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Not only around our infancy, etc.: The allusion is to by James Russell Lowell

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

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Lowell challenges Wordsworth's well-known notion that we lose our connection to heaven's glory as we age.

Poet
James Russell Lowell
Themes
faith, growing-up, memory
The PoemFull text

Not only around our infancy, etc.: The allusion is to

James Russell Lowell

Wordsworth's _Ode on the Intimations of Immortality_, especially these lines: "Heaven lies about us in our infancy! Shades of the prison-house begin to close Upon the growing Boy, But he beholds the light, and whence it flows, He sees it in his joy; The Youth, who daily farther from the east Must travel, still is Nature's Priest, And by the vision splendid Is on his way attended; At length the Man perceives it die away, And fade into the light of common day." As Lowell's central theme is so intimately associated with that of Wordsworth's poem, if not directly suggested by it, the two poems should be read together and compared. Lowell maintains that "heaven lies about us" not only in our infancy, but at all times, if only we have the soul to comprehend it.

Public domain

Sourced from Project Gutenberg

§01Quick summary

What this poem is about

Lowell challenges Wordsworth's well-known notion that we lose our connection to heaven's glory as we age. He suggests that the divine light Wordsworth believes diminishes in adulthood is actually ever-present; we simply need the right kind of soul to perceive it. This perspective offers a hopeful twist to a beautiful yet somber assertion.

§02Themes

Recurring themes

§03Line by line

Stanza by stanza, with notes

  1. Heaven lies about us in our infancy! / Shades of the prison-house begin to close...

    Editor's note

    Lowell begins by quoting Wordsworth's *Ode: Intimations of Immortality*. In Wordsworth's view, childhood represents a golden period when we still sense a link to a heavenly light from before our birth. The "prison-house" refers to the mundane life of adulthood that gradually dims that inner glow. Lowell employs this excerpt as the foundation for the argument he plans to address.

  2. The Youth, who daily farther from the east / Must travel, still is Nature's Priest...

    Editor's note

    Wordsworth depicts life's stages as a journey away from the sunrise. The young man retains some of that initial vision — he's referred to as "Nature's Priest" because he can still sense the sacredness in nature. However, he too is distancing himself from the source, and that splendid vision is starting to fade.

  3. At length the Man perceives it die away, / And fade into the light of common day.

    Editor's note

    This is Wordsworth's conclusion for adults: the celestial glow has vanished, leaving behind the flat, ordinary light of daily life. It's a quietly heartbreaking image—not darkness, but something more disheartening, the mundane brightness of a world devoid of wonder. Lowell sees this as the starting point he aims to confront.

  4. As Lowell's central theme is so intimately associated with that of / Wordsworth's poem...

    Editor's note

    The editorial note here presents Lowell's poem as a direct reply. While Wordsworth laments the fading of a transcendent vision with age, Lowell argues that heaven isn't limited to childhood — it's all around us at every stage of life. The key isn't youth; it's the soul's ability to stay receptive to what’s always there.

§04Tone & mood

How this poem feels

The tone is calmly assertive and corrective. There's no resentment toward Wordsworth — Lowell clearly has an affection for the *Ode* — but he won't accept its mournful ending. The mood is positive and slightly urgent, as if someone wants to ensure you don't leave a great poem with a misunderstanding.

§05Symbols & metaphors

Symbols & metaphors

Heaven lying about us
The divine or transcendent aspect of experience that envelops human life. For Wordsworth, it's something inherited from childhood that diminishes over time; for Lowell, it's a constant presence that can be recognized at any stage of life.
The prison-house
Wordsworth depicts adult consciousness as a rational, habitual mind that shuts out the bright, vibrant sense of the world we experienced as children. Lowell suggests that this prison isn't unavoidable; the soul has the power to resist being confined.
The light of common day
Wordsworth's phrase captures the dull, disillusioned view of adulthood. It may seem bright, but it represents a sort of blindness — missing the deeper glow that lies beneath everyday appearances. Lowell's poem pushes back against this notion, refusing to accept it as the ultimate truth.
The east / sunrise
The direction of birth and origin. Moving "farther from the east" symbolizes aging for Wordsworth — a gradual, irreversible journey away from the source of spiritual light. This concept lends an elegiac, westward drift to the poem.
Nature's Priest
Wordsworth's title refers to the youth who continues to connect with the natural world and its deeper sacred meanings. This implies that the skill to interpret nature spiritually is a form of calling — one that Lowell thinks can endure over time.

§06Historical context

Historical context

James Russell Lowell (1819–1891) was a poet, critic, and diplomat born in Boston, growing up influenced by British Romanticism. Wordsworth's *Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood* (1807) was widely discussed on both sides of the Atlantic during the nineteenth century, arguing that we are born with a sense of glory that adult life diminishes. Lowell was part of a generation of American writers who admired the Romantics but also felt compelled to respond to them. His perspective here reflects a broader American Transcendentalist movement, shared with Emerson and Thoreau, which rejected the notion of inevitable spiritual decline. While Wordsworth mourns what has been lost, Lowell argues that such loss stems from a lack of attention, rather than being an inherent part of nature.

§07FAQ

Questions readers ask

Wordsworth claims that the divine radiance we experience as children fades permanently as we transition into adulthood. However, Lowell argues that this perspective is either misguided or only partially true. In Lowell's opinion, heaven is continually surrounding us; the difference lies in our ability to recognize it with our soul and attention. The loss isn't a natural part of aging; instead, it's a shortcoming of our inner lives.

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