He is a man speaking to men: a man it is true, endowed with more lively sensibility, more enthusiasm and tenderness, who has a greater knowledge of human nature, and a more comprehensive soul, than are supposed to be common among mankind.

 

Exp. These lines have been cited from Preface to Lyrical Ballads by William Wordsworth. Here the poet delineates his romantic conception of the poet.

 

In these lines Wordsworth gives us in detail his conception of the romantic poet and his functions. First, a poet according to Wordsworth is a man speaking to men. He writes not for his own pleasure but to communicate his thoughts and emotions to his readers. Secondly, he is a man endowed with more lively sensibility which distinguishes him from the common run of mankind. Thirdly, he has greater imagination. So he can feel emotionally events and incidents which he has not directly experienced. Fourthly, he has a greater knowledge of human nature and so he understands the nature of the passions which he has not himself directly experienced Fifthly, he has a more comprehensive soul, so he can share the emotional experiences of others. Sixthly, he has great enthusiasm a greater zest for life than an ordinary individual.

 

Wordsworth's opinion on the qualifications of the poet in one sense set the poet apart from the ordinary man. The poet must have certain gifts which are not common among mankind. This idea would soon lead to the conception of the poet as a genius and, eventually critics will want the poet to be not merely a superior man speaking to men, but a superior man speaking only to superior men. This, of course, would be in the future.