Wordsworth composes 'Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802'

Background. The sonnet is a Petrarchan form describing London and the River Thames from Westminster Bridge in the early morning. It was originally dated 1803 in early editions, but later corrected to 31 July 1802. This date corresponds to Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy traveling to Calais to visit Annette Vallon and their daughter Caroline, prior to Wordsworth's marriage to Mary Hutchinson.

Composition Context. The poem closely follows Dorothy Wordsworth's journal entry. Dorothy wrote her Grasmere Journal to give pleasure to William, who acknowledged her influence by stating she gave him 'eyes' and 'ears' in his poem 'The Sparrow's Nest'. The sonnet was published in 1807 in the 'Collection of Poems' in two volumes.

Publication History. The poem was published in 1807 in the 'Collection of Poems'. The title traditionally dates the work to September 3, 1802, but the precise date of composition is recorded as 31 July 1802. This discrepancy between the title's date and the historical composition date is noted in scholarly sources.