Lonely as a Cloud William Wordsworth
Beside the Lake Pendant
“in that green bower”
A single unfurling fern, cast from a frond gathered at first light.
The Story
Wordsworth sat in a grove and heard "a thousand blended notes," certain that "every flower / Enjoys the air it breathes." This pendant is cast from one such flower of the shade — a single lady-fern frond, gathered at first light while the dew still weighted it, pressed into the mould so every vein and the soft curl of its tip survive in silver.
It hangs slightly off-vertical, the way a real frond droops, so it moves and catches light when you walk. The recesses are oxidised dark; the raised veins polished back by hand so the green bower's smallest detail reads from across a room.
The Poem
I heard a thousand blended notes,
While in a grove I sate reclined,
In that sweet mood when pleasant thoughts
Bring sad thoughts to the mind.
To her fair works did Nature link
The human soul that through me ran;
And much it grieved my heart to think
What man has made of man.
Through primrose tufts, in that green bower,
The periwinkle trailed its wreaths;
And 'tis my faith that every flower
Enjoys the air it breathes.
The birds around me hopped and played,
Their thoughts I cannot measure: —
But the least motion which they made
It seemed a thrill of pleasure.
The budding twigs spread out their fan,
To catch the breezy air;
And I must think, do all I can,
That there was pleasure there.
If this belief from heaven be sent,
If such be Nature's holy plan,
Have I not reason to lament
What man has made of man?
Lines Written in Early Spring — William Wordsworth 1770–1850
Technical Details
- Material
- Recycled sterling silver
- Finish
- Oxidised, hand-polished veins
- Dimensions
- 42 mm drop × 22 mm wide
- Chain
- 450 mm (18") cable, incl.
- Cast from
- Lady fern frond
Made to order in Kraków priced on request.
Enquire about this piece