The poem contains twenty stanzas written in modified rhyme royal, and describes Wordsworth's encounter with a leech-gatherer near his home in the Lake District of England.
Stanzas I–III of the poem describe the poet's joy while taking a morning walk after a night of rain.
In line 45, Wordsworth writes "of Him who walked in glory and in joy / Following his plough, along the mountain-side", a reference to Robert Burns, who died at the age of 37 after an extended illness.
The poem concludes in stanzas VIII–XX with Wordsworth meeting an old, poor leech-gatherer who endures the hardships of his life with patience and acceptance.
The poem is based on Wordsworth's actual encounter with a leech-gatherer on 3 October 1800, near his home at Dove Cottage in Grasmere.