Daffodils
by William Wordsworth
The Poem:
"I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden Daffodils;
Beside the Lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:-
A Poet could not be gay
In such a jocund company:
I gazed - and gazed - but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude,
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the Daffodils."
The Summary of the Poem:
Wordsworth is a famous nature poet. Nature plans an important part in his life. We can see the impression of nature in all his writings. 'Daffodils' is one of Wordsworth's most famous short poems. In it the poet remembers that he once saw a beautiful scene, a lake and the daffodils beside it. At that time he was full of happiness because he felt everything around him was happy.
In the first stanza, the poet roams around like a cloud floats over high valleys and hills. The poet found a host of golden daffodils all of a sudden. They were fluttering and dancing beside the Lake and under the trees.
In the second stanza, the poet describes the stretch of the daffodils. They are stretched along the margin of a bay in line which never ceases. They were shining and twinkling continuously like stars in the milky way galaxy.
In the third stanza, the poet further says that the waves of the daffodils were more sparkling than those of the Lake. A poet can not help being happy in such marry company of the daffodils. The poet keeps on watching them and some thought appears in his mind.
In the last stanza, the poet is away from the daffodils. He is lying in his couch in thoughtful mood. The memory of the daffodils comes to his mind and gives him inexpressible pleasure in his loneliness. The heart of the poet fills with pleasure and starts dancing like those of the daffodils.
COMPREHENSION
1. Answer the following questions.
a. What is the simile in the first verse?
= The simile in the first verse is that the poet has compared himself with the floating cloud over the hills and valleys.
b. What do we learn about the poet from the first two verses?
= The poet likes to roam around like a cloud floats over high valleys and hills. He is a patron of the soothing beauty of nature. He kept on gazing on the endless daffodils.
c. How are the daffodils described in the first two verses?
= The poet found a host of golden daffodils all of a sudden. They were fluttering and dancing beside the Lake and under the trees. They are stretched along the margin of a bay in line which never ceases. They were shining and twinkling continuously like stars in the milky way galaxy.
d. What is the simile in the second verse?
= The simile in the second verse is that the daffodils have been compared with the shining and twinkling stars in the milky way galaxy.
e. In the third verse why is the poet so happy?
= In the third stanza, the poet further says that the waves of the daffodils were more sparkling than those of the Lake. A poet can not help being happy in such marry company of the daffodils. The poet keeps on watching them and some thought appears in his mind.
f. How is the last verse different from the other verses? Is the poet describing a different mood from that expressed in the previous verses?
= The last verse different from the other verses. In the previous three verses, the poet was present near the sea of daffodils. But in the fourth verse, he is away from them.
Yes, the poet describing a different mood from that expressed in the previous verses. In the previous three verses, the poet was in happy and joyful mood. But in the last verse, the poet is in lonely and thoughtful mood. He recalls the scene of the daffodils to gain bliss in his solitude.
g. The poet says in the last line that his heart 'dances with the Daffodils.' Is his heart really dancing? Find other examples in the poem where the poet uses words normally associated with actions performed by a person to describe actions performed by other things (clouds, wind, flowers). Do you know what word we use to describe this figure of speech? (You will know when you read a little further!)
= The poet's heart is not actually dancing. It is the way to express the overflowing joy and happiness of his mind after watching the host of daffodils.
The other examples in the poem where the poet uses words normally associated with actions performed by a person to describe actions performed by other things (clouds, wind, flowers) are - 'floats on high o'er vales and hills', 'fluttering and dancing', 'shine and twinkle', 'tossing their heads', and 'waves beside them danced'.
To describe this figure of speech, we use the word 'Personification'.
These questions are more difficult. Discuss them first.
h. What do you think the poet means by the 'inward eye', which is the 'bliss of solitude'?
Do you ever use your 'inward eye'? When?
= By the 'inward eye', the poet means to his imagination power or his unique way of thinking.
The reminiscence of the scene of the daffodils is the 'bliss of solitude' in the lonely and thoughtful mood of the poet. He is lying in his couch in thoughtful mood. The memory of the daffodils comes to his mind and gives him inexpressible pleasure in his loneliness. The heart of the poet fills with pleasure and starts dancing like those of the daffodils.
Yes, I do use my 'inward eye'. As I am heading to the school by school-bus, I can see various scenes of social and economical inequality. Some child still work in the tea shops in the markets, some people can not afford their daily groceries properly, many children still not get quality education. These facts compel me to use my 'inward eye' and try to found out the reasons behind them.
i. Why is it that many poets love nature? How does nature bring people to write poetry?
= Many poets love nature due to its beauty and tranquillity which sooth their mind and helps to think deep. They love countryside and its dark greenery. They have a keen sense of observation to take note of all that they see around nature. All these reflect in their writings.
The poets get inspired by the colours, beauty and forms of nature. They feel the deeper appeal of nature and the glory of it that that of the outer beauty of nature which is visible only on the surface. They get inspiration from the nature and they mould themselves in the reflection of nature and express them in their writings.
2. What is the poem about?
= 'Daffodils' is one of Wordsworth's most famous short poems. In it the poet remembers that he once saw a beautiful scene, a lake and the daffodils beside it. At that time he was full of happiness because he felt everything around him was happy.
3. Read the poem a number of times. What is the main idea in the poem?
Now read the poem 'The Lake Isle of Innisfree'. What is the main idea of that poem?
Make a list of the similarities in the poems. These can be ideas, words, phrases, a description or a point of view.
= There are three main ideas, or parts, in the poem 'Daffodils'. The first deals with the poet himself - we learn something about him. The second is about nature - the daffodils, the lake, the clouds, the stars. The third is about the relationship between the poet and nature - we learn that nature plays an important part in his life. This last point is the most important.
In the poem 'The Lake Isle of Innisfree', Yeats shows clearly that even if he has to live in the city with all its ills, he can find happiness and feel 'in his heart's core' the beauty and peace of a far-distant isle. This is one of the best known of Yeats' poems; it was written in 1893. Innisfree was an actual place in Ireland and Yeats had spent some time at this beautiful spot. The poet was attracted to the place for the reasons he gives in the poem; it is peaceful; it is quit; and it is surrounded by nature.
The similarities - both of the poems are the reflection of the serene beauty of nature. They represent the beauty of nature and regale on them. Both of them talks about the tranquillity of nature that impacts them a lot.
Yeats wants to get peace going to the Isle of Innisfree and on the other hand Wordsworth finds peace merely thinking about the serenity of the host of daffodils in his lonely and thoughtful mood.
Yeats wants to live alone in the Isle of Innisfree. Wordsworth also enjoys the daffodils as the bliss of his solitude.
About the Poet:
William Wordsworth (1770-1850), one of the greatest English poets, was born in the Lake District of England, an area of great beauty. Wordsworth's treatment of nature is his chief glory as a poet. he spent a great amount of time on walks in the countryside, and he used his keen sense of observation to take note of all that he saw around him. He got much joy out of nature and this is clearly evident in his poetry.
Other poets see the beauty that is in nature, the colours, the forms and all the other details. Wordsworth sees all this and more. He always felt there was something much deeper than that which was visible only on the surface. He looks on nature with his 'inward eye' and the glory of it enters into his heart and soul.
'Daffodils' is one of Wordsworth's most famous short poems. In it the poet remembers that he once saw a beautiful scene, a lake and the daffodils beside it. At that time he was full of happiness because he felt everything around him was happy.
There are three main ideas, or parts, in the poem. The first deals with the poet himself - we learn something about him. The second is about nature - the daffodils, the lake, the clouds, the stars. The third is about the relationship between the poet and nature - we learn that nature plays an important part in his life. This last point is the most important.