Terrence C Flannery
English 1302
October 19, 2012
“My Heart leaps up when I behold”
In this very short poem, “My heart leaps up when I behold”, by William Wordsworth, the speaker begins by declaring that he is moved by nature, and especially by nature's beauty and how he is excited when he sees the rainbow. He feels so excited inside his heart when he sees a beautiful rainbow in the sky. This is a very romantic poem in both form and structure of the poem itself. The format of the poem gives an excited feeling about human nature and forces the reader to pause at important points in the poem and think about each stanza carefully. For instance, the first two short lines of the poem are both significant and show romantic experience. In these opening lines he states, “My heart leaps up when I behold a rainbow in the sky” (line 1-2). Here the speaker is telling the reader of an experience that he feels when he gazes at the sky seeing a rainbow. “My Heart Leaps Up” embodies the following Romantic themes: nature, joy toward childhood, and bond to nature. The poet needs nature in order to feel his existence in life. The speaker explains his connection to nature, stating that it has been strong throughout his life. He even goes so far that if he loses connection with nature he would prefer to die. One would believe that he would rather die if he loses connection with nature because he would feel empty, if nature, like a rainbow, would vanish. Nature and its beauty are what give meaning to his life. Without it, then he would think that he is nothing. First, "A rainbow in the sky" shows his bond and foreshadows the speaker's wish to be "Bound by natural piety." Wordsworth states “My heart leaps up when I behold a rainbow in the sky” (line1-2). It shows how he feels excited when he beholds a rainbow in the sky. Obviously he is expresses the joy that is in his heart as he gazes toward the sky, looking at the rainbow. The feeling of joy for the