The Heart

The heart referenced in the title and first line of the poem symbolizes the speaker’s emotional response to nature. Throughout literature, the heart, as the organ that sustains life from moment to moment, is often used to represent emotion. The speaker’s description of their heart leaping up when they see the rainbow in the sky thus represents their elation upon beholding such a sight. This elation is maintained throughout the entirety of the poem by the consistent iambic meter, mimicking the rhythms of the heartbeat. As such, the heart also symbolizes the constancy of the speaker’s love of nature.

The Rainbow

The rainbow described in the second line symbolizes the speaker’s lifespan as well as their undying reverence for nature. Wordsworth uses the rainbow as an organic image because of its arc-like shape. This image of the arc is then mirrored...