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Poetry · Poem

Desideria

William WordsworthEnglish RomanticismPoem
SOURCE TEXT · English original
Surprised by joy—impatient as the Wind
I turned to share the transport—O! with whom
But Thee, deep buried in the silent tomb,
That spot which no vicissitude can find?
Love, faithful love, recall'd thee to my mind—
But how could I forget thee? Through what power,
Even for the least division of an hour,
Have I been so beguiled as to be blind
To my most grievous loss?—That thought's return
Was the worst pang that sorrow ever bore,
Save one, one only, when I stood forlorn,
Knowing my heart's best treasure was no more;
That neither present time, nor years unborn
Could to my sight that heavenly face restore.
Cultural reading

Reading the poem

Surprised by a moment of joy, the speaker turns instinctively to share it with someone buried in the grave, and the return of that knowledge—together with the discovery that he had briefly forgotten—becomes the worst pang except the moment of the loss itself.

Language notes

Text and edition

The English text follows the fixed historical witness in The Oxford Book of English Verse; no modern third-party translation is included.