17 MY HEART LEAPS UP

My heart leaps up when I behold

A rainbow in the sky.

So was it when my life began;

So is it now I am a man;

So be it when I shall grow old,

Or let me die!

The child is father of the man;

And I could wish my days to be

Bound each to each by natural piety.

( William Wordsworth )

Word list

piety : things we must do

You Practice

Answer the following questions.

1) What do you think Wordsworth means when he says his heart “leaps up”?

2) How can the child be father to the man?

3) What things sometimes make us forget the world of nature?

4) If Wordsworth didn’t have this feeling, how do you think his life would be different?

5) How can we keep this feeling in our hearts? fz6nWw1Bs0JTW84RN3BmTLmMpJu8Iooiz5mTokCYoAiCmKyP6OQ3FstHWqSbfOBD