Summary

‘I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud‘ by William Wordsworth describes

how a host of golden daffodils dancing in the breeze of the Lake
District mesmerized his heart.

The speaker, likely William Wordsworth himself, is wandering

down the hills and valley when he stumbled upon a beautiful field
of daffodils. The speaker is transfixed by the daffodils seemingly
waving, fluttering, and dancing along the waterside. Albeit, the
lake’s waves moved as fervently, as the beauty of daffodils outdid
with flying colours. The poet feels immensely gleeful and chirpy at
this mesmerizing natural sight. Amongst the company of flowers,
he remains transfixed at those daffodils wavering with full vigour.
Oblivious to the poet is the fact that this wondrous scenery of
daffodils brings the poet immense blithe and joy when he’s in a
tense mood or perplexed for that matter. His heart breathes a
new life and gives him exponential happiness at a sight worth a
thousand words.

Meaning
Though the poem’s title hints at a cloud, it is not about it. Instead,
it is about a group of golden daffodils dancing beside the lake and
beneath the trees. Wordsworth’s poetic persona, at some point,
visited that spot, and he is describing how he felt having the sight
of those beautiful flowers. The poet metaphorically compares him
to a cloud for describing his thoughtless mental state on that day.
Like a cloud, he was wandering in the valley aimlessly. The
sudden spark that the daffodils gave to his creative spirit is
expressed in this poem.
Structure and Form
The poem is composed of four stanzas of six lines each. It is an
adherent to the quatrain-couplet rhyme scheme, A-B-A-B-C-C.
Every line conforms to iambic tetrameter. The
poem ‘Daffodils’ works within the a-b-a-b-c-c rhyme scheme as it
uses consistent rhyming to invoke nature at each stanza’s end.
Moreover, it helps in creating imagery skillfully as the poet
originally intended. The poem flows akin to a planned song in a
rhythmic structure. Consonance and alliteration are used to
create rhymes.

This poem is written from the first-person point of view.

Therefore, it is an ideal example of a lyric poem. The poetic
persona is none other than Wordsworth himself. This piece
contains a regular meter. There are eight syllables per line, and
the stress falls on the second syllable of each foot. There are
four iambs in each line. Thus the poem is in iambic tetrameter.
For example, let’s have a look at the metrical scheme of the first
line:

I wan-/dered lone-/ly as/ a cloud

Figurative Language and Poetic

Devices
Wordsworth makes use of several literary devices in ‘I Wandered
Lonely as a Cloud.’ These include but are not limited
to similes, hyperboles, personification, and allusion. Similes are
also used since the poet alludes to an aimless cloud as he takes a
casual stroll. Moreover, daffodils are compared to star clusters in
Milky Way to explicate the magnitude of daffodils fluttering freely
beside the lake. At times, hyperbole is used to explicate the
immensity of the situation. The allusion of daffodils to stars
spread across the Milky Way is one such instance. Furthermore,
the daffodils are even made anthropomorphous to create a
human portrayal of Mother Nature in this instance.

Moreover, the poet has also used reverse personifications,

equating humans to clouds and daffodils to humans with constant
movement. Using this clever tactic, the poet brings people closer
to nature, becoming a hallmark of William Wordsworth’s most
basic yet effective methods for relating readers with nature,
appreciating its pristine glory. Daffodils celebrate the beauty of
nature and its purity, along with the bliss of solitude. He deems
his solitude as an asset and inspires him to live a meaningful life.

Wordsworth makes use of imagery figuratively to display his

feelings and emotions after encountering the daffodils. Firstly, the
image of the cloud describes the poet’s mental state, and the
images that appear after that vividly portray the flowers. These
images, in most cases, are visual, and some have auditory effects
(For example, “Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.”) associated
with them.

Detailed Analysis
Stanza One
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.
In the first stanza of ‘I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud,’ Wordsworth
explains his one-day occasional aimless wandering. The term
“wandered” means walking free of their own accord. The poet is
referring to himself as the “cloud” in a metaphorical sense of the
word. Although the clouds mostly travel in groups, this cloud
prefers singular hovering. However, he clearly mentions his
passing through valleys and hills on a routine walk, simplifying
the narrative.

The poet comes across a bunch of daffodils fluttering in the air.

He’s dumbfounded by the beauty of those “golden daffodils.”
Although yellow would be more suitable for daffodils, the poet
intends to signify its beauty by using golden color. The daffodils
are termed as “host” or crowd since they are together in a
collective bunch. They are a source of immense beauty for the
poet hailing from the Romantic Era.

Those daffodils are firmly perched beside a lake, beneath some

trees. It’s a windy day overall, and the flowers dance and flutter
as the wind blows. Let’s take a step back for a brief moment to
locate the premises of the poet’s inspiration. The poet resided in
the famous Lake District, a region rich in scenic locations entailing
hills, valleys, and lakes. As a result, the location is realistic in its
entirety. Wordsworth refers to daffodils dancing, a trait relatable
to humans.

Stanza Two
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 above allegory is a clear and direct referral to our native
galaxy Milky Way. The space continuum holds great mystery for
our Romantic Era poet as he envisions the daffodils to be in a
constant state of wonder, as are the stars beyond the reach of
humans.

The poet makes an allusion to the Milky Way, our galaxy filled
with its own planetary solar systems stretched beyond infinity.
The lake supposedly has a large area since the daffodils are
dispersed along the shoreline. Along the Milky Way’s premises lie
countless stars, which the poet alludes to daffodils fluttering
beside the lake.

By “ten thousand,” he meant a collection of daffodils were

fluttering in the air, spellbinding the poet at the beauty of the
scene. It’s just a wild estimation at best as he supposes ten
thousand daffodils at a glance. The term “sprightly” comes from
sprite, which is primarily dandy little spirits people deemed
existed in such times. They are akin to fairies.

Stanza Three
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:
The speaker liked the “sprightly dance” of the daffodils so much
that he, in the third stanza, says that the sparkling waves of a
lake beside cannot match their beauty. The waves are sparkling
due to the sunlight. This image is contrasted with the dance of
daffodils. Besides, the speaker imagines the tossing of their heads
to a wave. So, the contrast presents the resemblance of the lake’s
water to the daffodils.

Witnessing the scene, the romantic poet became so gay that he

was not able to move from the location. The flowers were a
“jocund company” to him that he could not find in humans.
“Jocund” means cheerful and light-hearted. Their silent presence
told more than the words of humans could convey to him. They
had a purity that made the poet spellbound.

The repetition of the word “gazed” in the next line points at the
poet’s state of mind at that moment. His eyes were transfixed at
the golden beauty of the daffodils. That’s why he kept on gazing
until he could drink their serenity to the lees. The second half of
the line quickly catches readers’ attention. Wordsworth is now
asking them what wealth the flowers had brought him on that
day. Thus, he quickly comes into reality from his imagination to
inform readers about his viewpoint.

Stanza Four
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.
The last stanza describes the inspiration behind writing ‘I
Wandered Lonely as a Cloud.’ According to Wordsworth,
whenever he lies on his couch in a vacant or thoughtful mood, the
image flashes in his mind’s eyes. It is a simultaneous process, not
a forced one. Blissful memories are so gripping that they stick
with a person throughout their life. So, whenever the poet’s mind
becomes empty of thoughts, the image supplies him the source of
energy to re-think. Not only that, when he feels down, the scene
acts similarly.

The “inward eye” is a reference to the mind’s eyes. When one

shuts his physical eyes, it unleashes those eyes. Wordsworth
compares the daffodils to the “bliss” of his solitary moments. He
provides the reason why he says so. According to him, the
memory associated with the daffodils fills his heart with pleasure,
making his heart leap up once again like a child. In this way, the
poet highlights the role of nature, especially daffodils, in his life.

Themes
Throughout ‘I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud’ Wordsworth engages
with themes of nature, memory, and spirituality. These three are
tied together as the speaker, Wordsworth himself, moves through
a beautiful landscape. He takes pleasure in the sight of the
daffodils and revives his spirit in nature. At the same time,
Wordsworth explores the theme of memory, as he does in other
works such as ‘Tintern Abbey.’ The flowers are there to comfort
him in real-time and as a memory from the past.
Symbolism
The poem begins with a symbolic reference to the cloud. It is
wandering and lonely. The poetic persona is the embodiment of
such a cloud. Hence, it symbolizes being lonely and thoughtless.
This state is achieved when one is free from mundane thoughts.
The most important symbol of this piece is the daffodils. The
narcissistic description of the flower seems to be alluding to the
Greek myth. Apart from that, the daffodil acts as a symbol of
rejuvenation and pure joy. Wordsworth becomes the means
through which the flowers express their vibrance. In his pensive
mood, they become a means for the poet’s self-reflection.

Tone and Mood

The tone of this poem, ‘I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud’, is emotive,
hyperbolic, expressive, and thoughtful. In the first stanza, the
speaker’s tone helps readers understand how he felt after seeing
the daffodils on a specific event. As the poem progresses,
Wordsworth intensifies it. Thus it appears hyperbolic. In the last
stanza, he chooses a thoughtful tone for describing the impact of
the scene on his mind. The tone also follows the mood of the
poem. Throughout the text, the poet maintains a calm and joyous
mood. It is like the breeze that made the daffodils dance on that
day. While going through the poem, readers can feel this relaxing
mood.

Historical Context
Hailed as the champion of the Romantic Movement in the early
19th century, William Wordsworth dwelled in scenic Lake District
(United Kingdom), far from the madding crowd. Its roots can be
traced back to Dorothy Wordsworth’s journal, in which she
reminisces a casual stroll with his brother in 1802, where they
came across beautiful daffodils. The poem was composed within
the time period of 1804-1807 and subsequently published in
1807, with a revised version published in 1815. The poem is
considered a masterpiece of Romantic Era poetry steeped in
natural imagery. Walking along Glencoyne Bay, the siblings
stumbled across beautiful daffodils along the bay. As the sister’s
journal recalls, the daffodils seemed immensely beautiful from a
far-off view. It was indeed a magnificent sight.

About William Wordsworth

William Wordsworth (1770-1850) wrote beautiful poetry filled with
sweet imagery, usually based around the natural world.
Often Wordsworth’s poems contained slight somber undertones,
as is the case in this poem, as we will explore shortly. This is
possible due to the conflict In Wordsworth’s life and his battle
with depression. Some scholars suggest that Wordsworth’s
relationship with his sister, Dorothy was far from platonic. But
Wordsworth did marry and lived with both his wife and sister.

Wordsworth lived through the French Revolution, which he initially

supported and later rebuked. He, along with his close friend and
fellow poet, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, was the pioneer of the
romantic era of poetry, and his earlier romantic poems were
widely derided as a result of this. He was also the poet laureate
for queen Victoria for seven years.

Today, Wordsworth’s reputation rests heavily on the

collection Lyrical Ballads that he published along with Samuel
Taylor Coleridge in 1798.

FAQs
Why is ‘Daffodils’ so famous?

The poem, ‘I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud’ or ‘Daffodils,’ is famous

for its simplicity, sing-song-like rhythm, and thematic beauty. It
talks about a simple thing: the dancing of the daffodils in a calm
breeze. But, the representation is thought-provoking. Readers
from all age groups can understand the poem easily and
comprehend it in their way, without any restrictions at all. That’s
why it is considered one of the best-loved poems of English
literature.

What is the main idea of ‘I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud’?

The poem’s main idea deals with the role of nature in the poet’s
life. If one has the eyes to see it, one can comprehend the serene
beauty of simplicity within seconds. For that, the mind should be
as thoughtless as a lonely cloud that floats aimlessly over the
valleys and hills.

What is the message of ‘Daffodils’?

Through this poem, Wordsworth conveys a vital message that

includes how nature can be of the most incredible resort when
one is feeling low or pensive. It is a source of great energy that
can rejuvenate the soul.

Why is ‘Daffodils’ a Romantic poem?

‘Daffodils’ is a thoughtful mediation on those beautiful golden

flowers. It contains a calm, soothing, and pleasant representation
of mother nature that inspires the poet. The memory associated
with the daffodils becomes a source of energy while the poet
reflects on something or he is pensive. For such a presentation of
nature, it is a beautiful example of a romantic poem.

How does the poet’s use of sound influence the poem’s

mood?

The use of sound adds to the mood of the poem. For example, the
last line, “And dances with the daffodils,” contains a repetition of
the “d” sound that adds to the merry mood of the poem. In the
previous line, the repetition of soft “s” sounds creates a soothing
sound. It influences the mood as well.

Why did the daffodils make him think of stars?

The poet was amazed by the number of daffodils fluttering and

dancing in the breeze. He thought it fit compare them with the
stars as they were countless. Besides, he might be looking at
them from a distance (like a cloud looks down from the
firmament). It made him think of the stars twinkling on the milky
way.

What does “a host of golden daffodils” mean?

The phrase “a host of golden daffodils” refers to a group of

daffodils the poet saw one day. He personifies the daffodils by
using the term “host.” Besides, “golden daffodils” is an example
of metonymy. Here, the poet is referring to the effect in place of
the cause, the sunlight.

What does “bliss of solitude” mean?

It is a metaphor that contains an implicit reference to the

daffodils. According to Wordsworth, the flowers or the memory is
a “bliss” in his solitude as it fills him with energy and happiness.

Lines 1-2
Read the lines given above and answer the questions that follow.

Question 1.
Explain with reference to context.
Answer:
These lines are taken from the poem ‘Daffodils’ written by William
Wordsworth. The poem expresses Word worth’s love for nature and how
he sought solace in it from the woes and worries of this world.
At the beginning of the poem, the speaker is feeling lonely and sad. As he
walks along, he sees a large area of daffodils along the side of a lake,
blowing in the breeze with bright yellow flowers reflected in the water in
spite of the waves due to the wind. The sight of the flowers on the shore
and their reflection cheers him greatly.

Question 2.
Who wandered like a lonely cloud and where?
Answer:
The poet William Wordsworth wanders like a lonely cloud over the valleys
and hills.

Question 3.
Who does he come across while wandering?
Answer:
While wandering among the valleys and hills the poet comes across a host
of golden daffodils flowers.

Question 4.
Where were the daffodils and what were they doing?
Answer:
The daffodils were by the side of the lake under the trees. They were
fluttering under in the breeze as if they were dancing like human beings
expressing their joy and energy.
Lines 7- 12

Read the lines given above and answer the questions that follow.
Question 1.
Explain with reference to context.
Answer:
These lines are taken from the poem ‘Daffodils’ written by William
Wordsworth. The poem expresses Word worth’s love for nature and how
he sought solace in it from the woes and worries of this world.
There are as many daffodils as there are stars in the sky–so many they
can’t be counted. He says in one glance he saw “ten thousand,” which is a
large number used to express how large the bed of flowers was. They
seem to be dancing in the breeze.

Question 2.
What is being compared to the stars and why?
Answer:
The host of golden daffodils by the side of the lake under the tree is being
compared to the stars. A milky way is a cluster of stars which shine
brightly across a huge stretch of space . Similarly like the stars in the
milky way the poet feels that the daffodils are not only uncountable but
also they are dancing with full energy and joy in never-ending line along
the margin of the lake .

Question 3.
How many did the poet see at a glance?
Answer:
The poet saw maybe ten thousand at a glance.

Question 4.
What were the daffodils doing? Which literary device is used here?
Answer:
The daffodils were dancing merrily in the breeze. The poet is using
personification here when he compares the movement of the daffodils in
the breeze to dancing humans.
Lines 13-18

Read the lines given above and answer the questions that follow.
Question 1.
Explain with reference to context.
Answer:
These lines are taken from the poem ‘Daffodils’ written by William
Wordsworth. The poem expresses Word worth’s love for nature and how
he sought solace in it from the woes and worries of this world.
The waves of the lake lap at the shore, but the sound the daffodils make
as they dance in the wind outdos the sound of the water. The poet can’t
help being happy when he is in such joyful (jocund) company. He looks at
them for a long time, but he doesn’t yet appreciate what experiencing
these flowers has done for him.

Question 2.
Which wealth is referred to by the poet?
Answer:
The wealth which is referred to here by the poet means wealth of joy and
happiness; which actually comes from happy and fond memories when
the poet saw a host of golden daffodils by the side of the lake beneath the
trees.

Question 3.
Whom did the daffodils out do and how ?
Answer:
The daffodils outdid the waves in the lake. The daffodils seemed to be
dancing like human beings expressing their joy and energy when the
breeze blew over them. Both the flowers and waves seem to be in
competition to show their feelings and expressions.

Question 4.
Which jocund company is the poet referring to ?
Answer:
The poet is referring to the jocund company of the host of golden daffodils
dancing in joy by the side of the lake under the trees. Along with them the
waves in the lake too were dancing by the side of the daffodils . A poet
was bound to be happy in such a joyful company of the daffodils and the
waves.
Question 5.
Which wealth is referred to by the poet?
Answer:
The wealth which is referred to here by the poet means the wealth of joy
and happiness; which actually comes from happy and fond memories
when the poet saw a host of golden daffodils by the side of the lake
beneath the trees.

Lines 19-24

Read the lines given above and answer the questions that follow.
Question 1.
Explain with reference to context.
Answer:
These lines are taken from the poem ‘Daffodils’ written by William
Wordsworth. The poem expresses Word worth’s love for nature and how
he sought solace in it from the woes and worries of this world.
In the final stanza, the poet knows how much the flowers have affected
him. Often, when he is lying on his couch or when he is in a thoughtful
(pensive) mood, an image of the daffodils comes to him, and then his
heart fills with pleasure and “dances with the daffodils.”

Question 2.
What happens to the poet when he is sometime in a pensive mood?
Answer:
Whenever the poet lived on his couch in an unoccupied and sad mood the
fond and happy memory of the daffodil flowers flushed upon his eye of
imagination which is a source of joy and inspiration to the poet in such a
lonely mood.

Question 3.
What is the bliss of solitude referred to here?
Answer:
By the term ‘bliss of solitude,’ the poet wants to express that he felt really
happy in the joyful company of the daffodil flowers and the waves. They
seemed to compete with each other in such a mood. The poet caught the
joyful mood and thus became a part of nature itself. He only kept on
watching the scene, unable to decide what wealth of joy, he had received
from it. The greatest benefit of this experience was that whenever the
poet lay on his couch in an unoccupied and sad mood, the fond and sweet
memory of the daffodils crashed upon his eye of imagination; which a
source of joy and inspiration to the poet in his lonely and pensive mood.

Question 4.
What does he mean by the ‘inward eye’?
Answer:
The inward eye refers to the eye of his imagination , his soul which can
provide him with the sight of the daffodils in his memory and he can once
again experience the same joy that he had experienced when he had seen
the daffodils.

Project

Question 1.
Describe in your own words the poet’s feelings when he sees the host of
golden daffodils ?
Answer:
The poet was thrilled to see a host of golden daffodils by the side of the
lake under the trees moving their head in a joyful dance. They seemed to
be dancing like human beings expressing their energy and joy. When the
poet saw the flowers, his imagination travelled to another world to find a
comparison. He was reminded of the stars twinkling in the milky way at
night. The long line of the daffodils flowers bore comparison with the
bright stars seen across the night sky.

Question 2.
Why does the poet say I gazed and gazed but a little thought / what
wealth that show to me had brought?
Answer:
The poet was alone. He was moving about aimlessly over the high valleys
and hills watching the beautiful scenes of nature. Suddenly he saw a great
number of golden-coloured flowers by the side of the lake under the trees
moving their heads in joyful dance. The waves in the lake, by the side of
the flowers, were also dancing but the daffodils had outdone the waves in
their expression of joy. A poet felt happy in such a joyful company of the
dancing flowers and the waves. In sheer delight and surprise, he could not
decide what joy this sight had brought him. He could perhaps gaze at the
pleasure of the present moment but he could not imagine how again and
again in the future he would recall and re-live this experience and what
ecstasy that memory would bring for him.

Question 3.
Mention the two moods of the poet?
Answer:
The two moods of the poet are:
 1. Happy mood when he is free from worries.
2. A pensive mood when he is serious and thoughtful.

Question 4.
How can the heart dance?
Answer:
The heart can dance when a man feels happy. His heart is filled with great
pleasure and he feels great thrill. Then it is said that his heart dances.

Question 5.
How is the last verse different from the other verse? Is the poet deriving a
different mood than that expressed in the previous verse?
Answer:
The last verse of the poem ‘Daffodils’ explores the poet’s feelings when he
reminisces the scene of daffodils he witnessed much earlier. The first
three verses describe the host of golden, happy and beautiful daffodils he
saw one day. The last verse discusses what an enriching experience that
had been. That sight still plays on in the mind of the poet and gives him
inner peace and inspires him.

Question 6.
What does Wordsworth compare himself to? Why?
Answer:
Wordsworth is comparing himself to a cloud in the sky, wandering without
a destination, as can be seen in Line 1 of the poem “I wandered lonely as
a cloud”. Since he is in the sky like a floating cloud the poet is able to see
all the things and events in the world. He has a comprehensive view but
he can only observe the world at a distance. There is the suggestion of
perfect detachment.

In addition, the poet compares himself with the wandering cloud at the
beginning of the poem because he perceives himself as aimless and as
passive as a cloud, which depends completely on the weather and nature
for its direction and speed. Being lonely like a floating cloud in the sky, the
poet experiences freedom and loneliness at the same time. The freedom
allows the poet to appreciate the beauty of the world wholeheartedly,
such as the daffodils. As a powerless and aimless cloud, the poet could
only watch and appreciate, but he could not join the daffodils in dancing
and fluttering in the breeze.

The reader might conclude that the poet recognizes himself as an outcast
in his society; that he feels he can only watch silently from afar. The
continuing use of the image may further suggest to us that the poet may
not be satisfied with what he observes in social affairs and is away from
the social trend as he is looking at things from a distance. There is always
a distance, psychologically and physically, between the daffodils and the
poet. In the end, the poet remains living in solitude, but the moment of
the daffodils is in his heart, treasured and appreciated. This comparison is
quite effective in the sense that it captures the helplessness and a sense
of lost of the poet, it also captures the infinite distance between the
passive pensive aimlessly cloud (the poets’ solitude) and the active
cheerful daffodils (happiness).

Question 7.
How is he affected by the experience of seeing the daffodils?
Answer:
He is delighted by the wonderful sight. This is explicitly revealed in the
use of diction of ‘bliss’ and ‘pleasure’, and he is so happy that his heart
seems to dance with the daffodils. He also feels the bliss of solitude,
because it is peaceful and comfortable to be alone sometimes in such a
huge open area, and seeing the flowers, he wants to become a part of
them. In the beginning, he’s aloof and prefers to stay in his comfort zone,
“Which is the bliss of solitude”. But when he witnesses the “gay” daffodils,
he has a desire to be part of the world he has been observing, to join the
“crowd” and to belong to the happiness.

“And then my heart with pleasure fills, And dances with the daffodils.” The
fact that only his heart “dances with the daffodils suggest that spiritually,
he feels like he belongs to the group; physically, he still doesn’t dare to
step out from his little world. Though it may seem that he has stepped out
of his comfort zone, still it is only a desire in his heart. Again this may
suggest that he enjoys living in a better little world on his own rather than
the harsh reality of existing in a society degraded by humans although he
can still feel the beauty of nature.

Question 8.
How does the poem make use of contrast? Consider the contrast between
the poet and the daffodils, and between his feeling before, while and after
seeing the daffodils.
Answer:
The poet was wandering lonely and aimlessly as a cloud while the
daffodils were together as a crowd and lively. He was a bit lost. He floats
with the wind as a cloud purposelessly. Everything he saw and felt, eg. the
breeze, and the daffodils, affect his thoughts. He ‘wandered’, ‘floats’,’
gazed’, he took a more passive and quiet way to observe the world. In
contrast, the daffodils took a more active part, they ‘fluttering and
dancing’,’ stretched…along the margin of a bay’, and’ tossing their
heads’. They are enjoying the breeze and the nice weather by
energetically joining and responding to it.

‘They out-did the sparkling waves in glee’, this may suggest that the
daffodils even make the world a more wonderful place to live in. The
sparkling waves represent mother nature while the daffodils symbolize
human beings. The poet thinks that the dance of the daffodils is more
attractive than the waves. Somehow, deep down in the poet’s heart, he
desires to join the daffodils and be as happy and joyful as they are.
Furthermore, the daffodils have roots deep down in the earth.

They are already tightly bound with each other. In contrast, the loneliness
of the poet is then enhanced because everyone is enjoying being
together, while he has no company at all. Before he sees the daffodils, he
is lonely and detached and uses the word “wandering” to describe his
aimless floating. As soon as he sees the crowd of “sprightly” daffodils, he
is brought to think about the meaning of his life. After seeing the daffodils,
he finds out that his heart is filled with pleasure. He feels a lot more
relieved. However, he still has not joined the daffodils and nature
completely. The experience he had of nature and daffodils is a good
memory to him and his heart ‘opened’ a bit, but overall he is more or less
the same with his ‘vacant or in the pensive mood’.

Extra Questions

Question 1.
What does Wordsworth compare the daffodils to? Is the comparison
appropriate?
Answer:
The writer is amazed by the daffodils’ number and beauty, thus he
compares the daffodils
with the stars that shine and twinkle on the milky way continuously, and
also refers to them as personified characters, a crowd that dances and
flutters in the breeze, and tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

Question 2.
Identify examples of the following devices in the poem: alliteration,
personification, rhyme, and rhythm. How do these devices contribute to
the overall effect of the poem?
Answer:
The use of Alliteration is evident in: “Beside” and “Beneath” (stanza
l),”Ten” and “Thousand”
(stanza 2).”Tossing their heads in sprightly dance”, are the uses
assonance, of “s” sound which sounds soft and comfortable. Simile is used
when daffodils and stars are compared. Emphasis is evident in the lively
pace of the flowers’ “continuously”. The poet uses personification:
daffodils dancing, tossing their heads in sprightly dance. The flowers share
the same happiness as the poet has. Repetition is used with the word
gazed to emphasize that he wanted to join in the hilarious dance of the
flowers.
The literary device of inversion:

1. “Continuous as the stars that shine… the margin of a bay”

2. “Ten thousand saw I at a glance”
Question 3.
What do you think is the poet’s attitude towards the following 3 things:
nature, memory, and loneliness?
Answer:
The poet clearly shows appreciation and love for nature and it is very
influential. However, his strong feeling of loneliness never fades away
even when he sees the beautiful .absorbing and cheerful sceneries of the
daffodils. He is deeply impressed by the beauty of nature, and it remains a
very good memory to him. Whenever he is in his ‘pensive mood’ and
feeling ‘vacant’, perhaps emotionally and physically, the good memory of
the daffodils flashback to him as a ‘bliss’ and ‘pleasure’, which releases
him for a while from the loneliness and ‘solitude’ that he is experiencing.

Question 4.
Which line(s)/stanza(s) do you enjoy most? Why?
Answer:
The lines I enjoy the most are:

1. A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
2. Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

These lines impress because they create a colourful, lively and beautiful
word picture which uplifts the mood and spirit of the reader.

Question 5.
Who are ‘they’ referred to in the third line of the last stanza? When had
the poet come across them?
Answer:
The ‘they’ referred to in the third line of the last stanza are the lively and
beautiful dancing daffodils. The poet had earlier seen them when he was
wandering in solitude over hills and valleys and he had suddenly come
across a multitude f daffodils beside a lake dancing in the breeze.

Question 6.
Explain the phrase ‘bliss of solitude’ in the context in which it has been
used.
Answer:
The phrase ‘bliss of solitude’ implies that solitude is pleasant as it gives
the poet the opportunity to dwell on the memory of the daffodils dancing
in the breeze. It is only when he is free and alone that the sight of the
daffodils flashes upon his imagination and he can once again experience
the happiness he had earlier felt. But this happens only in solitude.
Question 7.
What do you think is the message of the poem?
Answer:
The message of the poem is that the little moments in life could be the
most profound. He felt that nature gives man peace and joy and is a
constant source of happiness. He believed that man and nature are one.

Question 8.
Why does the poet use the word ‘wandered’?
Answer:
“Wandered” means roaming around without a purpose, like when you
explore something. So it’s not necessarily a bad thing. But in its
metaphorical use, “wandered” can mean feeling purposeless and
directionless in general.

Question 9.
The poet uses the word lonely in reference to a cloud. Explain.
Answer:
The first concept that we want to take a look at is that the cloud is
“lonely.” Are clouds lonely? Well, maybe the ones that float about valleys
(“vales”) and hills are lonely. It’s more likely, that the speaker is
projecting his own loneliness on the clouds. But that still doesn’t explain
the strange image, because clouds usually travel in groups. Maybe a cloud
is lonely because it is so far above the rest of the world. Its thoughts are
just so “lofty,” and maybe the speaker’s thoughts are, too. Also, the cloud
could be lonely because it floats over a natural landscape with no people
in it. Maybe the speaker has thought of hills and valleys because he
happens to be “wandering” through such a landscape.

Question 10.
Explain the use of words like ‘fluttering’ and ‘dancing’ as used by the
poet.
Answer:
“Fluttering” suggests, flight, which could bring us to angels or even birds
or butterflies.” Dancing” is something that usually only humans do. The
daffodils are given the qualities of humans and also of some kind of
otherworldly creatures, perhaps.

Question 11.
The poet compares the flowers to the milky way. Is the comparison apt?
Answer:
Like the Milky Way , the flowers are roughly concentrated in a line that
seems to stretch as far as the eye can see (“never-ending”). The flowers
line the shore (“margin”) of a bay of the lake, which must be a relatively
large lake. The Milky Way appears to be a band that has more stars and a
brighter appearance than the night sky around it. It’s not a perfectly clear
line, but more like a fuzzy approximation of a line. We imagine the same
effect with the flowers. It’s not as if there are no flowers outside the shore
of the lake, but most of them are concentrated on the shore. So to a large
extent, the comparison is apt.

Question 12.
How does the poet describe the flowers by using personification?
Answer:
The speaker takes in “ten thousand” dancing flowers at once. The flowers
“toss their heads” while dancing to the wind. By “heads” we think he
means the part of the flower with the petals, the weight of which causes
the rest of the flower to bob. “Sprightly” means happily or merrily. The
word derives from “sprite,” which refers to the playful little spirits that
people once thought inhabited nature. “Sprites” are supernatural beings,
almost like fairies. The day that inspired this poem was a stormy one, so
the waves on this medium-to-large sized lake must have been larger than
usual. Maybe they were even cresting into white caps. The point is that
the entire scene has suddenly been invested with a joyful human-like
presence. Since waves do not bring as much joy as yellow flowers, the
flowers “out-did” the water with their happiness. The waves “sparkle,”
which creates yet another association with the stars. Everything seems to
be gleaming and twinkling and shining and sparkling. Despite his earlier
loneliness, the speaker now can’t help but feel happy, or “gay,” with such
a beautiful vision to look at. Or, as he puts it, with such joyful and carefree
(“jocund”) “company” to hang out with. The flowers and waves feel like
companions to him.

Question 13.
Explain the following:
They flash upon that inward eye Which is the bliss of solitude;
Answer:
Whenever the poet gets in a pensive mood, the image of the daffodils
“flashes” through his mind. The “inward eye” or his imagination expresses
what Wordsworth felt to be a deeper, truer spiritual vision. A person
cannot share his or her own spiritual vision completely with others, and so
it is a form of “solitude.” But its truth and beauty make it “blissful.” When
the memory of the flowers and the lake flashes into his head, he feels
happy again. It’s almost like the same experience he had while
“wandering” through nature at the beginning of the poem when the real
daffodils pushed the loneliness out of his head. The memory of the
daffodils is as good as the real thing. His heart is set to dancing, just like
the flowers. He dances along “with” them – they are his cheerful
companions once again.

Question 14.
Analyse the symbol of Clouds, Sky, and Heavens.
Answer:
“I wandered lonely as a Cloud” has the remote, otherworldly atmosphere
that is suggested by the title. The speaker feels like a cloud, distant and
separated from the world below. But this distance becomes a good thing
when he comes upon the daffodils, which are like little stars. It’s as if the
problem at the beginning is that he hasn’t ascended high enough. The
beginning of the poem makes a simile between the speaker’s wandering
and the “lonely” distant movements of a single cloud. Clouds can’t be
lonely, so we have another example of personification. The second stanza
begins with a simile comparing the shape and number of the daffodils to
the band of stars that we call the Milky Way galaxy.