with whom But Thee, deep buried in the silent tomb, That spot which no vicissitude can find? The Poem. Surprised by joy - impatient as the wind. Late in life, William Wordsworth told a friend that the “Thee” to whom he refers in line 3 was his daughter Catherine, who died in June of 1812. The poem progresses from a lack of clear metrical structure to a rhythm with clarity. In summary, ‘Surprised by joy’ is an elegy for Wordsworth’s daughter Catherine, who died in 1812, aged just three. With whom But thee, long buried in the silent tomb, Surprised by joy – impatient as the wind I turned to share the transport – Oh! “Surprised by Joy” is a short lyric written in the form of a sonnet about a person who continues to grieve over the death of a loved one. Surprised By Joy Surprised by joy — impatient as the Wind I turned to share the transport--Oh! Surprised by Joy expresses a feeling those who have suffered loss can relate to. By the time Wordsworth wrote this particular poem, he had experienced immense pain and suffering in his life. Wordsworth was, indeed, surprised to experience joy in the midst of grief. Surprised by Joy. Love, faithful love, recalled thee to my mind--But how could I forget thee? Surprised by Joy is about Wordsmith’s acceptance of his grief. For when a moment of joy sweeps over one who is deep in the midst of … Given the painful occurrences in his life, the title of this poem is fitting. This change embodies Wordsmith’s progression from cognitive dissonance to resolute cohesion of his emotions and thoughts. William Wordsworth was one of the founders of English Romanticism and one its most central figures and important intellects. The poem sees Wordsworth reflecting on how during a moment of happiness he instinctively thought of sharing his joy with his daughter, only to realise that he could no longer do so, since Catherine is now ‘long buried in the silent tomb’ where nothing can reach her. Through what power, Even for the least division of an hour, Three years later, Lewis would expand on the subject in his memoir Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life, the account of his conversion to Christianity.