I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud (Daffodils)

By William Wordsworth

“Daffodils,” also known as “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud,” is one of the most famous poems by the English Romantic poet William Wordsworth. Written in 1804 and published in 1807, the poem captures the beauty of nature and the profound emotional impact it has on the poet. Inspired by a walk Wordsworth took with his sister Dorothy near Ullswater in the Lake District, the poem describes a field of golden daffodils fluttering in the breeze.

The poem is a celebration of the joy and tranquility that nature can bring, highlighting the deep connection between the human spirit and the natural world. Wordsworth’s use of vivid imagery and simple, yet powerful, language allows the reader to feel the same sense of wonder and peace that he experienced. The poem is a quintessential example of Romantic poetry, emphasizing the importance of nature, emotion, and individual experience.

I wandered lonely as a cloud

Thatfloats 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.