to compose it; the last twenty lines or so being composed as he
walked down the hill from Clifton to Bristol. It was curious to feel
that we were to hear a Poet read his own verses composed fifty years
before.

He read the introductory lines descriptive of the scenery in a low,
clear voice. But when he came to the thoughtful and reflective
lines, his tones deepened and he poured them forth with a fervor and
almost passion of delivery which was very striking and beautiful. I
observed that Mrs. Wordsworth was strongly affected during the
reading. The strong emphasis that he put on the words addressed to
the person to whom the poem is written struck me as almost unnatural
at the time. "My DEAR, DEAR friend!"--and on the words, "In thy wild
eyes." It was not till after the reading was over that we found out
that the poor paralytic invalid we had seen in the morning was the
_sister_ to whom "Tintern Abbey" was addressed, and her condition,
now, accounted for the fervor with which the old Poet read lines
which reminded him of their better days. But it was melancholy to
think that the vacant gaze we had seen in the morning was from the
"wild eyes" of 1798.

... We could not have had a better opportunity of bringing out in
his reading the source of the inspiration of his poetry, which it
was impossible not to feel was the poetry of the heart. Mrs.
Wordsworth told me it was the first time he had read since his
daughter's death, and that she was thankful to us for having made
him do it, as he was apt to fall into a listless, languid state. We
asked him to come to Inverary. He said he had not courage; as he had
last gone through that country with his daughter, and he feared it
would be too much for him.