The Unwavering Love of Charles Lamb

Charles Lamb declines William Wordsworth‘s invitation to visit him in Cumberland by equating his love for the city of London one’s passionate love to a mistress and by romanticizing the environment of London with lively imageryjuxtapose the belittling of the tranquil scenery of Cumberland. Lamb equates his love for London to the passionate love of a mistress by alluding to the Greek Myth of Psyche and cupidr By describing the pockets of life that fill the city as thoughts that “work themselves into my mind and feed me without a power of satiating me,” Lamb alludes to Psyche, the mind, and how Psyche could never be satisfied with her continuous love for Cupid because of her curiosity to know more, The metaphor of London to a mistress further emphasizes that the love between Cupid and Psyche is the same as the mutual love between his mistress and himself His curiosity and “wonder of these sights impells me[him] into the night,”

This phrase connects Psyche’s curiosity to his own.

By elaborating on the metaphor Lamb creates an intense emotional value in what he is willing to do out of his love for the city Lamb has fallen in love and given his heart and fallen in love with London that he dares not to leave it for the rural land Lamb effectively contrasts the streets of London to Cumberland by romanticizing the Life that fills the streets and belittling rural sceneryi Lamb personifies and describes the exciting life in London as he city doing acts of love.

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By emphasizing this relationship Lamb proves to Wordsworth that his feeling towards London are strong enough to stay, instead of reciprocating Wordsworth’s “rural emotions” He minimizes the rurals plain sun. moon and skies with the city’s “Sun shining upon houses and pavements“ even though the city never sleeps, Around every corner and at every hour there’s an event happening, or masquerade that he admires.

As he peers into the country sky the sun, moon, and stars have no effect on him as do the motley Strands which brings tears to his eyes at the fullness of Life. Although Wordsworth claims that there is an attachment with nature that one can only find in the country, Lamb counters with a condescending tone, “ I have formed as many and intense local attachments, as any of your Mountaineers can have done with dead nature” The emphasis of “dead nature” is used to contrast the life that leaves Lamb in awe and wonder. By creating this contrast he imposes the view in the battle of choosing life or death, any sane person would choose life. Lamb uses an erudite and condescending tone to reject Wordsworth‘s invitation Through his ingenious usage of allusions and contrasts, he implies that his love for the life in the city is stronger than his want to explore and visit Cumberland.