Write a poem or a short prose piece that has been inspired by one of the literary texts that we have looked at in the last three weeks.
This short prose piece/creative story was inspired by William Wordsworth’s lyric poem ‘I Wondered as a lonely cloud’. I thoroughly enjoyed looking at this poem in class and took great inspiration from the simplicity yet powerful imagery of his writing. Often in romantic work I find the authors write in an overly pretentious manner or that the texts being studied can be very difficult to understand. Due to this, I identified allot with this poem and I also felt that it represents some key hallmarks of romantic writing, specifically an emphasis on an individuals emotional links to nature.
I wrote a creative piece that details a scenario in the life of a Christian man in Beirut, Lebanon. The character is sitting on the capitals waterfront pondering the natural beauty and elegance of his country. For me, It parallels Woodsworth’s Poem as there is that same underlying love and appreciation for nature. Furthermore, I found inspiration in the idea that an appreciation of natural beauty is linked with joy, solitude and pleasure.
Beirut, 1961.
The calm sea lapped at the weathered coastline. Rugged landscape was scattered beneath the cloudless blue sky. Snow capped mountains stood tall above endless fields of lush vegetation and groves of olives. Deep valleys lay home to unexplored caves, grottos, and enduring cedars. Marwan was intoxicated by the sheer beauty of the place. The cool spring breeze carried an indescribable sweetness; he couldn’t help but grin as the aromas raced through his nostrils. He gazed from his perch on the corniche bench, squinting wearily out across the sparkling blue vastness before him. Behind him, couples promenaded peacefully along the waterfront. “Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field”. The aged bible felt warm in his wrinkled hands, the passage resonated within him. This was the land of promise Marwan so eagerly hoped for, a land flowing with milk an honey. The scars of a season in the wilderness no longer haunting him, a lifetime of war now but a distant memory…
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