There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is a rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society, where none intrudes,
By the deep sea, and music in its roar:
I love not man the less, but Nature more,
From these our interviews, in which I steal
From all I may be, or have been before,
To mingle with the Universe, and feel
What I can ne'er express, yet cannot all conceal.
Notes
from Childe Harold, Canto iv, Verse 178
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From guest CDL (contact)
This poem is as fitting to my personal conception of the the world, as any words ever put together. It's inspiring, and confusing all in one... -
Quality!!
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There is Pleasure In The Pathless Woods
From guest Maggie Walsh (contact)
Never read much of Byron before; too much enthralled with Wordsworth. Then, while looking for an appropriate poem to put in a card to a terminally ill friend, I found his "...Pathless Woods" verse. What a rinchness of words! Byron’s beautiful verse will speak for me. When I do visit her, discussing the verse along side her illness will be good for both of us. MW -
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'interviews', 'steal'
From guest Lawson Wood (contact)
Incredibly evocative verse - my favourite from Byron. Is Byron trying to be oblique and, a little, controversial/ thought-provoking, in using 'interviews' and 'steal', as opposed to experiences, reflections or feelings and conclude? The final sentence is such an amazingly simple expression of the frustration at not being able to express one's appreciation of life and the Universe. Care and regards, Lawson -
From guest NITIN (contact)
So much heart toching lines. Gives just a glimpse of some paranormal things.Beyond all these materialistic aspects of life, there's something which cannot be expressed in words...Byron so eloquently summarizes the beauty of nature life..A verbatim account ...He's my favorite poet beside Shelly.... -
From guest me (contact)
I love this poem. It describes exactly how I feel about nature and the world, although I do like men less and Nature much more(not so much men, but the societies, troubles, and personalities of men) Nature has a distinct, beautiful, and primivite allure that is impossible to ignore. -
Quoted
From guest Linda (contact)
I am currently reading "The Discovery of Yellowstone Nationa Park" by Nathaniel Langford--a great outdoor adventure story in 1870. He recited this verse as the group struggled through thick timber and fallen trees, brightening their bad moods with some lightness. Only the first line is used in the book, so I had to look up the full quote immediately. -
Lepcis Magna
From guest GETA (contact)
I have just read this poem yesterday, however I know this poet and I cannot tell how much I liked it. I have learnt how to open my eyes to see things clearely. -
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Caroline
From guest Caroline (contact)
I am sure I have seen 'Interludes' replace 'Interviews' in another version which I prefer. I agree the word interview is too clerical and modern. The word 'interludes' implies a pause or meditative space in which to stay a while. Was Byron a Yogi? -
From guest sarah (contact)
I love this and it reflects exactly how I feel about nature .......I don't like the word Interview.It sounds to modern and also jolts one in the midst of the beautiful ...any thoughts anyone ?? -
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the beauty of "interview"
I think use of the word interview is brilliant; and demonstrates the greatness of the poet. I think people are only complaining that it doesn't sound right or sounds too modern because it de-romanticises the opening lines. Yet we wouldn't be surprised if John Donne came up with such a remark, so it certainly isn't because it is "too modern". What Byron is saying is that although there is a pleasure in the pathless woods etc., although we are drawn to Nature because Nature is "all I may be, or have been before", there is also a clear disjunct between modern humans and Nature. Byron is asserting the belief that our origins and essence lie in Nature, that we are from Nature, that perhaps we ought to be one with Nature, and that therefore this mingling with the Universe is a pleasurable, wonderful thing. But he is also unsure of the how and the wherefore of his Nature being, using the words "may be". He states that modern humans have tried (with only partial success) to "conceal" their essence and origins. Yet this striving to conceal has presumably led to the disjunct with Nature, which means we can only hold "interviews" with our true selves, that we must attempt to "steal" wisdom and insight which ought to be ours by right, and that we cannot express what we truly are.
Wordsworth, in a short poem which begins "A slumber did my spirit seal" wrote about his soul being "rolled sound in Earth's diurnal course with rocks and stones and trees". It is beautifully evocative and romantic, but it is also somewhat untruthful; for it is impossible for us to be rolled sound in Earth's diurnal course in the same way that, for instance, a wild animal is. Byron recognises that. The first four lines of Byron's verse are beautiful because they are so evocative; the last five lines are beautiful because they are so full of wisdom and insight.
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I am so like a book that Nature reads me like part of itself. I am therefore able to enjoy my feelings about Nature when I engage in a solitary walk through the woods and by the sea. With Nature I feel part of the Universe.
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love man not less,but nature more
From guest its me (contact)
maybe as a person, but as one of creation how affectionate the poem u depict on,im a nature lover too -
Pathless Woods
From guest J. List (contact)
This has long been one of my favorite verses. He indeed does inject passion into his poetry. -
great poet
From guest Earnest88 (contact)
the poet is a part of nature and nature has absorbed him. Looking at the grandeur of nature, he finds man so tiny and insignificant! love the poem and love the poet better for he did great work for others in the wars! -
Rapture, yes!
To 'steal' a moment of quiet reverie for ones own enjoyment, what a delight. To be able to write of it so eloquently, what a talent. To make it rhyme, what a poet! I do so love Byron. -
Perfect and beautiful
There is so much truth in this poem. The Grand Canyon; any landscape or shooting star, the sound of the ocean, the forms of shells...perfection is one word that comes to mind. I was in the Sahara Desert many years ago, and I remember the night sky just being perfect--no pollution, no smells, nothing but the diamond stars above. The moon looked alarmingly larger than I had ever remember seeing it. Lines 8-9 reveal the limitations of words--how does one describe both the visual and emotional levels that the "pathless woods" present?
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Now THIS is what I call poetry! Perfect rhyme also.
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Wow, this was beautiful and I loved it. I liked the rhyme
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