Poem of the Day: "I traveled among unknown men" by William Wordsworth, Poet of the Month

The Songs of Eretz Poem of the Day for June 18, 2014 is "I traveled among unknown men" by William Wordsworth, Poet of the Month.  Information about the Songs of Eretz Poet of the Month feature as well as a biographical essay about William Wordsworth may be found here:  http://www.eretzsongs.blogspot.com/2014/06/songs-of-eretz-poetry-review-poet-of.html.

I travelled among unknown men

William Wordsworth

I travelled among unknown men,

         In lands beyond the sea;

Nor, England! did I know till then

         What love I bore to thee.

'Tis past, that melancholy dream!

         Nor will I quit thy shore

A second time; for still I seem

         To love thee more and more.

Among thy mountains did I feel

         The joy of my desire;

And she I cherished turned her wheel

         Beside an English fire.

Thy mornings showed, thy nights concealed,

         The bowers where Lucy played;

And thine too is the last green field

         That Lucy's eyes surveyed.

And yet another melancholy "Lucy" ballad by Wordsworth, interesting as Wordsworth spent some time  in his youth hiking in France and Switzerland and by all accounts enjoyed himself.  Here again we see Wordsworth's love of nature and the concept of a loved one becoming one with nature in death.

Editor's Note:  Several other "Lucy" poems have been featured this month.  To find them, enter "Lucy" in the search function.