William Wordsworth Michael ((link)) Full Text

Before Luke departs, Michael takes him to a site where they intend to build a new . He asks Luke to lay the first stone, creating a "covenant" between them. The stone symbolizes Luke’s duty to his heritage and his eventual return. The Tragic Conclusion

Written in 1800 and published in Lyrical Ballads (Vol. II), Michael is a narrative poem of 491 blank verse lines. It tells the tragic story of an elderly shepherd, his wife Isabel, and their son Luke. To save the family's ancestral land from debt, Michael sends Luke to the city. Corrupted there, Luke falls into disgrace and abandons his parents, leaving Michael to live out his final years in solitary grief. william wordsworth michael full text