Daffodils Poem by William Wordsworth Summary and Explanation

Table of Contents

About the Author

The author of this poem is William Wordsworth born on 07 April 1770 at Cockermouth, Cumberland, England and died on 23 April 1850 at Rydal, Westmorland, England. He was the son to John Wordsworth and Ann Cookson. When he was 7 years old his mother passed away and his father at the age of 13. Dorothy was his sister. After the death of his parents they lived together and helped each other. In 1795 Wordsworth met S.T.Coleridge at Somerset. And they became bosom friends and started to understand each other. Both of the poets are considered to be the most important poets in the Romantic Movement. The Romantic Movement in English poetry was deeply influenced by the French Revolution in 1789. The poem Daffodils has been explained here.

His first published poetry – ‘An Evening Walk’ and ‘Descriptive Sketches’.

Wordsworth’s definition of poetry, “The spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotions recollected in tranquility.”

Wordsworth became the poet Laureate of England from 1843 until his death on 23 April 1850.

Robert Browning’s remark about Wordsworth, “The Lost Reader.”

P.B. Shelley called him the Political Eunuch because he changed himself into Conservative from revolutionary.

Wordsworth as a Nature Poet:

Wordsworth is considered to be the nature poet in priority because he wrote nature poems. For writing nature poetry he was titled as ‘The High Priest of Nature’ and ‘A Worshiper of Nature’. He tried to find God in nature so his philosophy was called Pantheism.

Major Works of William Wordsworth

Lyrical Ballads: The original title – ‘Lyrical Ballads, with a Few Other Poems’ This collection of poems was composed by William Wordsworth and S.T. Coleridge jointedly. It was published in 1798. It was published four times: (i) First edition – 1798 (ii) Second edition – 1800 (iii) Third edition – 1802 (iv) Fourth edition – 1805. The first edition had 23 poems (19 by Wordsworth and 4 by S.T. Coleridge).
The Prelude: The Prelude is considered to be the magnum opus of William Wordsworth. It is a semi – autobiographical poem. The title ‘The Prelude’ was given in the year 1850 by his wife. Earlier this poem was called ‘The Poem to Coleridge’. The aim of writing this poem is to determine his fitness to produce a great poetry, and ‘The Prelude’ itself becomes evidence of that fitness. it traces the growth of the poets’ mind by stressing the mutual consciousness and spiritual communion between the world of nature and man.
The Borderers: This is a verse tragedy by Wordsworth, written between 1795 to 1797. During the reign of King Henry – III, it was published in 1842.
Preface to the Lyrical Ballads: In the essay ‘Preface to the Lyrical Ballads’ Wordsworth provides an effective and easy definition of poetry. This preface was as the manifesto for the Romantic Movement in English Literature. This essay has four guidelines of the manifesto; (i) Ordinary life is the best subject for the poetry. (ii) Wordsworth uses common men’s language. (iii) Every language is best suited for poetry. (iv) Expression of feeling is more important than action or plot.
Anecdote for Fathers: This poem was written by William Wordsworth, published in 1798 collection named ‘Lyrical Ballads’.
Tintern Abbey: This poem is included in the Lyrical Ballads. It is a nature poem of Wordsworth written on the bank of the Wye river in July 1798. The original title of the poem was ‘Lines Written A Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey’.
Ode on Intimations of Immortality: It is an irregular Pindaric ode written by Wordsworth in 1804 and published in 1807. This poem has total 11 stanzas. The first four stanzas discuss the death and the loss of youth and innocence. The another four stanzas describe how age causes man to lose sight of the diving. The final three stanzas express hope that the memory of the diving will allow us to sympathize with our fellow men. ‘This poem is on the idea that the soul exists before the body to connect children with the ability to witness the divine within nature.
Michael: This is a pastoral poem. It was written by William Wordsworth. It was published in 1800 in the edition of Lyrical Ballads. This is the story of a shepherd Michael, his wife Isabel and his only child Luke.
London or To Milton: In this poem Wordsworth praises Milton because he was fearless character in the Civil War of England. This poem was composed in 1802 and published in 1807. It is a Petrarchan sonnet. Wordsworth considers in this poem that Milton was still alive, and ‘England hath need for thee’. He begs him return to give the manners, virtue and freedom power to England. In this poem Wordsworth tells Milton that his soul was like a star. He compares his soul to the star.
The Solitary Reaper: It is a lyrical poem (ballad). It is the story of a Scottish girl, cutting the grain (wheat) and singing a sad song lonely in the valley. It was published in 1807.
The World is Too Much with Us: It is a sonnet written in Iambic Pentameter. In this poem Wordsworth criticised the world of the first Industrial Revolution for being involved and going far from the nature.
Excursion: This is a portion of ‘The Recluse’. It was first published in 1814. This poem was intended to be the second part of ‘The Recluse’ an unfinished larger work that was also meant to include ‘The Prelude. It was the second the only completed part of ‘The Recluse’.
The Rime of The Ancient Mariner: This poem was written by S.T. Coleridge in 1797 – 98 and published in 1798 in the first edition of ‘Lyrical Ballads’. Along with the ‘Lyrical Ballads’ this poem is considered to be a signal for the beginning of British Romantic Literatrue.

Daffodils Poem Line by Line Explanation

Initial Name: I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud

Total Stanzas: 4 (6 lines in each stanza)

Total lines: 24 lines

Rhyme Scheme: ababcc (Iambic tetrameter)

It is an autobiographical poem. This poem was written in 1804 and published in 1807 in two volumes.

Line by Line Explanation:

Lines 1 – 6

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.

Explanation: This poem starts with the sense of isolation. The poet was lonely wandering along the lake (Ullswater Late). He wandered aimlessly lie a cloud that floats in the sky over the hills and valleys. The poet saw a lot of golden daffodils (yellow) beside the lake under the trees. The poet visited the Gobarrow Park at Grassmore place along the Ullswater Lake with his his sister Dorothy but in the poem he expresses himself alone. The poet further says that the yellow flowers are fluttering and dancing in the breeze. He is fascinated with the sight he spectacles there. Whole poem but the first line personifies the nature but the first line is the reverse. The very first line of this poem establishes the connection of humankind with the nature. As the clouds are wandering aimlessly he compares himself with the clouds wandering in the sky.

The yellow flowers described in the poem are messengers of the spring season in England. For describing the clouds the poet uses two collective nouns a crowd and host. Host means in a large number but in biblical reference it means a group of angels. Host adds the daffodils altogether.

Lines 7 – 12

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.

Explanation: The poet compares the daffodils with the stars using simile. As the stars are seen in a never ending line in the same way he saw the daffodils. They are stretched in the galaxy like the milky way. They were along the margin of the bay Ullswater. About ten thousand flowers he sees at a glance. The flowers were fluttering and dancing. In this stanza in the line ‘Ten thousand saw I at a glance’ he uses ‘hyperbole’ here.

The seventh line has an extra syllable. The line reads – iamb/anapest/iamb/iamb.

Lines 13 – 18

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:

Explanation: This stanza opens with the personified waves that dance. The poet expresses the daffodils in happiness and glee. They are more joyful and happier than the waves in the bay. There is a gist of the poem in the 15^thand 16^th line because these lines create a connection between the poet’s happiness and the daffodils. The poet was glad to have the company of daffodils. The poet gazed at them for a long time but he did not think a bit about the wealth that the flowers had brought to him. The poet exclaims about the sealth that he has got by seeing the golden flowers. After a long time the poet realizes the wealth that it was an extreme happiness for him for a long time.

Lines 19 – 24

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flesh upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils.

Explanation: Whenever the poet lay down in his couch in vacant or pensive mood the beautiful scene of those daffodils appears before him he thinks of them. That imagination and beautiful scene comes to his imagination or to his sweet memory. The poet thinks in solitude the extreme happiness comes to him. His heart dances with the pleasure seeing the daffodils.

Figure of Speech in the poem Daffodils

I wandered lonely as a cloud – Simile, paradox, personification
A host of golden daffodils – Metaphor
Beside the lake beneath the trees – Alliteration, assonance
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze – Personification,
Continuous as the stars shine – Simile, Anapest
And twinkle on the milky way – Metaphor
They stretched in never ending line – Hyperbole
Ten thousand saw I at a gralnce – Hyperbole, Inversion
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance – Personification
The waves beside them danced but they – Personification
In such a jocund company – Metaphor, personification
What wealth the show to me had brought – Alliteration, inversion
For oft, when on my couch I lie – Assonance
And then my heart with pleasure fills – Personification
And dances with the daffodils – Alliteration, Anaphora
I gazed – and gazed but little thought – Alliteration
When all at once I saw a crowd – Hyperbole, personification
Out – did the sparkling waves in glee – Personification

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