The Celandine's Humility

In Wordsworth’s (WW) “To a Small Celandine,” I harked on the comparison of the poets, “vain men in their mood”, and the “thrifty” cottagers. Paradoxically (for such a claim is made in a poem), the poets, being “wanton Wooers”, overlook the simplicity of the celandine and instead focus on the outward beauty of other flowers – “pansies, lilies, kingcups, daisies.” I think WW is arguing that such an action is an all to common misinterpretation, bordering on manipulation, of nature by man who vainly appreciates its ostensible beauty. The true power, however, lies in nature’s practicality, its unassuming humility that promotes perseverance. The celandine’s abundance, “fifty greetings in a day”, and flexibility, any home “’tis good enough for thee,” make it an ideal symbol for nature’s modesty. Moreover, the celandines pastoralism illuminates the virtuosity of the cottager and, as such, argues for such an unassuming life; one that is “careless of thy neighbourhood.” It is this pastoral image to which WW “hymns in praise” as a more accurate example of the relationship between nature and man.