To Mary
To Mary - meaning Summary
Intimacy Over Idealized Beauty
Wordsworth addresses Mary, rejecting lofty, flawless ideals of beauty in favor of intimate, reciprocal affection. He tells her not to aspire to angelic perfection or public admiration; instead, real beauty is hidden and only revealed in the mutual recognition between lovers. The poem values emotional communion over external appearance and frames personal worth as discovered through shared feeling. It is believed to be directed to Mary Hutchinson.
Read Complete AnalysesLet other bards of angels sing, Bright suns without a spot; But thou art no such perfect thing: Rejoice that thou art not! Heed not tho' none should call thee fair; So, Mary, let it be If nought in loveliness compare With what thou art to me. True beauty dwells in deep retreats, Whose veil is unremoved Till heart with heart in concord beats, And the lover is beloved.
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