Daffodils- William Wordsworth

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I wander’d lonely as a cloud,

That floats on high o’er vale 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.

About the Poet

William Wordsworth (7 April 1770 – 23 April 1850) was an
English Romantic poet who, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English
literature.
Wordsworth’s magnum opus is generally considered to be The Prelude, a semi-
autobiographical poem of his early years that he revised and expanded a number of
times.
It was posthumously titled and published by his wife in the year of his death, before
which it was generally known as “the poem to Coleridge”.

Thelaterhaveeighteenthcentury(1760-1796)
isknownastheAgeofSensibility.Dr. 8

Johnson called is as such.

2. The period between 1798 and 1832 is known as the Romantic

Period.
3. Wordsworth, co;leredge Shelley, Keats and Byron are the mejor
poets of the Roman- tic Period.
4. The main purpose of romantic poetry was to express the poetss
personal feelings and emotions.
5. The main characteristics of the Romantic Period are :
1. Love for humaning
2. Love and regard for Nature
3. Expression of emotions and imagination
4. Love for the far off
5. Revolt against the hari complete Drydon hope.
6. Wordsworth and S.T. Coleridge together wrote the Lyrical Ballads. It
was published in 1798.
7. This poem was written in 1804.
8. This poem was first published in 1807
9. The healing and refreshing effect of Nature is the theme of this
poem.
10. The Daffodils were growing beside the lake under the trees.
11. The poet compares the daffodils with the dancing waves and
shining and twinkling stars.
12. The daffodils fill the poet’s heart with pleasure and he feels
happy with them.
13. When the person is in solitude and there is nobody around
him. He is all alone. He has the opportunity to think of nature. In the
poem the poet says that when he is either busy thinking or not
thinking about any thing he is reminded of the daffodils. He says
that loneliness becomes lovely if he thinks about daffodils in his
loneliness. When he re- members the daffodils he starts feeling
happy, content and perfectly at peace with himself. This happens
because of solitude.
14. The poet stops on seeing the daffodils because never before
in his life had he seen such beautiful golden daffodils and that too in
such a very large number. He is completely attracted towards them.
Word-Meanings

1. Wander (Verb) : To walk slowly around or to a place, often without any

particular sense of purpose or direction.
2. Float (Verb) : To move slowly on water or in the air.
3. Vale (Noun) : Valley
4. Fluttering (Noun) : A quick, light movement.
5. Toss (Verb) : To move one’s head this way or that.
6. Sprightly (Adjective) : Full of life and energy.
7. Outdo (Verb) : Surpass.
8. Glee (Noun) : A feeling of happiness.
9. Gay (Adjective) : Happy and full of fun.
10. Jocund (Adjective) : Cheerful
11. Gaze (Verb) : To look steadily at somebody /something for a long time.
12. Pensive (Adjective) : Thinking deeply about something, especially because
you are sad or worried.
13. Bliss (Noun) : Extreme happiness.
14. Solitude (Noun) : The state of being alone, especially when you find this
pleasant.

1) Imagery
Title of the poem Daffodils is an example for imagery.
Through the title Wordsworth creates an image of daffodils and advocates the
imagery throughout the poem using visual images like fields, lakes, trees and stars.

2) Simile
Simile is a direct comparison between two different things using ‘as’ or ‘like’.

I wandered lonely as a cloud-the poet has compared himself to a cloud using ‘as’.

Continuous as the stars that shine

…margin of a bay.
The poet has compared the flowers with the shining stars on the Milky Way.

3) Alliteration
Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sound at the beginning or in stressed
syllables of nearby words.

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

And dances with the daffodils

4) Hyperbole

Hyperbole is an exaggerated statement.

When all at once I saw a crowd,

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,

The poet has used ‘crowd’ and ‘ten thousand’ to mean a lot of daffodils. But he must
not have counted them there at a glance. This is an obvious exaggeration.

They stretched in never-ending line

Yes, the flowers were stretched in a vast area, but that is surely not ‘never-ending’.
The poet has made an overstatement here.

5) Personification

The poet has attributed human characteristics to the daffodils (non-human objects) in
this poem

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils

Here a crowd and a host is a humane thing. So the poet personifies the daffodils

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze

Tossing their heads in sprightly dance

Out-did the sparkling waves in glee

All the above lines are personification of the flowers.

The waves beside them danced;

Wordsworth has personified the waves in this line

6) Metaphor

In the third stanza, the poet uses metaphor which makes an implicit comparison
between two unlike things.

“What wealth the show to me had brought”

Here, the “wealth” refers to the happiness and the pleasant memory of the daffodils
which the poet considers as a bliss of solitude.

7) Repetition

Gazed and gazed

Rhyming scheme

Ab ab and ccc

Summary

The poet/speaker in this poem, says that, once while “wandering like a cloud floating
above hills and valleys”, he came across a field of daffodils beside a lake. The
dancing, fluttering flowers stretched endlessly along the shore, and though the
shining waves of the lake danced beside the flowers, yet the daffodils outdid the
water with their beauty.
The poet says that the golden daffodils twinkled and stretched in a continuous line
just like the stars in the Milky Way galaxy. He is trying to convey that the flowers are
heavenly as the stars.

He seems the endless view of the golden daffodils as a never-ending line. The poet’s
exaggeration of the number of flowers by saying “Ten thousand saw I at a glance”
indicates that he has never seen so many daffodils at once. The poet could not help
to be happy in such a joyful company of flowers.
He says that he stared and stared, but did not realize what wealth the scene would
bring him. For now, whenever he feels “vacant” or “pensive” the memory strikes “that
inward eye” that is “the bliss of solitude” and his heart fills with pleasure, “and dances
with the daffodils.”

The poet is alone and having nature in mind wandering from one place to another
like a cloud which flies over vales and hills with the wind. All of a sudden he sees a
large number of golden daffodils which are growing on the bank of the lake under the
trees. A light breeze is blowing, making the daffodils flutter and dance with it.

For the poet, the view of these beautiful golden daffodils is similar to the stars
shining and twinkling in the milky-way. As far as the poet can see, he finds only the
daffodils growing along the margin of a bay and they seem to the poet to be in very
large numbers. All of these flowers are tossing their heads in a sprightly dance.

In the nearby lake, the waves are dancing with the wind and sparkling
because of the sun-rays falling on them. But the beauty of the golden
daffodils is so attractive and charming that it easily surpasses the beauty
of the dancing and sparkling waves. The poet feels happy and blessed in
such an enchanting and cheerful company. The poet is completely
absorbed in

the beauty of the daffodils and for the moment he has lost touch with his
surroundings. He considers himself fortunate and very happy that he has
been the witness to such a wonderful sight of the daffodils.

Later, whenever the poet is thinking of not being busy, lying on his couch
the daffodils flash upon his imagination. The memory of the daffodils not
only fills his heart with pleasure but also has a refreshing effect on him
and he feels like dancing along with the daffodils.

Stanza-wise explanation
 1. I wandered lonely.................... dancing in the breeze.

The poet is wandering alone from one place to another like a cloud, which
flies over valleys and hills with the flow of wind. Suddenly the poet sees a
large number of golden daffodils. These daffodils are growing close to the
lake and under the trees. A light breeze is blowing making these daffodils
dance and flutter with it.

2. Continuous as the star............................ in sprightly dance.

To the poet these daffodils looks like the stars that shine and twinkle in the
milky-way. The daffodils are spread over a very large area along the margin of
a bay. They are spread far and wide. All these daffodils are dancing happily
with the wind.

3. The waves beside ........................ to me had brought.

The waves in the lake beside these daffodils are also dancing with the wind.
But in comparison to the daffodils the waves are not as beautiful and
attractive. Watching such a beautiful scene the poet feels very happy. The
poet continues to look at the daffodils. The poet prizes the scene greatly for
himself.

4. For oft................................. with the daffodils

The poet says that whenever he lies down on his bed either thinking about
anything or not thinking, the images of daffodils flash upon his imagination. It
usually happens only when the poet is all alone. These images of daffodils
have a magical effect on the poet. These images fill the heart of the poet with
pleasure. The poet also feels like dancing with the daffodils.

Exercises
A. Read to understand
1. Choose the correct options.
a) The first stanza of the poem tells us that the poet
i. was looking for a companion to end his loneliness.
ii. was searching for the place where daffodils grew in plenty.
iii. was moving about without any sense of purpose or direction.

b) In this poem, what does the poet compare the daffodils to?
i. clouds ii. waves iii. stars

c) What accompanied the daffodils while they danced in the breeze?

 i. the leaves of the trees ii. The waves in the lake iii. The stars in the sky

d) In the third stanza, ‘wealth’ most probably refers to

i. a large company of friends.
ii. an interesting way to pass the time.
iii. an abundance of joyful thoughts.

e) In the last stanza, the ‘inward eye’ most probably refers to the part of
our mind that
i. helps us solve complex problems.
ii. helps us recall thoughts and memories.
iii. helps us understand what is right and wrong.

2. Answer the following questions.

a) Where does the poet see the daffodils?
Ans. Poet saw the daffodils beside the lake and beneath the trees.

b) What does the ‘jocund company’ consist of?

Ans. The ‘jocund company’ consists of daffodils, clouds, stars, breeze,
vales, waves, hills and lakes.

c) What cheers the poet when he is sad or worried about something?

Ans. The memory of the dancing daffodils cheers the poet when he is sad
or worried about something.

C. Read to appreciate
Simile
A simile makes use of the words like or as to compare contrasting things.
Read these lines from the poem.
I wander’d lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills

In these lines, the poet compares his aimless wandering to the movement
of a cloud in the sky.
This is an example of a simile.
1. Find another example of a simile in the poem.
Ans. Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,

2. Choose suitable similes to complete the following sentences.

a) You shouldn’t have a problem answering this. The solution is
i. as flat as a pancake. ii. as clear as daylight.

b) She was uncomfortable going up on stage. She felt

i. like a knife through hot butter. ii. like a bug under a magnifying glass.

c) During weekdays, she juggles between attending school, tennis

practice, and music lessons.
i. as busy as a bee. ii. as different as chalk from cheese.

d) He did not dare disturb his sister when she was in a bad mood. It was
i. like playing with fire. ii. like lighting a candle to the sun.

e) The captain did not show any signs of worry when the opposition got
off to a brilliant start. As usual, he was
i. as quick as a wink. ii. as cool as a cucumber.

Read the first stanza. Then find the answer to the following question: With
what does the poet William Wordsworth compare himself?
Ans:- The poet William Wordsworth compares himself with a piece of lonely
cloud.
2. Read the second stanza. Now find out the following: With what does
Wordsworth compare the daffodils?
Ans:- The poet William Wordsworth compares daffodils with continuous stars that
shine and twinkle on the milky-way.
3. Read and recite the third stanza. Now find out what Wordsworth by
‘Jocund’ company from the options below?
i. Happy and cheerful
ii. Talkative
 iii. Quiet and sad
Ans:- By the word ‘Jocund’, Wordsworth means happy and cheerful.
4. Read and recite the lines:
“I gazed-and-gazed-but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought.”
What does the poet William Wordsworth in this poem mean by the word
‘wealth’? Why does he use the word here?
Ans:- When the poet says, “what wealth the show to me had brought”, it shows
that the mere sight of the golden daffodils somehow enriched his life and brought
wealth to him.
By the word ‘wealth’, the poet means that this sense of peace and joy are worth
more to the speaker than wealth.
5. Read the last stanza of the poem and find out the following information:
What happens to the poet when he lies on his couch in a sad and
thoughtful mood?
Ans:- When the poet lies on his couch in a sad and thoughtful mood, he comes down
from the cloud and reveals the reality of his current physical state. Even
though he no longer sees the dancing waves and golden daffodils he says that he
will never forget them.
See more question-answers
6. Choose the correct option in each of the following questions.
a. The poet compare himself to
i. A piece of lonely cloud
ii. A host of golden daffodils
iii. A lake
iv. The trees
Ans:- A piece of lonely cloud.
b. While wandering alone, the poet saw
i. A crowd of people
ii. Clouds floating over vales and hills
iii. A host of golden daffodils
iv. A lake
Ans:- A host of golden daffodils.
c. The poet compares the daffodils to
i. A lonely cloud
ii. A lake
iii. The stars in the milky way
iv. A bay
Ans:- The stars in the milky way.
d. The ‘jocund company’ referred to is the company of
i. The daffodils
ii. The sparkling waves of the lake
iii. The dancing daffodils and the waves of the lake
iv. The stars on the milky way
Ans:- The dancing daffodils and the waves of the lake.
 e. The inward eye of the poet is the poet’s
i. Vacant mood
ii. Thoughtful mood
iii. Imagination
iv. Bliss of solitude
Ans:- Thoughtful mood.
7. Read the poem and match the following.
The waves filled with pleasure and danced with the
daffodils.
The poet danced beside the daffodils
A cloud stretched in a never ending line
The daffodils floated over valleys and hills
The poet’s heart saw a host of golden daffodils

Continue reading
Ans:-
The waves – danced beside the daffodils.
The poet – saw a host of golden daffodils.
A cloud – floated over valleys and hills.
The daffodils – stretched in a never ending line.
The poet’s heart – filled with pleasure and danced with the daffodils.

8. Rewrite the following poetic lines in everyday English.

i. Ten thousand saw I at a glance.
Ans:- I saw ten thousand at a glance.
ii. For oft when on my couch I lie in vacant or in pensive mood.
Ans:- Often when I lie in my vacant couch in a pensive mood.
iii. Then my heart with pleasure fills.
Ans:- Then my heart fills with pleasure.

9. What is the theme of this poem ?

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10. Where were the daffodils

growing ? ............................................................................................
....... ...................................................................................................
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11. What are the objects the poet compares with the
daffodils? ............................................................................................
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12. What is the effect of daffodils on the
poet ? ..................................................................................................
. ................................................................................................... ......
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13. What is the bliss of solitude according to the
poet ? ..................................................................................................
. ................................................................................................... ......
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14. Why does the poet stop on seeing the
daffodils ? ...........................................................................................
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