Emotional Memory

These beauteous forms,

Through a long absence, have not been to me

As is a landscape to a blind man’s eye:

But oft, in lonely rooms, and ‘mid the din

Of towns and cities, I have owed to them

In hours weariness, sensations sweet,

Felt in the blood, and felt along the heart;

And passing even into my purer mind,

With tranquil restoration: -- feelings too

Of unremembered pleasures…

-          William Wordsworth, ‘Tintern Abbey’, Lines 23 – 32 

            Some of the most important roles of a poet, according to Emerson, are to be able to not only see into the soul of man, but also be able to interpret it and share it with others. In some ways, it is his job to be able to recognize those things that connect us all; things we do, see, or feel. In these specific lines from one of Wordsworth most famous poems, I believe it brings to light the idea of what I like to think of as an ‘emotional memory’.

Wordsworth, in so many words, describes that feeling that we have all experienced at some time. It starts with a quick sense; a smell, a sound, or as in the case of this poem, at sight. For this particular entry I will be using one of my own emotional memories. When I was about 7 years old I had a secret spot. It was part of the river at the end of my grandparent’s property on their farm. Since they have moved, I have not seen it in about 15 years. I do not remember much about how it looks, but I can recall the sound of the river, children’s laughter, the smell of wet earth, the picturesque way the light would stream through the trees, and the beautiful swan. But above all else, I remember how it made me feel. It is a place that has calmed my anger, roused my spirits out of sadness, and given me a feeling of tranquility and uplifting.

Even though Wordsworth has not seen his perfect little spot in nature in over 5 years, he still feels that while he was gone it still gave him a feeling of ‘tranquil restoration’. This poem, to me, presents the perfect idea of what an emotional memory is. It is a memory of a person, place, thing, or even event that seems to be ‘Felt in the blood, and felt along the heart;’ even more so than you specifically remember the memory itself. It is that amazing feeling it gave you when you got to experience. I find that this was one of Wordsworth’s goals in this poem; to be able to show people that you can internalize those feelings and can draw from them when you seem to need it most.