His Life and Genius 127 



thought and feeling that his melodious language 



is no garment skilfully put on but its natural living 



vesture, the fresh and spontaneous eloquence, 



sometimes gross exuberance, of their organic 



union ; for which reason it is capable of awaking 



by sub-conscious associations in kindred minds 



intimations and intuitions of the deepest and most 



subtile harmonies and relations of things. In 



exemplification of the immense difference in this 



respect between him and other poets, one may 



compare or contrast Shakspeare with Wordsworth 



in their respective references to the daffodils. 



By the former we are told of 



The daffodils 

 That come before the swallow dares, and take 

 The winds of March with beauty — 



where in simplest words paling winter and fresh- 

 budding spring, the forefelt lays and flights of 

 coming bird life, the hues and scents of flowers, 

 are blent and suggested in one sweet harmony of 

 brief expression ; nature's pure fresh spontaneous 

 utterance of itself through him, marred by no 

 subjective jar of self-conscious individuality. In 

 the latter, we fail not to feel the egotistic note 

 which intrudes into the contemplation of the 

 poet, whose delighted heart, with pleasure filled, 

 " dances with the daffodils " ; his mind not 

 merged and blent in the subject, but construing 

 it consciously in terms of his dominant mood ; 

 just as if things in nature were created for him, as 

 he lay " couched upon the grass " or sat at ease 



