Background of the Poem “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”
Before dwelling deep into the summary and analysis section of the poem “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud,” It is pertinent for the ease of the readers to give a bit of background of the poem and the author itself.
When it comes to the development of English romantic poetry, no one was more influential than William Wordsworth in the 19th century. While still in school, he began to express himself creatively through poetry. Wordsworth’s early appreciation for the outdoors inspired many of his poems. Wordsworth took a walking tour through Switzerland and France during his summer breaks as a student at Cambridge. He eventually came to embrace the revolutionary ideals of the French Revolution.
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Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy relocated from Dorset to Somerset in 1797, where he became friends with fellow poet and contemporary Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Many of Wordsworth’s poems, as well as Coleridge’s epic poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, were included in a collection of poetry that the two men worked on together and titled Lyrical Ballads. This collection of poems, published in 1798, is considered the starting point of the Romantic Period in English literature.
Dorothy moved in with Wordsworth in 1799, and the two made their home at Dove Cottage in Grasmere. Wordsworth wedded his childhood sweetheart, Mary Hutchinson, in 1802. Wordsworth penned the poem “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” in 1804 while he was staying in Grasmere. Wordsworth relocated from Grasmere to Ambleside in 1813. He was appointed poet laureate in 1843.
Daffodils, often known as “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud,” is one of William Wordsworth’s most charming and well-known poems. The poem’s opening line expresses the poet’s deep feelings at being left alone. His “loneliness” was actually brought on by his brother John’s passing. Thus, the poetry was the outcome of genuine visualisation rather than pure fancy.
Summary of the poem “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”
While out for a stroll with his sister Dorothy on a wet spring day near Ullswater Lake in England, William Wordsworth composed Daffodils.
In his mind, the daffodils were dancing and inviting him to join in and take in the fresh air of the fields. When William Wordsworth’s younger sister Dorothy read the poem, she was so captivated by it that she decided to write about daffodils in her journal. The poem is basically an ode to daffodils and is six lines long and is divided into four stanzas.
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The poet describes himself in the first stanza as an isolated cloud above a tranquil valley. The death of the author’s brother John has left him feeling isolated and alone. Then he came upon the yellow daffodils blooming along the lake. Due to the strong wind, the flowers were swinging in all directions, making them look if they were joyfully dancing.
The beauty of the daffodils in the spring is described in the second stanza. The writer discovered flowers that glistened and twinkled like stars in the night sky. They were dancing and nodding their heads. Then Wordsworth said that these lovely flowers were arranged in an endless row. He had the impression that he was simultaneously observing all 10,000 blossoms.
It’s continued in the third stanza how the water in the lake seemed to be dancing together with the flowers and trying to outdo them. However, the joyful flowers triumphed over the dazzling lake. The authors found their levity infectious, and the author soon found himself among them.
The author couldn’t tear his eyes away from them, perplexed by the sudden transformation of his gloomy disposition. His wealth was purchased by the daffodils and the lake’s dancing, and he could not deny its presence. He felt something in his heart that he couldn’t quite put his finger on, but the hypnotic flowers had a hand in it.
The author describes the joy he felt while watching the daffodils dance in the final, or fourth, stanza. Wordsworth found that picturing a field of daffodils in full bloom helped lift his spirits whenever he was feeling down or lonely. All the more reason to cherish one’s time alone. The author’s soul found fulfilment in dancing with the daffodils.
Critical examination of the poem
So, the poem is about how nature affects the human psyche.
There are six lines in each stanza, and they all rhyme with the pattern “ababcc”. Since each stanza ends with a couplet, the poem seems more natural and unplanned. The poet has painstakingly constructed a cheerful and upbeat ambiance by selecting fitting props, hues, and tone.
When held to the light, the daffodils reflect a warm, golden hue. The tetrameter verse patterns guarantee the free flow of ideas necessary to create an upbeat ambiance. The ecstatic tone of the daffodils has been described using the first fourteen traces. The last eight lines describe how this joyful sight changed the attitude of the speaker, a guy who finds a connection with nature.
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The poet has created beautiful imagery of nature through the use of numerous figures of speech. The rhythm, rhyme, and metre all come together to create an upbeat atmosphere, perfect for the celebration of love.
Analysis of “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”
In the poem “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud,” the author praises nature’s beauty to the point where, for him, it is not just a beauty but also the joy of solitude. It serves as a source of motivation for him to lead a meaningful life. The poem is founded on the idea that poetry is the uncontrollable expression of strong emotions that have been calmly recalled.
Three of the stanzas focus on describing the natural world, while the final stanza is a reflection on the poet’s life. The Romantic Movement’s revolutionary effect was largely due to its emphasis on the free expression of individual feeling in everyday language.
Once the poet was wandering aimlessly by the lake’s edge, so isolated that he may as well have been a cloud above the landscape’s hills and valleys. He effectively illustrates his affinity for nature by drawing a parallel between himself and a cloud. Suddenly, he noticed a forest of yellow daffodils blooming on the shore of the lake. The daffodils were swaying and dancing joyfully in the light breeze. Along the lake’s edge, as far as the poet’s eyes could see, daffodils bloomed. One after another, they shone brightly like stars in the Milky Way. The poet estimated that he might have seen 10,000 blooms in one sweep of his eye.
They were dancing around, bobbing their heads. Even the lake’s waves were dancing. However, the daffodils’ joy surpassed that of the swaying waves. It was only normal for a poet to feel joy around such wonderful people. He felt overwhelming happiness at the sight and stared at the flowers for a very long time.
However, he had no idea how helpful this incident would become to him in the future. Subsequently, the daffodils would appear in the poet’s mind anytime he was feeling down and contemplative while lying on the sofa. He agrees that being alone has the potential to bring up fond memories with surprising clarity. After recalling the daffodils, he’d feel a rush of joy and start dancing in unison with the blooms.
Up till this very day, the poet has not been able to forget the magical moment he shared with the lake and the daffodils. The daffodils pop into his head whenever he lies down to rest, or when he is in a reflective or blank frame of mind. The poet’s head and emotions both start dancing at the mere thought of the daffodils. This way, the poem is more than just an ode to the wonders of nature; it’s also a testament to the reality that the outdoors have long served as a wellspring of creativity for human beings.
The poet likens himself to a cloud, and the poet continually personifies the lovely daffodils as if they were a multitude of people dancing and tossing their heads in celebration. This figurative language serves to highlight the inseparability of man and nature.
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The poem has a very Wordsworthian tone. It celebrates Nature’s grace to its highest point while also depicting her at her most lovely. The poet effectively conveys his unusual enthusiasm for investigating everyday objects. While most people would pass by a field of daffodils without a second glance, his poetic mind and eyes find a delight in those elegant blooms.