ODE+TO+DUTY

ODE TO DUTY **//by: William Wordsworth (1770-1850) //**               TERN Daughter of the Voice of God! O Duty! if that name thou love Who art a light to guide, a rod To check the erring, and reprove; Thou, who art victory and law When empty terrors overawe; From vain temptations dost set free; And clam'st the weary strife of frail humanity!  There are who ask not if thine eye Be on them; who, in love and truth, <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;">Where no misgiving is, rely <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;">Upon the genial sense of youth: <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;">Glad Hearts! without reproach or blot; <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;">Who do thy work, and know it not: <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;">Oh! if through confidence misplaced <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;">They fail, thy saving arms, dread Power! around them cast. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;">Serene will be our days and bright, <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;">And happy will our nature be, <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;">When love is an unerring light, <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;">And joy its own security. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;">And they a blissful course may hold <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;">Even now, who, not unwisely bold, <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;">Live in the spirit of this creed; <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;">Yet seek thy firm support, according to their need. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;">I, loving freedom, and untried: <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;">No sport of every random gust, <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;">Yet being to myself a guide, <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;">Too blindly have reposed my trust: <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;">And oft, when in my heart was heard <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;">Thy timely mandate, I deferred <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;">The task, in smoother walks to stray; <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;">But thee I now would serve more strictly, if I may. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;">Through no disturbance of my soul, <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;">Or strong compunction in me wrought, <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;">I supplicate for thy control; <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;">But in the quietness of thought: <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;">Me this unchartered freedom tires; <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;">I feel the weight of chance desires: <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;">My hopes no more must change their name, <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;">I long for a repose that ever is the same. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;">Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;">The Godhead's most benignant grace; <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;">Nor know we anything so fair <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;">As is the smile upon thy face: <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;">Flowers laugh before thee on their beds <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;">And fragrance in thy footing treads <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;">Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;">And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;">To humbler functions, awful Power! <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;">I call thee: I myself command <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;">Unto thy guidance from this hour; <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;">Oh! let my weakness have an end! <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;">Give unto me, made lowly wise, <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;">The spirit of self-sacrifice; <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;">The confidence of reason give; <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">And, in the light of truth, thy Bondman let me live! **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">SUMMARY ** ‘Ode to Duty’ reveals Wordsworth’s great concern with moral values and devotion to duty, integrity and uprightness. Duty according to him is the stern law-giver who moulds and controls human actions. It is in fact the ‘Voice of God’ and the ‘Light of Truth’. It is the name that anyone would love to be a guiding light, a correction rod to rectify the errors and to reprove. It is the victory and law which overcomes empty terrors that are overawe. Indeed, ‘Duty’- the stern voice of God sets us all free from all the vain temptations and calms the weary strife of frail humanity. &nbs p; There are those who feel that they do not need the eyes of God watching over them, but who depend absolutely on love and truth and commit no misgivings in life. They solely rely on the genial sense of youth, their glad hearts without reproach or blot, who do their duty with gladness and without complain. Yet even if they fail with misplaced confidence, the dreadful power of Duty’s saving arms cast around them and they are given one more chance to restart everything. &nbs p; Their days would be serene and bright and their nature would be happy when love becomes an unerring light and joy its own security. Even now they may hold a blissful course and though they are not unwisely bold, they live in the spirit of this creed. According to their need, they seek firm support from the same spirit of creed to perform their utmost duty to the best of their ability. The narrator loves the untried freedom which is not yielding to any wayward impulse or temptation, yet at the same time he should be a guide to himself especially when he has reposed his trust too blindly. Quite often, when he hears Duty’s timely mandate in his heart, he deferred the task in smoother walks to stray, but now if he may, he would serve his duty in a more strictly manner. Though there are no disturbances in the narrator’s soul or any sort of working within him, he would still supplicate for Duty’s control. In his quietness of thought, this unchartered, unlicensed and unbridled freedom becomes weary and tired. He could be faced with the pressure to leave all his desires to chance and no longer hope to change their name, for he longs for a repose that ever remains the same. As a stern law giver, Duty does wear the most benignant grace of God’s forehead. None of us know anything as fair as the smile on Duty’s face. Flowers on their beds laugh before the sense of duty and their fragrance treads on its footings. Duty preserves the stars from wrong and through it; even the most ancient heavens are fresh and strong. The narrator calls upon the awful power of Duty to even humbler functions and commended himself to its guidance even from this hour. Though he is made lowly wise, yet let his weakness come to an end. He pleads to duty to give unto him the spirit of self sacrifice and the confidence of reason. In the light of truth, he prefers to live like the bondman of duty