24 February 2026
(27 June 2014) We return with the third section of Wordsworth’s “Resolution and Independence”, beginning with the poet’s description of the leech gatherer:
XI
Himself he propped, limbs, body, and pale face,
Upon a long grey staff of shaven wood:
And, still as I drew near with gentle pace,
Upon the margin of that moorish flood
Motionless as a cloud the old Man stood,
That heareth not the loud winds when they call
And moveth all together, if it move at all.
XII
At length, himself unsettling, he the pond
Stirred with his staff, and fixedly did look
Upon the muddy water, which he conned,
As if he had been reading in a book:
And now a stranger’s privilege I took;
And, drawing to his side, to him did say,
“This morning gives us promise of a glorious day.”
XIII
A gentle answer did the old Man make,
In courteous speech which forth he slowly drew:
And him with further words I thus bespake,
“What occupation do you there pursue?
This is a lonesome place for one like you.”
Ere he replied, a flash of mild surprise
Broke from the sable orbs of his yet-vivid eyes,
XIV
His words came feebly, from a feeble chest,
But each in solemn order followed each,
With something of a lofty utterance drest–
Choice word and measured phrase, above the reach
Of ordinary men; a stately speech;
Such as grave Livers do in Scotland use,
Religious men, who give to God and man their dues.
XV
He told, that to these waters he had come
To gather leeches, being old and poor:
Employment hazardous and wearisome!
And he had many hardships to endure:
From pond to pond he roamed, from moor to moor;
Housing, with God’s good help, by choice or chance,
And in this way he gained an honest maintenance.
We see the leech gatherer, leaning on his staff, something that has been carved, or worked by human hands, rather than a natural stick cut to length, and standing next to a pool close to the trail. The poet approaches and notices this old man stirring the waters, intent on what is beneath the surface, so the poet greets him, commenting on the day. Curiosity overcomes the poet, so he asks about the old man’s occupation, since it seems an odd place to find and old man, and the old man replies in speech best suited, according to the poet, to a holy man. The old man tells us that he is gathering leeches, a tough occupation leading to a life of wandering, dependent on the kindness of strangers for food and lodging. Leeches were used by doctors during this time, to draw off excess blood, since the belief was that a person’s maladies were from having ‘too much blood’, so the leeches sucked away the extra; this is the source of the term “leech craft” used for all those who practiced medicine during this time. Come back next week for the conclusion of this fascinating poem by Wordsworth! Good reading!
Clyde B. Northrup 
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