I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud

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"I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" is an 1804 poem by William Wordsworth. It was inspired by an April 15, 1802 event in which Wordsworth and his sister, Dorothy came across a "long belt" of daffodils. It was first published in 1807, and a revised version was released in 1815. In anthologies the poem is sometimes titled "The Daffodils".

[edit] Summary

In this poem, Wordsworth records his experience of suddenly chancing upon "a host" of daffodils during a lonely walk. The daffodils delight him with their abundance and beauty; he says they seem as numerous as the stars that shine in the sky. He also remarks on the beauty of the lake nearby, but adds that even its sparkling waves are not so exuberant as the yellow daffodils "dancing in the breeze".

Like the maiden's song in "The Solitary Reaper," the memory of the daffodils is etched in the poet's mind and soul to be cherished forever. When he's feeling dull or depressed, he thinks of the daffodils, and cheers up.

Some also think that the daffodils represent the human race. Wordsworth can watch the flowers, but has no control over men.

[edit] 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 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.