A Times leading article this morning, Poetic Justice, mis-quotes Wordsworth by substituting "will" for "may" in his poem, The Tables Turned.
Wordsworth's insight was that “One impulse from a vernal wood / May teach you more of man, / Of moral evil and of good, / Than all the sages can.” He did not write “Will teach you more of evil …” because it’s not true.
The key lines in this poem are the last two: “Come forth, and bring with you a heart / That watches and receives.” If you do that, then “may” stands a chance of becoming “will”. If you don’t then the vernal wood’s impulse will likely be dissipated.
This is something that all good environmental educators know.
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