William Wordsworth

The eye— it cannot choose but see;
we cannot bid the ear be still;
our bodies feel, where'er they be,
against or with our will.

William Wordsworth (April 7, 1770 – April 23, 1850) was a major English poet. Along with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, launched the Romantic Age in English literature with the 1798 publication of Lyrical Ballads.

Quotes

• I listened, motionless and still;
  And, as I mounted up the hill,
  The music in my heart I bore,
  Long after it was heard no more.
  • The Solitary Reaper, st. 4

Simple: I listened without moving. As I climbed the hill, I bore the music in my heart though I could not hear it.

What it means: The music was so lovely that it remained in my heart though I couldn't hear it.

• Continuous as the stars that shine
  And twinkle on the milky way.
  • I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud, Stanza 2

Simple: They are continuous like the stars in the sky.

• A poet could not but be gay,
  In such a jocund company.
  • I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud, Stanza 3

Simple: A poet must be happy in such a happy place.

• They flash upon that inward eye
  Which is the bliss of solitude.
  • I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud, Stanza 4