Daffodils
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 but 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.
Introduction
"Daffodils" is a lyric poem written by William Wordsworth which was initially published in 1807 as part of a collection of poems titled "Poems in Two Volumes". It was written in the year 1804 and a revised version of the poem was published in 1815 and that is the version known today. This poem is also known as "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud".
In this poem, the first three stanzas follow an ABABCC rhyme scheme, while the last stanza follows ABAB rhyme scheme.
The central theme of the poem "Daffodils" by William Wordsworth is the beauty and power of nature to inspire and uplift the human spirit, as well as the theme of memory and how nature can bring us lasting happiness.
The poem was inspired by a walk that Wordsworth had taken with his sister Dorothy in the Lake District, England on 15 April 1802.
Summary
In this poem, the poet describes his experience of coming across a field of daffodils while wandering through the countryside. The poet compares himself to a cloud, floating above hills and valleys, and says that he encounters the flowers beside a lake. The flowers are described as dancing and fluttering in the breeze, stretching along the shore. Even though the waves dance beside them, the daffodils surpass them in joyfulness. The poet is moved by the sight of the flowers and feels a sense of joy and delight in their company. He reflects that he didn't realize the wealth of happiness the scene would bring him at the time. whenever he feels lonely, the memory of the daffodils fills him with pleasure and his heart dances with them.
Explanation
Stanza 1
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.
GLOSSARY
wander - walk in aimless way
o'er - over
vales - valleys
host - a person who recieves or entertains guests
beneath - underneath; under
fluttering - moving with a light irregular motion
breeze - a gentle wind
The poet was wandering around aimlessly and feeling lonely, just like a cloud that that is high up in the sky and moving over the valleys and hills below without a particular destination. The poet is trying to convey a sense of isolation and detachment from the world around him.
Suddenly, he came across a vast number of golden daffodils gathered beside the lake and beneath the trees. The flowers were described as "fluttering and dancing in the breeze", creating a sense of joy and liveliness in the scene.
Stanza 2
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.
GLOSSARY
the milky way - a broad band of light seen in the night sky, caused by the light of a very large number of stars
stretched - extended
margin - the edge or border
tossing - move side to side or back and forth
sprightly - lively; full of energy
In the second stanza, the speaker continues to describe the daffodils that he has come across. He says that they stretched out in a "never-ending line" along the edge of a bay. The image of the daffodils forming a continuous line is compared to the stars that shine and twinkle in the Milky Way. This comparison adds to the sense of wonder and awe that the speaker feels.
The speaker then says that he saw a vast number of daffodils all at once, with just a single glance. The phrase "ten thousand" emphasizes the magnitude of the sight, suggesting that there were so many daffodils that they seemed almost infinite.
The daffodils are described as "tossing their heads in sprightly dance" which reinforces the idea of movement and liveliness in the scene. The phrase "tossing their heads" suggests that the daffodils were moving their heads back and forth in a lively, energetic way. The word "sprightly" means lively and full of energy, which emphasizes the idea that the daffodils were dancing joyfully.
Stanza 3
The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
GLOSSARY
sparkling - shining brightly with flashes of light
glee - extreme happiness
gay - happy
jocund - cheerful and light-hearted
gazed - look at, especially in surprise or admiration
In this stanza, the poet describes how the waves of the lake were also dancing, but the daffodils were even more joyful and lively than the waves. The phrase "out-did the sparkling waves in glee" suggests that the daffodils were even more full of joy and life than the waves themselves.
The poet then says that in such a happy and cheerful company, a poet could not help but be happy too. The word "jocund" means cheerful and lighthearted, and it highlights the idea that the scene was not just visually stunning but also emotionally uplifting.
In the last part of this stanza, the poet reflects on his experience of seeing the daffodils. He says that he gazed and looked at the flowers for a long time, but at the time, he didn't fully appreciate or understand the significance of what he was seeing. The phrase "little thought" suggests that he didn't realize the value of the scene at the time, and only later came to understand its significance. The phrase "what wealth the show to me had brought" implies that the experience was rich and valuable in some way, even if the poet didn't fully recognize it at the time.
Stanza 4
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.
GLOSSARY
oft - often
couch - a long piece of furniture for several people to sit on
vacant - empty
flash - light up in sudden way
inward - coming in from outside
bliss - great joy
solitude - the state of being alone
In the final stanza, the poet describes how the memory of the daffodils continues to bring him joy and comfort even when he is alone and feeling down. He says that when he is lying on his couch and feeling empty or lost in thought, the memory of the daffodils comes to him like a sudden flash of inspiration. This "inward eye" brings him a sense of happiness and contentment that he associates with being alone and at peace.
The image of his heart "dancing with the daffodils" is a metaphor for the way in which the memory of the flowers fills him with a sense of liveliness and joy.
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