What does the River Thames represent in the poem, Composed Upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802?

The River Thames, referenced simply as “the river” in the twelfth line of the poem, symbolizes the melding of the urban and the pastoral (12). Rivers are typically associated with the countryside and the power of nature. Here, however, the river flows directly through the heart of London, one of the largest cities in the world. The river, as it “glideth at his own sweet will,” represents the fact that the majesty and the serenity of the natural landscape exists in the city landscape as well, and that the line between the two is not as stark as many might think (12).