Mourning for the Old Ways

Mourning is the best word to highlight William Wordsworth's poem. It is the very last word in the poem but in my opinion the most meaningful. I see this poem as a way to mourn for the old ways that are passing with time and are replaced with the new which are not necessarily better. The poem Simon Lee is a one big symbol for this process. As the beginning lines are read one can feel a sense of a dignified harmony. Those were the times when all the people were necessary and close to nature and the closeness to the nature was necessary for humans. The way the author describes those times is very peaceful and arise warm feelings. And then comes mourning. Mourning shows up because the author realizes that the old ways are dying along with Simon Lee. The old Huntsman who is surrounded by the industrial farming symbolizes the leftover piece of the times when people could coexist with nature and themselves in harmony in places like the village commons. Poor, old Simon Lee and poor, old natural ways are struggling to survive which is symbolized by the Huntsman's struggle with the root of the tree. However the new ways are coming which I think are symbolized by the narrator himself. The ease with which the narrator does Simon's work makes the old man realize how weak he is already, but also grateful for doing his duty for him. Which makes the narrator realize what is being lost along with Simon Lee and perhaps the narrator sees himself in Simon's shoes many years down the road. This poem fits into the whole collection perfectly. Its metaphorical meaning of the diminishing connection with the natural world and alienation from nature and one another is the essence of the Lyrical Ballads so far. Also, the dead tree on the picture is a proper symbol for passing time, the death of the old ways and a symbol fo human perception of nature.