and mind to nature is perhaps the most difficult thing that any poet
has tried to express. Still both the poets are the defects in the writings of Wordsworth. However, though both the
poets are not free from criticism still they are the poets of immense worthy.

REFERENCES
[1] Borgahain Homen, Eso Bosoror Asomiya Kabita, Asom Prakashan Parisad, Guwahati-2003.
[2] J. Long William, English Literature, Its History and Its Significance, Kalyani Publishers, New Delhi, 1987.
[3] K. Wimsatt William, J.R.N. Brooke Clinth: Literary criticism: A short History, Oxford & IBH publishing co. PVT. Ltd, New Delhi-
1957
[4] Kalita Samin, Satadhik Asomiya Sahityik, Student Stores, Guwahati- 2001.
[5] Khandewal K.N., William Wordsworth, Selected poems, Laksmi Narain Agrawal, Educational Publishers, Agra.
[6] Dr. Chakraborty Manju, Raghunath Choudharyr Kabitar Saundarya Chetana, Kaustav Prakashan, Milan Nagar, Dibrugarh-3.
[7] Mundra J.N. & Mundra S.C., A History of English Literature, Prakash Book Depot, Bareilly-1993
[8] Dr. Mundra S.C., Wordworth’s Tintern Abbey Prakash Book Depot, Bareilly-1996.

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