Sonnet Composed Upon Westminster Bridge Urdu/ Hindi Explanation

William Wordsworth
Sonnet Composed upon Westminster Bridge

1. What is a sonnet? Ans. A sonnet is a poem of fourteen lines, each line having ten syllables with five beats. Usually the first eight lines are marked off from the last six by a change of rhyme and a shift in poet’s thought. The first stanza of eight lines is called “octave”, and the second stanza of six lines is called “the sestet”. English literature is extremely rich in this form. The form came from Italy in the sixteenth century. Elizabethan poets like Shakespeare wrote many sonnets. Then in the 19th. Century Wordsworth and others revived this form and wrote a number of sonnets, some of them are the finest sonnets in English literature.

2. What is the idea presented in the poem “Upon Westminster Bridge”? “A thing of beauty is a joy for ever”, is the idea of the poem. The city of London in its quiet dignity and bathed in the early morning light became a source of joy and happiness for the poet.

3. Which place is referred to in this poem? The sonnet is composed upon Westminster Bridge, which is over river Thames. River Thames flows by London so the poem is about the city of London, the hub of England.

4. What was the view that inspired Wordsworth to write this sonnet? The city of London in its quiet dignity and bathed in the early morning light inspired the poet to write this poem. Wordsworth, being a romantic poet, was moved by the beautiful sight of the majestic buildings, such as the towers, the domes, the theatres, the temples etc surrounded by natural beauty, such as the rock, the valley, the hill, the river, all bathed in the early morning sun-light. The place seemed unparalleled to him, so he said the words that earth did not have anything more beautiful to show than the city, and a person who passed by without appreciating the beauty had a dull soul.

5. What did he feel as he witnessed the man-made beauty? When he witnessed the man-made beauty, he was moved. The beautiful sight of the majestic buildings, such as the towers, the domes, the theatres, the temples etc surrounded by natural beauty, such as the rock, the valley, the hill, the river etc inspired him to compose this sonnet. The place seemed unparalleled to him, he felt greatly pleased and said that if a person passed by such captivating beauty without appreciating it then that person had a dull soul.


6. Why did the grand structures of the city such as towers, domes, theatres and temples appear different to the poet?
All the things appeared different to the poet because it was early morning, and the first splendor of the sun had transformed everything. The air was free of dust and smoke, and everything looked bright and glittering, which was an unusual sight during the day. It seemed that everything wore a garment of light.

7. What does the poet say about the river Thames?
He says that river Thames is flowing smoothly because it is happy to flow by such a beautiful city.

8. What new thought comes into the poem with the ninth line i-e “Never did sun more beautifully steep”?
With line nine we find a shift in poet’s thought. In the octave (the first eight lines), the poet has talked about the city, though brightened up by the early morning sun but still in slumber. In the sestet (the last six lines), the poet switches to the beautiful surroundings of the city, the hills the rocks the valley and the river. He also talks about the pleasure he drove from the peace that prevailed in and around London.

9. What quality in the scene appears to have impressed Wordsworth most when he came to write the last four lines? The peacefulness of the city appears to have impressed him. For a city as big as London such calm and peace is an unusual thing. Being the capital of England, it is the administrative hub and thus the centre of activities; however, all these activities start much later in the day. It is this calm and peace of the city that makes its way to his heart.

10. What does the poet infer by the phrase “mighty heart”? The poet uses the phrase “Mighty heart” for the city of London. Being the capital of England, London is the administrative hub and thus the centre of activities.