Daffodils by William Wordsworth

Daffodils
by
William Wordsworth

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.

This poem is in the public domain.

William Wordsworth (1770 - 1850) was a British Romantic poet. Though he suffered much tragedy in his personal life, he also enjoyed several deeply satisfying friendships, including ones with fellow poet Samuel Coleridge, and with his sister Dorothy, a writer in her own right. Wordsworth traveled extensively and was deeply influenced by his love of nature; both passions are evident in many of his poems. He lived much of his life in England's beautiful Lake District, and served as Poet Laureate of England from 1843 until his death.

dotief@comcast.net:
This has been one of my favorite poems from my youth, and I am sure it is because the daffodil is my favorite flower. The flower signifies such joy and happiness with its explosion of yellow, and a profusion of them is breath-taking. Love this poem for taking me there!
Posted 03/20/2011 04:14 PM

dianapoet:
Can't wait to see my first daffodil
Posted 03/18/2011 09:00 AM

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