If you stayed awake when you read this poem, you probably realized that it has a lot of nature imagery. The speaker meets the "glimmering girl" in a hazel wood. He wanders through hills and valleys looking for her. Nature is the setting of this poem, but it also evokes the world of Celtic mythology that the "The Song of Wandering Aengus" draws on. The glimmering girl the speaker goes in search of is a product of the natural landscape. In this way, the poem suggests that nature has many gifts to offer us. It's a source of sustenance (mmm) and it's a source of magic (ahh).
Questions About Man and the Natural World
- How is the nature depicted in this poem similar to the "real" nature that we are familiar with in our own world? How is it different?
- In what ways is nature presented as a source of magic in this poem?
- How is the "glimmering girl" associated with nature in this poem? Why do you think she is associated with nature?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
Nature is a source of magic in this poem.
That's nice, but nature is more a practical source of sustenance in this poem.