Though she never considered herself a poet (at least for grown-ups), Dorothy Wordsworth’s writing was vital to her in ways which never demanded the extensive publicity gained by her brother William. Indeed, her journals and poetry offer glimpses into the intimate, personal life which Dorothy led. These writings offered something of a spiritual release for Dorothy to express her relationships with her family and nature itself. These poems, published together in William’s volume Poems and attributed to “a female friend of the author” (in order to maintain Dorothy’s privacy), detail personal experiences with William and Mary’s children.
