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The poetical works of William Wordsworth

... In six volumes ... A new edition
Wordsworth, William (1770-1850)

expand sectionI. 
VOL. I.
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VOL. II.
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POEMS ON THE NAMING OF PLACES.
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POEMS OF THE FANCY.
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POEMS OF THE IMAGINATION.
 I. 
I. THERE WAS A BOY.
 II. 
II. TO THE CUCKOO.
 III. 
III. A NIGHT-PIECE.
 IV. 
IV. AIREY-FORCE VALLEY.
 V. 
V. YEW-TREES.
 VI. 
VI. NUTTING.
 VII. 
VII. THE SIMPLON PASS.
 VIII. 
VIII.
 IX. 
IX.
 X. 
X.
 XI. 
XI.
 XII. 
XII.
 XIII. 
XIII. THE REVERIE OF POOR SUSAN.
 XIV. 
XIV. POWER OF MUSIC.
 XV. 
XV. STAR-GAZERS.
 XVI. 
XVI. WRITTEN IN MARCH,
 XVII. 
XVII.
 XVIII. 
XVIII. BEGGARS.
 XIX. 
XIX. SEQUEL TO THE FOREGOING,
 XX. 
XX. GIPSIES.
 XXI. 
XXI. RUTH.
 XXII. 
XXII. RESOLUTION AND INDEPENDENCE.
 XXIII. 
XXIII. THE THORN.
 XXIV. 
XXIV. HART-LEAP WELL.
 XXV. 
XXV. SONG AT THE FEAST OF BROUGHAM CASTLE,
 XXVI. 
XXVI. LINES, COMPOSED A FEW MILES ABOVE TINTERN ABBEY,
 XXVII. 
XXVII.
 XXVIII. 
XXVIII. FRENCH REVOLUTION,
 XXIX. 
XXIX.
 XXX. 
XXX. TO A SKY-LARK.
 XXXI. 
XXXI. LAODAMIA.
 XXXII. 
XXXII. DION.
 XXXIII. 
XXXIII. THE PASS OF KIRKSTONE.
 XXXIV. 
XXXIV. TO ENTERPRISE.
 XXXV. 
XXXV. TO ------, ON HER FIRST ASCENT TO THE SUMMIT OF HELVELLYN.
 XXXVI. 
XXXVI. TO A YOUNG LADY, WHO HAD BEEN REPROACHED FOR TAKING LONG WALKS IN THE COUNTRY.
 XXXVII. 
XXXVII. WATER-FOWL.
 XXXVIII. 
XXXVIII. VIEW FROM THE TOP OF BLACK COMB.
 XXXIX. 
XXXIX. THE HAUNTED TREE.
 XL. 
XL. THE TRIAD.
 XLI. 
XLI. THE WISHING-GATE.
 XLII. 
XLII. THE WISHING-GATE DESTROYED.
 XLIII. 
XLIII. THE PRIMROSE OF THE ROCK.
 XLIV. 
XLIV. PRESENTIMENTS.
expand sectionXLV. 
XLV. VERNAL ODE.
 XLVI. 
XLVI. DEVOTIONAL INCITEMENTS.
 XLVII. 
XLVII. THE CUCKOO-CLOCK.
 XLVIII. 
XLVIII. TO THE CLOUDS.
 XLIX. 
XLIX. SUGGESTED BY A PICTURE OF THE BIRD OF PARADISE.
 L. 
L. A JEWISH FAMILY.
 LI. 
LI. ON THE POWER OF SOUND.
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PETER BELL.
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MISCELLANEOUS SONNETS.
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VOL. III.
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VOL. IV.
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VOL. V.
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[volume]

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III. A NIGHT-PIECE.

—The sky is overcast
With a continuous cloud of texture close,
Heavy and wan, all whitened by the Moon,
Which through that veil is indistinctly seen,
A dull, contracted circle, yielding light
So feebly spread, that not a shadow falls,
Chequering the ground—from rock, plant, tree, or tower.
At length a pleasant instantaneous gleam
Startles the pensive traveller while he treads
His lonesome path, with unobserving eye
Bent earthwards; he looks up—the clouds are split
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Asunder,—and above his head he sees
The clear Moon, and the glory of the heavens.
There, in a black-blue vault she sails along,
Followed by multitudes of stars, that, small
And sharp, and bright, along the dark abyss
Drive as she drives: how fast they wheel away,
Yet vanish not!—the wind is in the tree,
But they are silent;—still they roll along
Immeasurably distant; and the vault,
Built round by those white clouds, enormous clouds,
Still deepens its unfathomable depth.
At length the Vision closes; and the mind,
Not undisturbed by the delight it feels,
Which slowly settles into peaceful calm,
Is left to muse upon the solemn scene.
1798.
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