Climbs to a soul, etc.: In his intimate sympathy with nature, by James Russell Lowell: Summary, Meaning & Analysis
This piece is a brief critical essay-poem that explores James Russell Lowell's tendency to depict nature as if it were alive and could feel—similar to what Wordsworth famously did.
The poem
Lowell endows her forms with conscious life, as Wordsworth did, who says in _Lines Written in Early Spring_: "And 't is my faith that every flower Enjoys the air it breathes." So Lowell in _The Cathedral_ says: "And I believe the brown earth takes delight, In the new snow-drop looking back at her, To think that by some vernal alchemy It could transmute her darkness into pearl." So again he says in _Under the Willows_: "I in June am midway to believe A tree among my far progenitors, Such sympathy is mine with all the race, Such mutual recognition vaguely sweet There is between us." It must be remembered that this humanizing of nature is an attitude toward natural objects characteristic only of modern poetry, being practically unknown in English poetry before the period of Burns and Wordsworth.
This piece is a brief critical essay-poem that explores James Russell Lowell's tendency to depict nature as if it were alive and could feel—similar to what Wordsworth famously did. It weaves together three quoted passages from Lowell's longer poems to illustrate his belief that flowers, soil, and trees have a genuine connection with human beings. The concluding note highlights that this perspective on nature was a novel concept in English poetry, emerging only with Burns and Wordsworth in the late 1700s.
Line-by-line
Lowell endows her forms with conscious life, as Wordsworth did, who says in Lines Written in Early Spring...
"And I believe the brown earth takes delight, / In the new snow-drop looking back at her..."
"I in June am midway to believe / A tree among my far progenitors..."
It must be remembered that this humanizing of nature is an attitude toward natural objects characteristic only of modern poetry...
Tone & mood
The tone is warm and genuinely enthusiastic—it's clear that the writer has a deep love for these lines and hopes you do too. There's nothing cold or distant about it. The critical framing feels confident without being rigid, and the quoted passages radiate a sense of wonder and quiet joy. The overall impression is one of discovery: here’s something beautiful, here’s why it matters, and here’s its origin.
Symbols & metaphors
- The snowdrop — The snowdrop is the first flower to emerge in late winter, breaking through the dark soil. It symbolizes the moment when life pushes back against the cold and darkness. Its bright white petals against the brown earth make the "alchemy" metaphor resonate — it truly appears as if something has been transformed.
- The brown earth — The earth isn't merely the ground beneath our feet; it's like a nurturing figure that oversees everything that grows from it and delights in the outcome. It embodies nature as a mindful, caring parent instead of just being a lifeless resource.
- The tree as ancestor — When Lowell envisions a tree among his "far progenitors," it symbolizes the profound connection between humans and the natural world — suggesting that we aren't separate from nature but are part of it, sharing a common origin.
- Vernal alchemy — Alchemy was the ancient pursuit of transforming base metals into gold. The image of spring turning dark soil into a white flower implies that nature works miracles just as remarkable as anything a medieval alchemist could envision — transformation, renewal, and the emergence of beauty from darkness.
Historical context
James Russell Lowell (1819–1891) was a leading figure among American writers in the nineteenth century — a poet, critic, editor of *The Atlantic Monthly*, and later a diplomat. He came into his own during the height of American Romanticism, heavily influenced by the English Romantics, particularly Wordsworth. His poem *The Cathedral* (1869) is a long meditation inspired by a visit to Chartres, while *Under the Willows* (1868) is a more personal and informal collection. Both works reveal Lowell's struggles with faith, nature, and the challenges of modern life. The critical passage included here reflects a tradition of comparative literary analysis that gained popularity in the late nineteenth century, as writers and speakers would connect ideas across poets to illustrate the flow of literary history. The central historical assertion — that the "humanizing of nature" was a Romantic innovation — captures the prevailing view of Lowell's time and continues to be widely accepted today.
FAQ
It means treating natural things—flowers, trees, soil—as if they have feelings, intentions, or inner lives like humans do. Rather than merely calling a flower a pretty object, a poet who humanizes nature might say the flower *enjoys* the air or *looks back* at the earth. It’s the difference between a nature documentary and a fairy tale.
Wordsworth is the key figure behind this perspective on nature in English poetry. By starting with him, the critic creates a connection: Wordsworth was the pioneer, and Lowell continues in that tradition. It also provides readers with a straightforward and memorable example — the flower basking in the air — before transitioning to Lowell's more intricate imagery.
*Vernal* refers to springtime (derived from the Latin *ver*, meaning spring). *Alchemy* was the medieval art of attempting to convert base metals into gold. Therefore, "vernal alchemy" captures spring's enchanting ability to change something dull and ordinary, like brown earth, into something valuable and pure, such as a snowdrop. It's a vivid metaphor for the miracle of new growth.
He’s being playfully half-serious. When he says "midway to believe," he’s honestly expressing that the feeling is so strong it almost convinces him, even though he knows it’s not literally true. It’s less about making a scientific claim and more about capturing the deep sense of connection he feels with trees in June — that unspoken bond between a person and a living being.
In English poetry, that's true in a general sense. Earlier poets such as Pope and Dryden depicted nature in formal, ornate ways — it was more like scenery than something alive with feeling. It was Burns and Wordsworth who began to portray nature as capable of sharing in human emotions, or as something that people could genuinely connect with. This marked a cultural shift linked to Romanticism's response to the Enlightenment's emphasis on rationalism.
*The Cathedral* (1869) is a thoughtful poem Lowell crafted after visiting Chartres Cathedral in France. It explores themes of faith and doubt, the connection between the medieval religious experience and contemporary secular life, and the comfort that nature and beauty can provide. The snowdrop passage quoted here is one of several instances where Lowell discovers spiritual significance in observing nature rather than through organized religion.
The argument suggests that Lowell fits into a particular poetic tradition — the Romantic approach that views nature as conscious and emotional. This perspective was a real innovation in history, rather than a practice that poets have always followed. The three passages quoted serve as evidence, while the closing paragraph wraps up the point: this represents a modern viewpoint, and we should acknowledge it as such.