Immortality in Book Fifth

The line that immediately interested me in Wordsworth's Book Fifth of the Prelude was "Why, gifted with such powers to send abroad/ Her spirit, must it lodge in shrines so frail?" (46/7). Here, Wordsworth looks at the spiritual nature versus the physical nature. Although, I think he was referring to the mind, his ideas of the strength of the spirituality being outfitted in something as comparatively weak, like the physical body, can be extended to humans as well. Wordsworth looks at the body as being like clothing for the soul, but he writes, "Tremblings of the heart/ It gives, to think that the immortal being/ No more shall need such garments" (21-3). Again, the physical body is deemed almost unnecessary for the soul to survive, but Wordsworth argues that even though he believes the soul can live on without the body, it is still a frightening idea that the body is almost superfluous. With this idea comes the notion of immortality. Wordsworth argues that humans want to be immortal and they want to leave a legacy behind them, perhaps even letting their souls live on. On the other hand, the idea of living on without a body is a terrifying idea. How can one live on when he or she is also afraid to let go of the physical layer to let only the spiritual level continue? Wordsworth's lines 46 and 46 play into this idea. Why, when the mind has so many wonderful gifts to give, must it feel compelled to stay within the confines of its physical self? Within these lines, Wordsworth appears to question how powerful the spiritual self is. He looks at the mind and sees its ability to make a mark on everything in nature, but how it still stays confined within the body. Wordsworth sees the mind as the strongest part of humans, but it also is the most afraid.