Abstract: The methodology of “yi shi zheng shi” (verifying history with poetry) established by Chen Yinque has been acclaimed as a monumental achievement in the Chinese literary and historical studies in the 20^th century. Due to its undue emphasis on the historical allusions in poems, however, this methodology inadvertently overlooks the aesthetic value of their poetics. In addition, Chen Yinque's argument that “yi shi zheng shi” cannot be applied to the study of Western poetry seems to be a misconception of Western poetry. An analysis of Wordsworth's “The Old Cumberland Beggar” shows: first, “yi shi zheng shi” can be, and has been, applied to the study of Western poetry; second, this methodology might be quite imperative in historical studies, but it can hardly lay bare the aesthetic value of “metaphysical solace” in great poetry.

Key words: Wordsworth, "metaphysical solace", Chen Yinque, "yi shi zheng shi", "The Old Cumberland Beggar"