I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud
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.
MAKING CONNECTIONS
1. Match each stanza to the main point it expresses.
=
|
Stanza |
Main idea |
|---|---|
|
First |
Describes the daffodils in more detail; gives a description of how
many flowers there were. [second] |
|
Second |
Describes what he gained from the experience; how the memory of the
daffodils fills his heart with pleasure. [third] |
|
Third |
Describes a time when, wandering leisurely by himself, the poet came
upon a large number of daffodils. [first] |
|
Fourth |
Describes the delight he feels but does not know the effect this
scene will have on him in the future. [fourth] |
2. Read these lines and answer the questions that follow.
a. "I wander'd lonely as a cloud
That float on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host of golden daffodils;"
i. Which two words describe the number of daffodils?
= The two words 'host of' describe the number of daffodils.
ii. Who does the 'I' in the first line refer to?
= The 'I' in the first line refers to the poet himself.
iii. Identify the simile in these lines.
= In the first line, the poet has compared himself roaming as a cloud. This is a simile.
b. "The waves beside them danced, but they
Outdid the sparkling waves in glee:"
i. Where were 'they'?
= 'They' were along the margin of a bay.
ii. Which phrase describes the dance?
= The phrase 'the sparkling waves' describes the dance.
iii. Who danced better? Which words tell us this?
= The daffodils danced better.
The words 'Outdid the sparkling waves of glee:" tells us this.
c. "I gazed - and gazed - but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:"
i. What was the poet gazing at?
= The poet was gazing at the daffodils.
ii. How was the poet feeling at that point of time?
= The poet was feeling very happy and joyful at the point of time.
iii. Which phrase means 'did not realise'? What did the poet not realise?
= The phrase 'little thought' means did not realise.
The poet did not realise that what would he achieve after staring at the daffodils for so long.
3. Why do you think the poet uses an image of a cloud to describe his loneliness?
= 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.
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. To show his effortless and spontaneous affection for nature the poet has used an image of a cloud to describe his loneliness.
4. To what does the poet compare the daffodils? Do you think this is an effective comparison? Give a reason for your answer.
= The poet compares the daffodils with the stars that shine and twinkle in the night.
Yes, I think this is an effective comparison. The stars are the hope of light in the dark night. They guide us if we lose our way in the dark. In the same way, the poet was roaming lonely in a tedious mood. Suddenly the daffodils brought in him joy and wave of happiness. They remained in his heart to give him blissful peace while he would be in unengaged and thoughtful mood.
5. Give an example of personification from the poem.
= Personification is to imply living characteristics to a non-living thing. He the poet has portrayed the daffodils as a 'crowd' of human beings, the 'host' of people who can 'toss' their head and provide someone happy 'company'.
6. Contrast the poet's mood before, while and after he sees the daffodils.
= The poem came across the daffodils beside the lake while roaming lonely. He found them tossing their heads along the margin of the bay. The poet's heart fills with joy and happiness and overpours it with the same. The daffodils provide him a happy company in his loneliness. The poet kept on gazing at them for long.
Now 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.
7. What do you understand by the meaning of 'inward eye'? What are things you see with your 'inward eye'?
= By the 'inward eye', the poet means to his imagination power or his unique way of thinking.
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.
About the Poet :
William Wordsworth (1770 - 1850) was born in 1770 in Cockermouth, in the Lake District, England. The majestic beauty of the District gave rise to his deep love of nature, which was reflected in his poetry. In 1843, he became England's Poet Laureate. Well-known poems by the poet include Tintern Abbey and The Solitary Reaper.