The Rainbow

The Rainbow - context Summary

Composed 1802, Published 1807

Written in 1802 and published in 1807 in Poems, in Two Volumes, Wordsworth’s short lyric presents a compact statement of his Romantic outlook. Composed during his mature period, it links an abiding emotional response to nature with the moral and spiritual value of childhood. The poem’s famous axiom, "The Child is father of the man," encapsulates Wordsworth’s hope that youthful reverence for nature will persist through adulthood.