The World is Too much With Us is one of the finest sonnets written by William Wordsworth. The poet is disillusioned with the gross materialism of the modern world and strongly condemns it.
Wordsworth says the world is too much with us. He is oppressed with the burden of the highly materialistic ways of life. Modern man spends all his time and energy in the mad pursuit of material wealth and comfort. We are blind to Nature and her bounty. The beautiful sights and sounds of Nature do not give us any pleasure or comfort. The poet calls this a 'Sordid boon'.
'We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon'.
The poet seems to the concerned with the heartless nature of man. having lost touch with the world of nature he has become insensitive to everything. This heartless existence tortures the mind of the poet.
Wordsworth suggests a remedy for his miserable existence. A return to nature is the way out. The poet shows us the beautiful face of nature in the next three lines:
The sea that bares her boson to the moon
The wind that will be howling at all hours
And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers.
With these two lines Wordsworth draws two lovely pictures of Nature. The moon it sea and the quietened winds suggest the sea bright still night. The poet is charmed by the ethereal beauty of the sea on a still night. Wordsworth was a lover, admirer and Worshipper of nature and nature in turn was a friend, philosopher and guide to him. He not only got pleasure admiring the beauty of nature but also got comfort and peace of mind from the contemplation of nature.
The two beautiful pictures we get in this poem show what nature meant to Wordsworth. Modern man is blind to this beauty. He is out of tune with the sounds and sights of nature. He gets neither pleasure, not comfort and peace of mind from nature.
Wordsworth is so much oppressed with this incentive nature of modern life that he breaks into prayer.
... Great God! I'd rather be
A pagan suckled in a creed outworn.
This preference to be a Pagan is the solution to this problem. It is Wordsworth's own remedy to his personal problem. But the poet suggests that it could also be a solution to the melody of materialism. May be a Pagan is brought up in primitivism and beliefs that seem irrational, he is close to Nature. The admires and worships nature. he gets comfort and peace of mind from Nature.
If you become a pagan, Wordsworth says, you may be lucky to have a glimpse into the mystery and beauty of Nature. You may
Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea
Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn
Wordsworth concludes his sonnet mentioning the majesty, beauty and mystery of a sight and sound of Nature.