This poem is composed by William Wordsworth. He introduced the feeling of romanticism to the world through his poems. He is regarded as the prolific romantic poet along with others. He wanted to communicate the feeling of nature to public in a lucid way. This poem is a lovely specimen of romantic poetry. The poem is a correct example of Wordsworth’s trust in the communication between nature and man, and nature’s recovery power.

“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 primary stanza of William Wordsworth’s “I wandered lonely as a cloud” the speaker says that he was wandering lonely as a cloud. Suddenly he saw cluster of Daffodils whom he refers as crowd. These daffodils were giving pleasure to the Poet. He utilizes expressive symbolism when he says that they were “shuddering and moving in the breeze”. The pursuer quickly faculties that the speaker has carried him to a Utopia. The tranquil language and the portrayal of the excellence permit the pursuer to feel joyful and quiet. The poet narrates the second stanzas as follows:

“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.”

 In the second stanza, the speaker is really surprised to see a lot of Daffodils. They helped him to remember the Milky Way, in light of the fact that there were such a large number of blossoms stuffed together that they seem to be endless. The speaker tells that there were ten thousand Daffodils, which were hurling their heads in the dapper move .The Poet writes the third stanza as follows:

“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 ’’

In the third stanza, the speaker thinks about the influxes of the lake to the rushes of daffodils and concludes that despite the fact that the lake is “shimmering,” the daffodils win since they have more “happiness.” He at that point remarks that he, similar to some other writer, really wanted to be cheerful “in such a jocund organization.” The waves are also dancing but Daffodils are matchless. It seems that they are more expert in dancing. The Poet is comparing his own mood to the mood of the nature and it seems that he finds nature more happy. He wants to be a part of nature and tries to be happy. He is happy but he is unable to count his happiness because he is lost in the realms of nature. However, it is also right that we cannot count our happiness but we can certainly feel it. In the next stanza the Poet says that-

“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.”

In the fourth and last stanza, The Poet says that whenever he is in pensive mood or in distress he tries to recollect the memories of daffodils. This memory presents him a “bliss of solitude.” By doing so the poet again feels happy and energetic. This is one of the reasons that memory and desire is closely connected. Memory provides nutrition to our desire and even in odd days we are able to keep our self as fresh as nature itself.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS-

The poem is, therefore, about the impact of nature on the human mind. Each of the stanzas consists of six verse strains rhyming ababcc. The couplet at the quit of each stanza enhances spontaneity. The poet has very cautiously built up a glad and joyous atmosphere deciding on suitable objects, colourings, and mood. The daffodils are of “golden” coloration and they shine and sparkle. The tetrameter verse traces make certain the easy and spontaneous movement required for the creation of such a jovial atmosphere. The first fourteen traces have been used to describe the Daffodils and create their ecstatic mood. The final eight traces have been used to describe the impact of that glad sight on the mind of the speaker, a man who discovers a communion between him and nature. The poet has used several figures of speech to create a wonderful imagery of nature. The words, the figures, and the rhyme scheme together constitute a joyous tone, befitting to the happy communion.

summary

The Daffodils is a beautiful lyric of William Wordsworth. It was written in 1804 when Wordsworth was living at Grasmere. He was a romantic poet who loved nature. Nature to him was a source of eternal joy. Once he was all alone and wandering by the side of a lake. All of a sudden he saw a large number of daffodils. They were in a never-ending line. They were colored golden which attracted the poet. In the breeze they were all fluttering and dancing. They looked like the stars of the Milky Way galaxy twinkling and dancing like a pattern. The whole nature was in a happy mood. The ripples and waves of the water were also dancing out of joy. It seems that the daffodils were happier than the waves. The happiness of the daffodils knew no match. The poet kept looking on them. He was overjoyed.  Thus, the daffodils brought him immense wealth of happiness. Later on, when the poet lay down on his bed in a pensive mood, the scene of the daffodils flashed in his memory. It gave him great joy in his seclusion and his sadness disappeared. This is the healing property of nature. His heart was filled with pleasure. Indeed it was the bliss of the solitude.

Some important questions and their answers for examination…

How did the daffodils differ from the waves?

The daffodils were in a large number beside the lake. Their row did not seem to end. They were moving their heads in the breeze. It seemed as if they were dancing in a merry mood. On the other hand the waves in the lake were also showing the scene of being up and down. They rose up and became calm. They were dancing out of joy. They engraved no permanent impression on the mind of the poet but it haunted him in his memory. Thus, the daffodils were different from the waves.

What according to the poet is the bliss of the solitude?

William Wordsworth was a poet of nature. It was all in all for him. Once he was wandering in the Lake District. He saw a large number of golden daffodils on the bank of the lake. They were fluttering and dancing in the breeze. They looked like the stars in the Milky Way. The poet’s joy knew no bound in that merry company. That scene engraved a permanent impression on his mind. Thus, nature never left him alone. According to the poet it was the bliss of the solitude.

What is the “inward eye”?

The inward eye is like a flash which is the bliss of solitude because it provided joy to the poet even in seclusion.

What was the poet’s first reaction?

The poet’s first reaction was amazing as he sought difference between the daffodils and the waves.

What were those daffodils doing?

The daffodils were fluttering and dancing in the breeze. They imparted happiness to the poet.