Vocabulary in Composed upon Westminster Bridge

Beautiful in appearance; pleasing to the eye. Here it describes the visual splendour of the London cityscape at dawn, not fairness in the sense of justice or light colouring.

Lacking sensitivity or feeling; emotionally unresponsive. Wordsworth uses it to describe a person so deadened in spirit that they cannot be moved by extraordinary beauty.

The inner spiritual or emotional self of a person. Here it refers to a person's capacity for feeling wonder and being stirred by beauty.

A piece of clothing worn on the body. The poem uses it as an image for the morning light draped over the city, as if London is wearing the beauty of dawn.

Impressive grandeur and dignity that inspires awe. It describes the overwhelming, stately beauty of the cityscape spread out in the early morning light.

Large rounded roofs or ceilings, typically on important public buildings such as cathedrals or civic halls. They are listed as part of London's impressive skyline.

Buildings designed for public performances of plays or other entertainments. Listed alongside towers and temples as landmarks that make up London's skyline.

Buildings dedicated to religious worship or public ceremony. Used here to evoke the grand, sacred-looking structures visible on the London skyline at dawn.

Producing no smoke at all. Because it is so early in the morning, London's chimneys have not yet been lit, leaving the air unusually clear and pure.

Shining with many small flashes of bright light. It describes the sparkling quality of the morning sunlight as it catches the city and the river.

Rising or falling sharply; having a very sharp slope. Used here to describe the dramatic, rugged face of a rock or hillside in the landscape.

A contracted, poetic form of 'never,' used in verse to fit the metre. It emphasises that the speaker has not once in his life experienced anything like this calm.

A state of complete stillness and absence of noise or disturbance. Here it refers to the profound, almost supernatural quiet that has settled over the city at dawn.

An archaic third-person singular form of 'glides,' meaning to move smoothly and effortlessly. It describes the River Thames flowing without any apparent effort or interruption.

Moving freely, according to its own desire, without any force or constraint directing it. The phrase personifies the river as a living creature choosing its own unhurried course.

A metaphor for the living, pulsing energy of the city itself, as though London were a great creature whose heartbeat is its constant noise and activity.

Remaining completely motionless and silent, as a sleeping person lies without stirring. It conveys the idea that the city's usual restless energy has temporarily ceased.