HisfatherwaslawagenttoSirJamesLowther,afterwardEarlofLonsdale,buthediedwhenWilliamwasinhisseventhyear.

ThepoetattendedschoolfirstatHawksheadSchool,thenatCambridgeUniversity.WilliamwasalsoenteredatSt.Johnsin1787.Havingfinishedhisacademicalcourse,Wordsworth,in1790,incompanywithMr.RobertJames,afellow-student,madeatouronthecontinent.WiththisfriendWordsworthmadeatourinNorthWalesthefollowingyear,aftertakinghisdegreeincollege.HewasagaininFrancetowardthecloseoftheyear1791,andremainedinthatcountryaboutatwelvemonth.HehadhailedtheFrenchRevolutionwithfeelingsofenthusiasticadmiration.

Blisswasitinthatdawntobealive
Buttobeyoungwasveryheaven.

Ayoungfriend,RaisleyCalvert,dyingin1795,lefthimasum.Afurthersumcametohimasapartoftheestateofhisfather,whodiedintestate;andwiththissmallcompetenceWordsworthdevotedhimselftostudyandseclusion.

In1793,inhistwenty-thirdyear,heappearedbeforetheworldasanauthor,in"DescriptiveSketches"and"TheEveningWalk."ThesketchesweremadefromhistourinSwitzerlandwithhisfriend,andtheWalkwasamongthemountainsofWestmoreland.

In1795WordsworthandhissisterwerelivingatRacedownLodge,inSomersetshire,where,in1797,theywerevisitedbyColeridge.Themeetingwasmutuallypleasant,andalife-longfriendshipwastheresult.TheintimaterelationsthusestablishedinducedWordsworthandhissistertochangetheirhomeforaresidencenearColeridge,atAlfoxen,nearNeitherStowey.Inthisnewhomethepoetcomposedmanyofhislighterpoems,alsothe"Borderers,"atragedy,whichwasrejectedbytheCoventGardenTheatre.In1797appearedhis"LyricalBallads,"whichalsocontainedColeridge’s"AncientMariner."

In1798,incompanywithhissisterandColeridge,hewenttoGermany,wherehespentsometimeatHamburg,RatzeburgandGoslar.ReturningtoEngland,hetookuphisresidenceatGrasmere,inWestmoreland.In1800hereprintedhis"LyricalBallads"withsomeadditions,makingtwovolumes.TwoyearslaterhemarriedMaryHutchinson,towhomheaddressed,thebeautifullines,"ShewasaPhantomofDelight."In1802,Wordsworth,withhissisterandhisfriendColeridge,visitedScotland.Thisvisitformedoneofthemostimportantperiodsofhisliterarylife,asitledtothecompositionofsomeofhisfinestlighterpoems.In1805hecompletedthe"Prelude,orGrowthofmyownMind,"apoemwritteninblankverse,butnotpublishedtillaftertheauthor’sdeath.Inthesameyearhealsowrotehis"Waggoner,"butdidnotpublishittillin1819.AtthistimehepurchasedacottageandsmallestateattheheadofUlleswater,LordLonsdalegenerouslyassistinghim.In1807hepublishedtwovolumesof"Poems."

Inthespringof1813heremovedfromGrasmeretoRoyalMount,whereheremainedfortherestofhislife,aperiodofthirty-sevenyears.Herewerepassedhisbrightestdays.Heenjoyedretirementandalmostperfecthappiness,asseeninhislines:

LonghaveIlovedwhatIbehold,
Thenightthatcalms,thedaythatcheers;
Thecommongrowthofmother-earth
Sufficesme–hertears,hermirth,
Herhumblestmirthandtears.

Thedragon’swing,themagicring,
Ishallnotcovetformydower,
IfIalongthatlowlyway
Withsympatheticheartmaystray,
Andwithasoulofpower.

Atthesametimehecommencedtowritepoemsofahigherorder,thusgreatlyextendingthecircleofhisadmirers.In1814hepublished"TheExcursion,"aphilosophicalpoeminblankverse.Byviewingmaninconnectionwithexternalnature,thepoetblendshismetaphysicswithpicturesoflifeandscenery.Tobuildupandstrengthenthepowersofthemind,incontrasttotheoperationsofsense,waseverhisobject.LikeBacon,WordsworthwouldratherhavebelievedallthefablesintheTalmudandAlcoran,thanthatthisuniversalframeiswithoutamind–orthatminddoesnot,byitsexternalsymbols,speaktothehumanheart.Helivedunderthehabitualawayofnature:

Tomethemeanestflowerthatblowscan,give
Thoughtsthatdooftenlietoodeepfortears.

TheremovalofthepoettoRydalwasmarkedbyanincidentofconsiderableimportanceinhispersonalhistory.ThroughtheinfluenceoftheEarlofLonsdale,hewasappointeddistributorofstampsinthecountyofWestmoreland,whichaddedgreatlytohisincomewithoutengrossingallofhistime.HewasnowplacedbeyondthefrownsofFortune–ifFortunecaneverbesaidtohavefrownedononesoindependentofhersmiles.Thesubsequentworksofthepoetwerenumerous–"TheWhiteDoeofRylstone,"aromanticnarrativepoem,yetcoloredwithhispeculiargenius;"SonnetsontheRiverDuddon""TheWaggoner;""PeterBell;""EcclesiasticalSketches;""YarrowRevisited,"andothers.Hisfamewasextendingrapidly.TheuniversitiesofDurhamandOxfordconferredacademichonorsuponhim.UponthedeathofhisfriendSouthey,in1843,hewasmadePoetLaureateofEngland,andthecrowngavehimapensionofperannum.Thushisincomewasincreasedandhonorswereshowereduponhim,makinggladtheclosingyearsofhislife.Butsadnessfounditswayintohishouseholdin1847,causedbythedeathofhisonlydaughter,Dora,thenMrs.Quillinan.Wordsworthsurvivedtheshockbutthreeyears,havingreachedtheadvancedageofeighty,alwaysenjoyingrobusthealthandwritinghispoemsintheopenair.Hediedin1850,ontheanniversaryofSt.George,thepatronsaintofEngland.