There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is a rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society, where none intrudes,
By the deep sea, and music in its roar:
I love not man the less, but Nature more,
From these our interviews, in which I steal
From all I may be, or have been before,
To mingle with the Universe, and feel
What I can ne'er express, yet cannot all conceal.
There Is Pleasure In The Pathless Woods by Lord George Gordon Byron • 291 poems by Lord George Gordon ByronEdit
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Lord George Gordon Byron [1788-1824] quote 'I can never get people to understand that poetry is the expression of excited passion, and that there is no such thing as a life of passion any more than a continuous earthquake, or an eternal fever.'
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By Lord George Gordon Byron, © 1813, All rights reserved.
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Editor notes
from Childe Harold, Canto iv, Verse 178
- niceRate this comment
"... I love not man the less, but Nature more..." so beautiful (-need to get out of this urban rut I call home), kudos
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Nature...where its Creator speaks loudly and man needs to be still.
Thank you for capturing some of its secrets.
Cheers,
Jason Knott
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- Spectacular write here. Vivid imagery. Smooth flow. Read this is in iambic, not sure if that was the intended flow, but that's what felt right to me. Well done, and please keep the Muse alive!! I loved this piece!! Bravo!
- one word for you
wow....!!
I mean that poem is so well thought out, and is beautiful Excellent.
Where there is sunshine, in the darkened woods,
Where there is beauty, on autumns colorful leaves
In the stillness of morning hours, a quiet calmness
Felt in this picturesque sight as not so far off from me
Brisk is the mornings first chill, sun rises behind a hill
i conduct favorite your idea to something beautiful and bring it back to earth. but i like it tuhu
- very good read
- The subject of "parody" was raised by one poster, and I was reminded of the lines that follow (which I think do not parody this poem, or at least not at all consciously):
There is beauty in the bellow of the blast
There is grandeur in the growling of the gale
There is eloquence outpouring when the lion is a snoring
Or the tiger is a lashing of its tail ...
(My imperfect memory may have confused a word or two in this, from The Mikado, by Gilbert and Sullivan). That the lines occur to me when I read the first lines of this poem can hardly be Byron's fault: he wrote long before Koko and Katishaw began courting. - This to me is pure Byron. I don't feel that Byron can be critiqued. You either let him wash over and through your mind or you compare him to others who are not fit to fill his inkwell. Beautiful, gorgeous - out of this world yet very much in a world where I like to be.
- One poster calls it a parody, but doesn't exactly say of what. Of Wordsworth's whole career and whole output, perhaps? Maybe, but then "parody" seems to me the wrong word. "Mockery," perhaps, but there is nothing mocking in this poem. I don't think I understand the accusation.
- I have searched the thread and can find no-one who calls this a parody although there talk of parodies of other pieces and of parodies in general.
The opening lines indicate that Byron, like Wordsworth, finds poetry in nature and I for one agree with that.
For me the intriguing line is
"From these our interviews, in which I steal
From all I may be, . . . . "
Is he talking about stealing inspiration in the sense of taking something without permission or is he talking about moving away from something (to steal away) and is he saying that his talks with Wordsworth causes him (Byron) to move away from his previously held ideas?
Or is he talking about coming away from a meeting with nature (country walk etc) with altered views that he feels inadequate to express?
Thoughts please? - The accusation occurs in a posting headed, "You are all wrong to love this drek. [sic]" I'm not really the first to notice and question the accusation. Personally, I like the poem, but then I tend to like good poetry.
- I would still tend to differ. The comment refers to says "B loved to parody" and did not say THIS piece was a parody.
It is one thing to interpret poems (symbolism, imagery, metaphors etc) but comments usually say just what they mean.
I too like good poetry which is why I do a lot of the background research for the site.
Jim - I love it.... :-X
It is all too human, to parody, plagiarise, paraphrase, transform, transpose, transfigure.. Whatever his intent, Byron made something undeniably unique and enduring. It is too contrived to consider this at all a parody, in any sense, Run it by Prof Bloom, if you doubt me. I don't think he mentioned anything at all of a tendency in Byron, to "parody" Wordsworth in this fashion. Check out "the Visionary Company".One could make a good case that Byron envied the purer imagination and less colloquial style of Wordsworth, than his own. Byron stand entirely on his own uniqueness, in these lines.
dofaust.deviantart.co, artin2007.deviantart.com, etc
Thanks to Mr. Monte, senior class of 1957, Royal Oak Dondero H.S. The first four lines of this poem are permanently burned into my memory.
- I love this. Nature is a great healer.
Anna - every line was wonderful, and a great flow. Great job, I enjoyed it.
Wow! Makes you think.. Lots of feeling and emotion in this one.. Great writning!
- This is so intelligent... full of feeling.
- What a gorgeous poem! The title drew me in, and I was not disappointed. Its a very interesting concept, and so much of it is true. It flows so well, and was full of phrases I *loved.* One of my favorites from reading on this website so far.
Excellent. I believe we all have select moments when we feel in union with the universe in a pathless woods or feeling the stars above. Thanks for sharing this. MK
Ummm great poem, it's quite homey
Wordsworth has last laugh.
From guest Brad Muir (contact)
The effect is hardly 'drek'! While the lines in 'literary circles' may not carry weight, Wordsworth's intent and passion have survived or at least been rekindled. Though his style has gone in and out of favour, as was the case even in his lifetime, it succeeded. There is a strong thread weaving into a tapestry in Western society that identifies with and is yearning for the "pathless woods". If it is was Bryon's attempt to parody then it has not survived the test of time. Compare the number of positive comments on this page with the negative criticism. No matter the parody, no matter the trite style, the positive impact has been made and unknowingly Byron was complicit! In fact,I think Byron's so-called parody of the stye, may be more effective that the Wordsworth itself. Byron may have giggled but Wordsworth has the last laugh. Bryon was a success and knew not of the depth.- Not wrong - just different perhaps.
Von - Oldpoetry Team you are all wrong to love this drek!
From guest Dr James Soderholm (contact)
Byron was winding up Wordsworth, whose 'nature poetry' and piety B loved to parody. The poetry above is self-consciously awful! Byron knew it, and giggled. Wordsworth did not. He probably nearly threw up when he read Childe Harold.what now...
From guest Kegham (contact)
This was written at a time where nature still exicted. Less citys and less modeenization. Imagine now what can everyone of us write.?
From guest nature (contact)
what does this mean?
MOD MESSAGE
This might help http://oldpoetry.com/board/topic/1492
Jim- From guest chelz (contact)
i got this poem tattooed on my ribcage because i love it so much; its beautiful beautiful
From guest anukriti (contact)
It has actually reminded the hidden soundnses of nature which actually steals our heart un-noticeblyBridges
From guest Jack Schueler (contact)
Thanks for posting this. I saw the first lines in the dedication to F. (Francesca) by Kincaid in the photography book used in the film "Bridges of Madison County" and was curious to read the entire poem.There is a pleasure.....
From guest Diana (contact)
Byron speaks of metaphysics, how connected in our universal subconscious mind we all are. How we must appreciate the beauty and create the beauty..... he was a sage, and incredible, beautiful, talented and prophetic sage.....Timeless genius
From guest Roy Brewster (contact)
I first came across this poem from the film version of "Into the Wild", the tragic/beautiful account of Chris McCandless's journey into the wilderness of Alaska. Line 5 perfectly expresses the conflicting impact of our "improving" lifestyle and growing population on the environment.
Poem title
From guest ella stephens (contact)
I could not remember which of his poems this the stanza was written. I love Childe Harold Pilgrimage- From guest lawrence sage (contact)
this is awsum The society of oneself
From guest philip (contact)
Only those who have known prolonged isolation can know how meaningful Byron's words - where none intrudes... specially when surrounded by the beauty of nature, whether a lonely shore, mountain top or far at sea.Byron
From guest David Mills (contact)
I was inspired by this poem when walking 707kms of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela for 'Help for heroes' in June 2008. The trials and tribulations of doing this distance in 27 days was made easier by his eloquent and erudite words.- i think that is beautifull
- From guest CDL (contact)
This poem is as fitting to my personal conception of the the world, as any words ever put together. It's inspiring, and confusing all in one... - Quality!!
There is Pleasure In The Pathless Woods
From guest Maggie Walsh (contact)
Never read much of Byron before; too much enthralled with Wordsworth. Then, while looking for an appropriate poem to put in a card to a terminally ill friend, I found his "...Pathless Woods" verse. What a rinchness of words! Byron’s beautiful verse will speak for me. When I do visit her, discussing the verse along side her illness will be good for both of us. MWthe beauty of "interview"
I think use of the word interview is brilliant; and demonstrates the greatness of the poet. I think people are only complaining that it doesn't sound right or sounds too modern because it de-romanticises the opening lines. Yet we wouldn't be surprised if John Donne came up with such a remark, so it certainly isn't because it is "too modern". What Byron is saying is that although there is a pleasure in the pathless woods etc., although we are drawn to Nature because Nature is "all I may be, or have been before", there is also a clear disjunct between modern humans and Nature. Byron is asserting the belief that our origins and essence lie in Nature, that we are from Nature, that perhaps we ought to be one with Nature, and that therefore this mingling with the Universe is a pleasurable, wonderful thing. But he is also unsure of the how and the wherefore of his Nature being, using the words "may be". He states that modern humans have tried (with only partial success) to "conceal" their essence and origins. Yet this striving to conceal has presumably led to the disjunct with Nature, which means we can only hold "interviews" with our true selves, that we must attempt to "steal" wisdom and insight which ought to be ours by right, and that we cannot express what we truly are.
Wordsworth, in a short poem which begins "A slumber did my spirit seal" wrote about his soul being "rolled sound in Earth's diurnal course with rocks and stones and trees". It is beautifully evocative and romantic, but it is also somewhat untruthful; for it is impossible for us to be rolled sound in Earth's diurnal course in the same way that, for instance, a wild animal is. Byron recognises that. The first four lines of Byron's verse are beautiful because they are so evocative; the last five lines are beautiful because they are so full of wisdom and insight.'interviews', 'steal'
From guest Lawson Wood (contact)
Incredibly evocative verse - my favourite from Byron. Is Byron trying to be oblique and, a little, controversial/ thought-provoking, in using 'interviews' and 'steal', as opposed to experiences, reflections or feelings and conclude? The final sentence is such an amazingly simple expression of the frustration at not being able to express one's appreciation of life and the Universe. Care and regards, Lawson- From guest NITIN (contact)
So much heart toching lines. Gives just a glimpse of some paranormal things.Beyond all these materialistic aspects of life, there's something which cannot be expressed in words...Byron so eloquently summarizes the beauty of nature life..A verbatim account ...He's my favorite poet beside Shelly.... - From guest me (contact)
I love this poem. It describes exactly how I feel about nature and the world, although I do like men less and Nature much more(not so much men, but the societies, troubles, and personalities of men) Nature has a distinct, beautiful, and primivite allure that is impossible to ignore. Quoted
From guest Linda (contact)
I am currently reading "The Discovery of Yellowstone Nationa Park" by Nathaniel Langford--a great outdoor adventure story in 1870. He recited this verse as the group struggled through thick timber and fallen trees, brightening their bad moods with some lightness. Only the first line is used in the book, so I had to look up the full quote immediately.Lepcis Magna
From guest GETA (contact)
I have just read this poem yesterday, however I know this poet and I cannot tell how much I liked it. I have learnt how to open my eyes to see things clearely.Caroline
From guest Caroline (contact)
I am sure I have seen 'Interludes' replace 'Interviews' in another version which I prefer. I agree the word interview is too clerical and modern. The word 'interludes' implies a pause or meditative space in which to stay a while. Was Byron a Yogi?- From guest sarah (contact)
I love this and it reflects exactly how I feel about nature .......I don't like the word Interview.It sounds to modern and also jolts one in the midst of the beautiful ...any thoughts anyone ?? - I am so like a book that Nature reads me like part of itself. I am therefore able to enjoy my feelings about Nature when I engage in a solitary walk through the woods and by the sea. With Nature I feel part of the Universe.
love man not less,but nature more
From guest its me (contact)
maybe as a person, but as one of creation how affectionate the poem u depict on,im a nature lover tooPathless Woods
From guest J. List (contact)
This has long been one of my favorite verses. He indeed does inject passion into his poetry.great poet
From guest Earnest88 (contact)
the poet is a part of nature and nature has absorbed him. Looking at the grandeur of nature, he finds man so tiny and insignificant! love the poem and love the poet better for he did great work for others in the wars!Rapture, yes!
To 'steal' a moment of quiet reverie for ones own enjoyment, what a delight. To be able to write of it so eloquently, what a talent. To make it rhyme, what a poet! I do so love Byron.Perfect and beautiful
There is so much truth in this poem. The Grand Canyon; any landscape or shooting star, the sound of the ocean, the forms of shells...perfection is one word that comes to mind. I was in the Sahara Desert many years ago, and I remember the night sky just being perfect--no pollution, no smells, nothing but the diamond stars above. The moon looked alarmingly larger than I had ever remember seeing it. Lines 8-9 reveal the limitations of words--how does one describe both the visual and emotional levels that the "pathless woods" present?- Now THIS is what I call poetry! Perfect rhyme also.
- Wow, this was beautiful and I loved it. I liked the rhyme
