D. Wordsworth

Dorothy Wordsworth


“I should detest the idea of setting myself as an Author,” were the words of Dorothy Wordsworth. Dorothy Wordsworth was indeed a great writer like her brother William, but never desired for her works to be published. Dorothy was more of a private writer who encompassed the skill and craft of a poet. She was closest to her brother William (there were other siblings) and the two of them inspired each other’s works. Many of their pieces actually were responses and almost conversational to the other’s work. Before her death, William published a few of her works in him volumes and merely specified them as being written “By my sister” and not signing her name to them. The two lived together, even after William was married, and couldn’t have been any closer.

Some of the things I really liked about Dorothy’s writing were her simplicity and thoroughness. Her journal entries and poem “Thoughts on My Sick-bed” were a few of the pieces I really enjoyed. Her entry “A Vision of the Moon” captured my attention. I absolutely love being outdoors and the stars and moon have a special place with me. Her description of the night was captivating and reminded me of some of the nights I spent looking up at the stars. Her poem made me a little sad, but I felt that it was written well. She didn’t go into depth about her misery or pain and mainly spoke of her friends coming to see her and voiced…

When loving Friends an offering brought,
The first flowers of the year,
Culled from the precincts of our home,
From nooks to Memory dear….


--I thought of Nature’s loveliest scenes;
And with Memory I was there.



She never seemed to let anything bring her down and I found that personally inspiring.