Transcendence and Immanence: A Comparative Reading of Nature in Rabindranath Tagore and William Wordsworth

Abstract

This paper undertakes a comparative study of the treatment of nature and spirituality in the selected works of William Wordsworth and Rabindranath Tagore, two towering literary figures whose poetic visions transcend cultural boundaries. While Wordsworth, the principal voice of English Romanticism, perceives nature as a moral and spiritual guide, Tagore, the mystic poet-philosopher of Bengal, envisions nature as a living embodiment of the divine. The paper explores how both poets elevate nature to a spiritual dimension, portraying it as a source of inner awakening, harmony, and transcendence. Drawing on key poems, this study examines the thematic affinities and philosophical divergences in their portrayals of the human-nature relationship. By analysing their lyrical meditations on the sacredness of the natural world, the paper illuminates how nature becomes a spiritual catalyst—promoting self-effacement, communion, and moral introspection. The comparative framework not only reveals their shared reverence for the immanence of nature but also situates their works within broader ecological and metaphysical traditions.