Wordsworth's "Nutting" and the Ovidian "Nux"

Abstract

And will any one say he had no right to those Acorns or Apples he thus appropriated, because he had not consent of all Mankind to make them his? Was it a Robbery thus to assume to himself what belonged to all in Common? (1) THE CENTRAL IMAGES OF WORDSWORTH'S POEM NUTTING ARE SO STRIKING that they have garnered him highest accolades for originality. To quote but one major voice, that of Geoffrey Hartman: Few before him would have been inspired by event recorded in 'Nutting.' That Wordsworth is so inspired argues a new phase in development of sympathetic imagination.... (2) He does note that act of boy may be compared to that of a hero in Romance and cites prefatory essay to Tile Borderers, where Wordsworth referred to the Orlando of Ariosto, Cardenio of Cervantes, who lays waste groves that would shelter him. (3) But, Hartman insists, scene, however, remains English, hero a boy, a wood (Hartman 74). The convictions about poet's absolute originality have had important consequences for interpretation of text, as commentators have sought to account for such radical innovation by delving into Wordsworth's biography. Such investigations have frequently moved on into realm of speculation about psychology of puberty, about nature of Wordsworth's relationship to Dorothy, and about gender identity. (4) Other readings have taken assumption of originality as barfing investigation of contexts and as legitimating intensive work-immanent readings. (5) Some have investigated poem's relation to other sources, especially in Milton and in Ariosto. (6) All these approaches have enriched our understanding of poem and have made it into a significant moment in Wordsworth studies, and I do not aim to slight or deny respective value of their contributions. Rather, I hope to add another dimension to discussion by focusing attention on an unnoticed source for poem in Ovidian elegy Nux. The recognition of source raises some important questions about poem's story as well as its history and may elucidate Wordsworth's motives in removing Nutting from The Prelude and thereby isolating it from a revealing context. (7) It is not surprising that Nux has been overlooked by Wordsworth scholars, even by those who have studied his borrowings and translations from Latin in detail. A short poem of ninety-one distichs, Nux is complaint of a walnut tree directed against those who attack it for its nuts and against fate for making it so productive, so attractive to marauders. Once considered a poem by Ovid and transmitted as such, Nux has encountered a difficult reception since nineteenth century, when German philologists seriously challenged its authenticity. The pros and cons of those arguments need not be reviewed here. (8) What does matter more is that before then Nux had circulated as one of Ovid's poems, albeit one of lesser works, because of its style, topic and language. (9) Occasional doubts were expressed, but poem continued to be popular, not least because it was well-suited for teaching pupils Latin. (10) It had admired Ovidian style without any disturbing amorous or lascivious undertones. On contrary, complaint of hapless nut tree about how it had been stoned and beaten would have lent itself to ready moralizing for schoolboys who might be prone to stealing nuts and fruits from local orchards. Pedagogical motives led Erasmus to write a detailed commentary on Nux in 1523, expressly for purpose of helping son of Sir Thomas More with Latin lessons. Erasmus encouraged pupil to accept this small gift--it is really quite elegant and very Ovidian. In any case, one could hardly regard a whole tree as a very tiny gift, or think that something so eloquent is valueless. (11) Part of learned wit in project is that relatively straightforward Nux did not really demand extensive commentary or explication, unlike Metamorphoses, for example. …