We all have those moments where we have to re-read something ten times over to understand what is going on. Sometimes, the text is so hard (or far removed from present time), that we even need to rephrase it. In the literary world, this is essentially what paraphrasing is, and I have done so for William Wordsworth's (one of the most well known poets of the British Romantic period) poem "London 1802." Enjoy.
"London 1802"
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Milton! thou shouldst be living at this hour:
England hath need of thee: she is a fen
Of stagnant waters: altar, sword, and pen,
Fireside, the heroic wealth of hall and bower,
Have forfeited their ancient English dower
Of inward happiness. We are selfish men;
Oh! raise us up, return to us again;
And give us manners, virtue, freedom, power.
Thy soul was like a Star, and dwelt apart:
Thou hadst a voice whose sound was like the sea:
Pure as the naked heavens, majestic, free,
So didst thou travel on life's common way,
In cheerful godliness; and yet thy heart
The lowliest duties on herself did lay.
Paraphrase of "London 1802"
Milton, we wish you were still around. Our country is low and lacking your passion for religion, politics and writing. The elite sit at home and have forgotten the notorious and historical English vivacity. We think only of ourselves; please help us to remember who we are by nature, and teach us how to act respectfully. We desire to have integrity once again to find personal independence and authority through this and better behavior. Your bright intellect set you apart from those around you. Your voice was calming like lapping waves on the shore. It was as genuine, as honest, and as unrestricted as the gods. Even though you were a mortal, you carried yourself like a deity. Despite all of this and your godliness, you cared much about tribulations on earth.
The original text is so rich and true to its time; but sometimes we just need to put it in our own words in order to understand it a little bit better than the first couple times around.
