d, so slimAnd graceful in his rustic dress!And, as we talked, I questioned himIn very idleness."Now tell me, had you rather be,"I said, and took him by the arm,"On Kilve's smooth shore, by the green sea,Or here at Liswyn farm?"In careless mood he looked at me,While still I held him by the arm,And said, "At Kilve I'd rather beThan here at Liswyn farm.""Now, little Edward, say why so:My little Edward tell me why."-"I cannot tell I do not know."-"Why this is strange," said I."For here are woods, hills smooth and warm:There surely must some reason beWhy you would change sweet Liswyn farmFor Kilve by the green sea."At this, my boy hung down his head,He blushed with shame nor made reply;And three times to the child I said,"Why, Edward, tell me why?"His head he raised-there was in sight,It caught his eye, he saw it plain-Upon the house-top, glittering bright,A broad and gilded vane.Then did the boy his tongue unlock,And eased his mind with this reply:"At Kilve there was no weathercock;And that's the reason why."O dearest, dearest boy! my heartFor better lore would seldom yearn,Could I but teach the hundredth partOf what from thee I learn.The poem contains both of his central themes of "The Child is father of the Man," as well as the "back to nature" outlook on life. When one reads the poem one can see clearly the bucolic setting and lifestyle as well as the influence the child had on the father, who is the speaker in this poem? The simple vocabulary that Wordsworth uses in this poem paints a vivid picture of Liswyn farm and Kilve. The fifth stanza of this poem presents a pictorial description of the setting: "The green earth echoed to the feet of lambs that bounded through the glade, from shade to sunshine, and as fleet from sunshine back to shade." The words "rustic" and "dry" are also used to engrave a beautiful country setting in the reader's mind. The modesty of the poem, though, is soon destroyed by the ambiguous ending. Wordsworth ...
