Poets, painters, politicians, writers, scientists and sentient beings in general may find many sources of inspiration and beauty surrounding them. These sources of inspiration and wonder may vary greatly between individuals, or the sources may even be debatable as the cause of such subjects. Richard Dawkins, the endowed Charles Simonyi Professor in the Public Understanding of Science, makes a case for nature being a great source of wonder in his book Unweaving the Rainbow, and he cites science as a “goldmine of inspiration” for poetry (Dawkins 15). This attitude may not be commonplace to hear. The spirit of Dawkins’ words are but a small flame of thought that has been passed down through the ages. In the eighteenth century, this same spirit was held by a young doctor and poet by the name of Mark Akenside. Although he is not well known among the populace, Akenside’s poetry strikes at the emotions of his readers. His style and imagery stand out especially well, but the most striking elements of Mark Akenside’s poetry are the underlying themes. In the poem “The Pleasures of Imagination,” Akenside illustrates his theme of how nature inspires great works of the arts and literature and a general wonder for mankind.
           
The beginning of Mark Akenside’s poem describes how nature is the source for works of the arts and literature. Akenside discusses how “Nature touches the consenting hearts/Of mortal men” and that “beauteous imitation thence derives” (2-4). What Akenside is describing is how people often observe nature and are inspired by nature in many different aspects of the arts and entertainment. Obvious examples of art paralleling nature are in paintings and photographs in which we can often see beautiful interpretations of the natural world. Several of these examples can be found in paintings of landscapes and photographs of animals in the wild. An extreme example of a reflection of nature would be that of bonsai trees. These trees are part of a renowned Japanese art form in which trees are dwarfed in size by restricting them to small containers and then displayed as replications of nature. In the case of bonsai trees, the artist has gone so far as to imitate nature. Any art, arguably, is designed to stimulate emotion. Akenside would argue that nature is the “smiling queen of every tuneful breast [emotion]” (9). With Akenside’s imagery, the point is hard to argue; nature can provoke much emotion on many levels.
           
Akenside goes so far as to state that fiction arises from nature “upon her vagrant wings” that possibly represent nature itself in being what keeps fiction afloat (14). The variety of fiction is represented by the “countless forms” of fiction’s “bends and shifts” (17). Indeed there is hardly any debate that there are a broad range of categories for fiction. Any bookshelf surveyed might reveal a diversity of fiction from science fiction to fantasy and beyond. Akenside also notes fictions “wild creation” that most likely represents the imagination of writers (18). An especially interesting note is that fiction is asked to join in the “festive train” that includes the “guardian of their lovely sports” (21-22). The guardian is revealed to be truth itself, and truth travels alongside liberty. All three of these personifications are requested to “conduct/The wondering footsteps of the youthful bard [poet]” (25-26). This is an especially deep idea that Akenside delivers combining such opposing camps as truth and fiction, and his underlying meaning may be difficult to decipher.
   
In the second passage of “The Pleasure of Imagination,”Mark Akenside describes how seeing things in the light of science makes things all the more beautiful. He points out that “man loves knowledge,” yet he, unfortunately, does not support his statement thereby leaving the evidence up to the reader (100). Perhaps Akenside, being a doctor and a scholar, lived in an environment where the love of knowledge was an obvious truth. For those who do love knowledge, certainly all those individuals would agree that the presences of “celestial Truth” places a much more “majestic pomp on Beauty’s frame” (97,99). True beauty often derives from understanding.
   
Akenside’s most powerful portion of his poem is his explanation of the beauty he finds in a rainbow. He goes on with splendid imagery about the beauty that struck him when “Science pointed out the path” of the breathtaking process that goes on to form the image of a rainbow in the eye; the vivid description is enough to bring tears into the eyes of science enthusiasts, naturalists, and general lovers of wisdom. Akenside’s imagery is especially poignant when he narrates the process of the sun’s rays “Piercing through every crystalline convex/Of clustering dew-drops to their flight oppos’d” (110-111). What Akenside is showing is the path of light as the light enters into a raindrop and is reflected back to the eye of the observer. He goes on to impeccably describe how the reflected lights “strike/In different lines the gazer’s obvious eye” and produces the separated spectrum “from the splendid rose/To the pale violet’s dejected hue” (116-117,119-120). This beautiful and accurate verse is something many scientists would like to see more often. Rainbows are just a start to all the poetry that science and nature has to show. Though these versus might confuse or frustrate those unfamiliar with the concepts of science, Akenside shows why putting truths of nature behind great poetry can lift the wondering spirit to all new heights. Akenside’s work is a good argument for why science could be considered part of the arts and that the art of understanding is under-appreciated.
   
“The Pleasures of Imagination” is a profound example of how nature can provide us with beautiful works of art, literature, and a general wonder for comprehending everything. In the beginning of Akenside’s poem he explains how nature inspires works of art and fiction; he even goes so far as to hint that art and literature are often an attempt to imitate nature. Akenside concludes with a passage of superb imagery regarding why science and knowledge only add to the beauty of the natural world. Despite beautiful words like Akenside’s, we seem to live in a culture that, in part, feels cheated by the explanations of science. In fact, the nineteenth century poet John Keats went so far as to say “Newton had destroyed the poetry of the rainbow by explaining it” (Dawkins 26). Clearly he was mistaken; Keats could see a beautiful display of imagery regarding the workings of the rainbow made by a man years before his time. Mark Akenside provides a breathtaking and timeless example of why understanding only adds to beauty.


Akenside, Mark. Mark Akenside (1721-1770) The Pleasures of Imagination (Excerpts). Ed. I. Lancashire. University of Toronto. 5 Nov. 2002  <http://www.library.utoronto.ca/utel/rp/poems/akenside2b.html>.   

Dawkins, Richard. “Drawing Room of Dukes.” Unweaving the Rainbow. Edition 2000. New York: First Mariner Books, 1998.