A comparative study on the themes and style of the English poet William Wordsworth and the Hindi poet Su:ryaka:nt Tripa:ʈhi: „Nira:la:‟

Abstract

Poetry, a carefully constructed structure with the use of meter, imagery, connotative and concrete words, is a form of expressing ideas that evoke an emotional experience. The English poet William Wordsworth is a leading poet in the Romantic Movement of England in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Romanticism emphasizes the individualistic, emotional and imaginative expression as well as rational analysis. Chhayavad, the Romantic Movement of the Hindi literature came into spotlight around the third and fourth decades of the twentieth century. Su:ryaka:nt Tripa:ʈhi: ‗Nira:la:‘ is considered as a prominent poet in the period of Chhayavad along with Sumitra:nandan Pant, Jaishankar Prasa:d and Maha:de:vi: Verma:. Both Wordsworh and Nira:la: are identified as revolutionary poets for their attempts to establish a new poetic tradition in English literature and Hindi literature respectively. The purpose of this study is to identify the thematic and stylistic similarities or dissimilarities that are distinct in the poetry of Wordsworth and Nira:la:, both being romantic poets from different social contexts in different periods of time. This comparative study is focused on ‗The Solitary Reaper‘, ‗I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud‘, ‗It is a Beauteous Evening, Calm and Free‘, ‗Love‘ and ‗The Old Cumberland Beggar‘ by Wordsworth and ‗To:dti: Patthar‘, ‘Sandhya: Sundari:‘, ‗Juhi: Ki: Kali:‘ and ‗Bhikshuk‘ by Nira:la:. This is a qualitative research study which is conducted through literary analysis. The evoking of emotions of the reader through the portrayal of the common man and the connection of human and nature were considered for the thematic analysis and the use of poetic devices of romanticism like personification, rhyme, rhythm, alliteration and metaphor were assessed for the stylistic analysis. It was discovered that the main themes of the compared poems are almost similar yet the sub themes and the connotative meanings are different. In addition, both the poets use poetic devices of romanticism accordingly to convey the message but there are contrastive instances in the use of symbols and the style of delivery. This study is significant in literary studies when exploring the inter-connection between the trends of English literature and Hindi literature