Skip to content
Storgy

The Annotated Edition

Climbs to a soul, etc.: In his intimate sympathy with nature, by James Russell Lowell

Summary, meaning, line-by-line analysis & FAQ.

Read aloud in ~2 minOpen reading mode →

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.

Poet
James Russell Lowell
Core theme
Faith
The PoemFull text

Climbs to a soul, etc.: In his intimate sympathy with nature,

James Russell Lowell

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.

Public domain

Sourced from Project Gutenberg

Study actions

Take the quizStudy sheet (PDF)

§01Quick summary

What this poem is about

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.

§02Themes

Recurring themes

§03Line by line

Stanza by stanza, with notes

  1. Lowell endows her forms with conscious life, as Wordsworth did, who says in Lines Written in Early Spring...

    Editor's note

    The opening establishes the main argument: Lowell, similar to Wordsworth, views nature not merely as a setting but as a vibrant, sentient entity. The word *endows* carries significant weight here—it suggests that Lowell bestows an inner life upon nature rather than just depicting its surface features. Wordsworth's couplet from *Lines Written in Early Spring* serves as a key example: asserting that a flower literally *enjoys* the air it breathes is groundbreaking, as it grants a plant an emotional experience.

  2. "And I believe the brown earth takes delight, / In the new snow-drop looking back at her..."

    Editor's note

    This excerpt from Lowell's *The Cathedral* enhances the concept. The earth isn't merely alive — it experiences *delight*, a warm, almost nurturing joy, when a snowdrop breaks through its surface. The phrase "looking back at her" gives the flower the persona of a child glancing up at its mother. "Vernal alchemy" is a lovely way to express the idea: spring is portrayed as a magical force that changes the earth's dark soil into the white pearl of a snowdrop blossom.

  3. "I in June am midway to believe / A tree among my far progenitors..."

    Editor's note

    This passage from *Under the Willows* is the most personal and bold of the three. Lowell says, half-joking and half-serious, that he suspects a tree is part of his family tree. The phrase "midway to believe" is sincere — he’s not making a scientific assertion, but rather sharing a feeling that’s so intense it borders on conviction. "Mutual recognition vaguely sweet" perfectly conveys that wordless sense of connection you experience while standing in a forest, as if the trees recognize you as well.

  4. It must be remembered that this humanizing of nature is an attitude toward natural objects characteristic only of modern poetry...

    Editor's note

    The closing paragraph steps back to provide some historical context. The critic notes that the idea of viewing nature as conscious and emotional was largely absent in English poetry prior to Burns and Wordsworth — indicating that it's a Romantic innovation rather than an age-old poetic practice. This is significant because it reminds us not to take this notion for granted: it required someone to conceive it, and that person emerged during a specific cultural moment at the close of the eighteenth century.

§04Tone & mood

How this poem feels

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.

§05Symbols & metaphors

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.

§06Historical context

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.

§07FAQ

Questions readers ask

What does 'humanizing of nature' mean?

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.

Why is Wordsworth brought in at the start?

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.

What does 'vernal alchemy' mean?

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.

Is Lowell being serious when he says a tree might be his ancestor?

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.

Was this attitude toward nature really new in the late 1700s?

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.

What is The Cathedral by Lowell about?

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.

What is the overall argument of this piece?

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.

Citation

Cite this poem

MLA

Lowell, James Russell. "Climbs to a soul, etc.: In his intimate sympathy with nature,." Storgy, https://storgy.com/poems/climbs-to-a-soul-etc-in-his-intimate-sympathy-with-nature-james-russell-lowell/.

APA

Lowell, J. R. (n.d.). Climbs to a soul, etc.: in his intimate sympathy with nature,. Storgy. https://storgy.com/poems/climbs-to-a-soul-etc-in-his-intimate-sympathy-with-nature-james-russell-lowell/

TeacherAP Lit Q1 scaffold — preview

Row A — Thesis

1 pt

Lowell's critical passage argues that the power of Romantic nature poetry lies not in description but in what might be called reciprocal consciousness: the conviction that the natural world does not merely surround the human speaker but …

  • Row B — Evidence + Commentary4 pts
  • Row C — Sophistication1 pt
  • Common student errors
Unlock the full scaffold

Available on any Storgy plan — model paragraphs, band callouts, and common student errors for every poem.

The study desk

Teaching materials and reference tools prepared for this poem.

InteractiveSelf-test

Take the quiz on this poem

Test your reading directly on the page — instant scoring, no signup, no printing.

ReferenceMLA · APA · Chicago

Cite this poem

A properly formatted citation for your essay or bibliography, typeset by deterministic rules — no AI involved.

Adjacent texts in the archive

More by James Russell Lowell

Browse all James Russell Lowell poems →

Themes in this poem

Poems about FaithPoems about IdentityPoems about MemoryPoems about Nature

Compared with

Compare this poem with any other →

Poetry tools

Analyze another poem →Rate your own poem →Check rhyme & meter →