This poem was written at the tail end of Dorothy’s prolonged illness. An obvious lament of her condition, she explicitly desires to be able to move freely once again.
A prisoner on my pillowed couch
Five years in feebleness I’ve lain,
Oh! shall I e’er with vigorous step
Travel the hills again? (Wordsworth 294)
It is odd that she addressed the poem to John Carter, her brother’s assistant. The subtext has little information about Carter, and Dorothy’s works were not published during her life so she didn’t send them to be published.
It is possible that her words are specifically directed towards Carter, such as:
When shall I tread your garden path?
Or climb your sheltering hill?
There could have been some relationship between the two beyond the working relationship Carter had established with Dorothy’s brother, otherwise she wouldn’t specifically refer to Carter’s garden or hill.
Ross,
Some good commentary and speculation on this poem by Dorothy Wordsworth, with some appropriate passages to analyze. I don’t think this poem was written toward the end of her illness, though, but during a lucid phase earlier on; she still lived for many years afterward. Also, is it possible she addresses Carter because he lived nearby and she walked on his land when she was well? I am not sure what kind of relationship between them you are suggesting here.
Interesting interpretation; I took the poem to be more of a spiritual one but I too questioned why she addressed the poem to Carter. I think you raise interesting questions about their relationship.