"I wandered lonely as a cloud"

I wandered lonely as a cloud





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 gased – 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 when my heart with pleasure fills

And dances with the daffodils



William Wordsworth







How important are the daffodils in the poet's life?



The daffodils are very important in the poet's life. The poet was wandering in a state of loneliness and disconnectedness from the world around him. Yet, this mood of detachment and passivity was broken upon the appearance of the daffodils. First, they are seen as a 'crowd' then as a 'host'. In other words, the shapelessness, as of a crowd, which the daffodils at first seemed to exhibit, is turned into a pattern. This means that the poet's life is at work ordering experience, giving it coherence and vividness. The daffodilds, according to Wordsworth, are happy. They are celebrating a feast and they are "dancing in the breeze". Here, the poet is personifying the daffodils, describing them as being glad and dancing in the open nature. They are inviting him to share with them their happiness and delight. Besides, the joy exhibited by the dancing flowers is also shared by the stars that twinkle. This joy is the counterpart of the loneliness and passivity experienced by the poet until his mind is awakened to the new life by the daffodils themselves. The daffodils are not only linked with the stars; they are also compared to the waves on the lake which also dance, sharing the daffodils' joy, though not with the same 'glee' as the flowers. The poet finds a more joyful life in the flowers than in the waves because the daffodils dance with more complex patterns under the pressure of the breeze. the breeze is important, in which rhythmic patterns of water and the rhythmic dance of the flowers form so large a part of the pleasure. For Wordsworth, as well, a breeze is important because it is the symbol of the creative activity of the poet. the poet feels delighted and happy, 'gay' in the presence of the daffodils. It is also thanks to them that his mind is more active, making order in a world which seems disorderly and pointless. Where he was lonely, he is now in a "jucund company."



Good luck



Mrs Anissa Abdelkefi Najjar