It will be seen, however, from the changes made in the text of this poem, how Wordsworth’s observation of Nature developed, how thoroughly dissatisfied he soon became with everything conventional, and discarded every image not drawn directly or at first hand from Nature.

The text adopted in the present edition is, for the reasons stated, that which was finally sanctioned by Wordsworth himself, in the last edition of his Poems (1849-50).  The earlier readings, occurring in previous editions, are given in footnotes; and it may be desirable to explain the way in which these are arranged.  It will be seen that whenever the text has been changed a date is given in the footnote, ‘before’ the other readings are added.  This date, which accompanies the reference number of the footnote, indicates the year in which the reading finally retained was first adopted by Wordsworth.  The earlier readings then follow, in chronological order, with the year to which they belong; [12] and it is in every case to be assumed that the last of the changes indicated was continued in all subsequent editions of the works.  No direct information is given as to how long a particular reading was retained, or through how many editions it ran.  It is to be assumed, however, that it was retained in all intermediate editions till the next change of text is stated.  It would encumber the notes with too many figures if, in every instance in which a change was made, the corresponding state of the text in all the other editions was indicated.  But if no new reading follows the text quoted, it is to be taken for granted that the reading in question was continued in every subsequent edition, until the date which accompanies the reference figure.

Two illustrations will make this clear.  The first is a case in which the text was only altered once, the second an instance in which it was altered six times.  In the ‘Evening Walk’ the following lines occur—­

  The dog, loud barking, ’mid the glittering rocks,
  Hunts, where his master points, the intercepted flocks.

And the footnote is as follows: 

         &nb
sp;                                        1836. 
  That, barking busy ’mid the glittering rocks,
  Hunts, where he points, the intercepted flocks; 1793.

In the light of what has been said above, and by reference to the Bibliography, it will be seen from these two dates that the original text of 1793—­given in the footnote—­was continued in the editions of 1820, 1827, and 1832 (it was omitted from the “extract” of 1815); that it was changed in the year 1836; and that this reading was retained in the editions of 1843, 1845, and 1849.

Again, in ‘Simon Lee’, the lines occur: 

But what to them avails the land
Which he can till no longer?

And the following are the footnotes: 

                                       1845. 
  But what avails the land to them,
  Which they can till no longer? 1798.