The Daffodils- Poem by William Wordsworth

William Wordsworth: The Daffodils                  

 

About the poet : William Wordsworth was born on 7 April, 1770 in Cockermouth, Cumberland, located in the lake District of England. He died on 23 April, 1850 in Royal Mount, Westmoreland. 

William Wordsworth is the founder of English Romanticism. "The Lyrical Ballads" a joint publication with Samual Taylor Coleridge in the year 1780,initiated the age of Romanticism.

In  the "preface" to the "Lyrical Ballads" Wordsworth describes poetry as "the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings", which is the characteristics of Romanticism in literature. 

In the poems of Wordsworth the subject matter is always on nature and the theme is always on the relationship of human being with nature. 

 He establishes nature as a spiritual guide in the growth and development of human mind. His poem "The Prelude" is the example of such a poem. The poem is about the growth of the onepoet's mind. 

Wordsworth was the poet of nature.In his poem "Tintern Abbey" he writes, "Nature never did betray the heart that loved her".Wordsworth was the keen lover of nature. 

Wordsworth became a Poet Laureate in 1843,untill the year of his death 1850.He died in 23 April, 1850 Royal Mount, Westmoreland, England. 

About the poem:

The poem is a memory of an experience, which he recalled later on in a solitary state of mind. Wordsworth, in writing this poem,was influenced by his sister Dorothy's "Grasmere  Journal",unpublished,where she wrote about her experiences of walking  with her brother William Wordsworth around Glencoyne Bay, Ullswater, in the Lake District of England about the description of daffodils. On 15th April,1802.wordsworth walked with his sister Dorothy and came across a "long belt" Of daffodils while wandering in the Glencoyne Bay,in the Lake District of England. The poem was written some time between 1804 and 1807(wordsworth own account, 1804).It was first published in 1807 in "Poems, in  Two Volumes", and a revised version was published in 1815.A hand written manuscript of the poem (1802) is preserved in the British Library. 

At the time he wrote the poem, William Wordsworth was living with his wife Mary Hutchinson and with sister Dorothy in Dove Cottage, England. 

                

Mary herself added two famous lines in the poem:

"They flash upon that inward eye/Which is the bliss of solitude;"

Summary of the poem:  

Stanza 1                                         

The poet was wandering lonely in a vacant mood in the vally of daffodils . The poet felt lonely and sad because the poet had lost his creative mind for a while. . He was struggling to recover himself from depression and unproductivity. He himself states about his mental state as"alone" and aimless. He compared his mind with a 'cloud' as it floated over hills and vails forced by the wind. The poet's mind and the cloud were in the same state, couldn't go in definite direction. 

The poet saw suddenly a huge number of golden daffodils under the bright sun in an open vally, cheerfully fluttering and dancing in the breeze.They  welcomed  the poet like a benevolent host.The poet's heart and mind was filled with joy at experiencing the amazing beauty of golden daffodils. 

Stanza 2

The daffodils are like stars, continuously shining and twinkling, as the stars on the milky Way. The poet saw, the daffodils are more beautiful than the sparkling waves of the lake.The daffodils were stretching in miles by the side of the Lake in a never-ending row. The poet became cheerful in seeing thousands of daffodils tossing their heads to and fro by the wind and looked at them constantly. The poet says,he became happy at that moment but no serious thought came  his mind. But later on he realised the significance of that amazing experience.The poet says, whenever was in low spirit and whenever he suffers from  the  vacant and the pensive mood or the lake of creativity in mind, the remembrance of that experience enliven his dark soul and his creative spirit revives. The memory of that experience could transform his dull, unproductive mind to a highly creative one. The poet, ever remembered  that experience and found himself high in creative spirit. So, the poet says, the experience of daffodils had brought to him a great wealth, which is for his mind and spirit.  

Stanza 3

The waves in the lake water is sparkling under the yellow sun as if they are also dancing with joy but the sparkling beauty of the golden daffodils surpasses the beauty of all. 

A poet like Wordsworth couldn't resist himself not to be glad in such a 'jocund" Company". 

The whole sight was so appealing that he couldn't resist his mind and looked at the daffodils constantly. The poet was amazed by the beauty of the golden daffodils.The poet's heart was then filled with happiness. 

Stanza 4

That experiences of walking in the valley of golden daffodils  spreading over miles, dancing with the breezes, remained  evergreen in his mind. Whenever the poet was in dull mood or whenever he felt spiritually weak, the remembrance of that vision  

recovered him quickly from that dark depression. 

The poet says that the memory of the thousands of blooming daffodils could transform his dark, gloomy soul into a happy soul.It can open up his mind's eye and could revive him spiritually.Which the poet calls a blessing from nature to a dark and sad soul like him. Every time he recalls that scene in a quiet,solitary moment he found his heart filled with joy and his mind starts dancing with the pleasure of cheerful daffodils. That means the poet could be able to revive his poetic spirit through the remembrance of that experience and become spiritually alive to create anything  as a poet. 

Theme of the poem:

The theme of the poem is, the experience and memory,  the inseparable relationship of human being with nature. According to Wordsworth, nature may be a great guide to human being in the growth and development of human mind. 

In the poem "The Daffodils" The poet recollect the experience of walking in the valley,an open vast field, where thousands of golden daffodils were blooming and dancing under the bright sun-shine,continuously twinkling and blazing like the stars in the milky way. The poet realised how he was impressed by the cheerful company of golden daffodils which welcomed him like a 'host'. The 'show' or the vision enters into his mind and took out all his painful thought from his sad soul at once. The poet was 'lonely' and unproductive before he had seen the golden daffodils. But the poet couldn't resist himself not to became cheerful and bright after seeing the daffodils. The daffodils were the representative of nature. So nature can be a great healer and a great guide to the human being. 

The poet confesses, whenever he suffers from a painful and thoughtlessness of mind, the recollection of that vision of daffodils filled his mind with joy and he becomes spiritually alive.It has opened up his inward eye,rejuvenate his painful self with a new hope.The poet says it is a kind of bliss from nature. The poet considers it as a great wealth which could make him rich spiritually. 

The poetic devices used in the poem:

Figure of speech:The poet uses the 'figure of speeches' to enhance the rhetoric effect of the poem.Figure of speech in creative writing means the meaningful language, which can imply various level of interpretations. There are various types of figure of speeches. They are simile, alliteration, personification, hyperbole and metaphor. 

Simile:Simile is a comparison between two object bearing  similar qualities. In the first stanza:"lonely as a crowd", the poet compares his lonely and unstable mind with the floating cloud which sails to any direction by the wind.

In the second stanza the poet compares the daffodils with the 'twinkling' and 'continuously shining' stars in the milky Way. 

Secondly, the poet uses Alliteration as a poetic technique to enhance the language of the poem. In the    stanza the repetition of the word 'gazed' is an alliteration. It suggests the constant look of the poet, which means the poet was amazed by the beauty of the golden daffodils. 

Thirdly, the poet uses hyperbole as a poetic device to input the depth of meaning in the poem. Hyperbole is an exaggerated statement. In the poem the exaggerated statements are:

"When all at once I saw a crowd," 

"Ten thousand saw I at a glance"

"They stretched in never-ending line"

Fourthly, the poet uses personification as a poetic technique to creat a magnitude of meaning. In personification the non-living things are described as human beings. For example :

"Fluttering and dancing the breeze. "

"Tossing their heads in sprightly dance."

"Outside the sparkling waves in glee:"

Here in  these statements the daffodils and the waves are considered as human beings. 

In the fifth, the poet uses the poetical device of 'metaphor'. Metaphor is a comparison with dissimilar objects. For example:

"They flash upon that inward eye"

Here inward eye refers to the poets mind's eye which reflects his spiritual self. 

Lastly, the poet uses  the figure of speech to creat an imagery. For example:

"lonely as a cloud" -refers to the poet's state of mind. 

"never-ending line"-refers to the countless number of daffodils. 

"Jocund company"-refers to the cheerful company of the happy daffodils. 

These are the poetic devices the poet uses in his poem  "The daffodils".

Question and answers:

1.what do you understand when says daffodils? 

Ans:Daffodils are scientifically named as Narcissus, spring flowering perennial plants, commonly  known as narcissus, daffodils and Jonquil.In most cultures Narcissus are celebrated as a symbol of hope and joy.

 In mediaeval times Europeans believed that if a Narcissus flower dropped as you looked at it was an omen of death.

In China daffodils are used as the official symbol for the beginning of the new year. 

2.when the poet says 'ten thousand daffodils saw I at a glance', what do you understand by it? 

Ans:The poet says about a huge number of daffodils he saw in one vision. 

3.The poet says that a 'poet could not be but gay/In such a jocund company!'.Is he happy or unhappy in such a company? 

Ans: The poet says that he could not resist not to be happy but to be gay. The poet became happy as he was welcomed by the thousands of golden daffodils dancing in quite cheerfulness with the blowing winds. 

4.The poet says'I wandered lonely as a cloud'. What was the condition of the poet's  mind? 

Ans:The poet's mind  was quite shrink and dark by some painful thought from some of his personal life issues. He was walking aimlessly in that vally, comparing himself as a cloud which was also floating without a definite direction. The poet's mind was also not completely the mind of him. 

5.What does the poet mean when he says that he gazed-and gazed-but little thought/What wealth the show to me had brought!'? How does the scene benefit him either materially or emotionally? Give reasons. 

Ans: The poet looked at the daffodils constantly enchanted by the beauty of the daffodils. But at that moment no thought came to his mind.The poet later on realised what a wealth that sight of daffodils had brought to him. Whenever the poet felt lonely, sad, and unproductive, the remembrance of that visual recovered him quickly from his "vacant and pensive" mood.The poet was spiritually awakened.That liveliness of his mind and spirit is like a great wealth for him. poet says whenever he often remembers the daffodils when he was in a solitary state and he became spiritually alive and which supported him to be more productive. 

6.What does "vacant and pensive Mood" mean? 

Ans:The vacant and pensive mood means the thoughtlessness state of mind which makes the poet suffer because he had lost his creative spirit. But the remembrance of the cheerful golden daffodils recover him quickly from that dark suffering and 

7.What does the 'inward eye' mean? What is it that flashes upon this eye? Do you think the poet is affected by it in anyway? Give reasons for your answer. 

Ans:The 'inward eye' metaphorically suggests the mind's eye of the poet. 

 Whenever the poet feels lonely and weak in spirit ,he recalls the 'show' or the memory of golden daffodils creats a quick flash which opens up his mind's eye and the poet becomes spiritually active. 

The  poet becomes very happy and hopeful which is perfectly expressed by the last two lines of the poet, 'And then my heart with pleasure fills, /And dances with the daffodils.'

8.Why has the poet described solitude as being blissful? 

Ans:The poet described solitude as being blissful, as the poet could discover the significance the experience in the later period of his life.The simple experience of walking  besides the golden daffodils creats a deep impression in his mind. Not a single thought had come to his mind at that moment when he was walking by enjoying the daffodils. 

But later on whenever he recalls them in his lonely and painful moment that cheerful vision of golden daffodils turns to be a bliss to him as it could transform his dark, painful spirit into an active spirit.

poetic Technique:

1.What is the rhyme scheme of the poem? 

Ans:The poem contains four stanzas of six lines. The rhyme scheme of the poem is- a, b, a, b, c, c. The ending two lines is in rhyming couplet, expresses an independent meaning in itself. Example from the first stanza:

I wandered lonely as a cloud  a

   That floats on high o'er vales and hills, b

When all at once I saw a crowd, a

A host, of golden daffodils, b

Beside the lake, beneath the trees, c

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. C

All the four stanzas repeating the same rhyme scheme of a b a b c c. 

The  last two lines are called the rhyming couplet. They expresses individual meaning. 

Structure of the poem daffodils:

Each line of the poem is structured in iambic tetrameter. The iambic tetrameter is a meter in poetry which refers to the four "iambs" or feet in each sentence of a poem. .In each "iambs" or feet means there is one stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable. In each line in poetry there is four(tetra) "iambs", so it is called iambic tetrameter. 

Wordsworth wrote his poems and sonnets in iambic tetrameter.

 Example of iambic tetrameter from the 1st stanza of the poem:

"I/ wan/ derd/ lone/ ly/ as/ a/cloud

That/floats/on/high/o'er/vales/and/ hills,"

The first three stanza describes the experiences of Wordsworth enjoying the beauty of golden daffodils. And the last stanza is the memory of that experience. 

The main theme of the poem is the role of nature in human life. According to wordsworth nature's beauty can be a great spiritual guide to human being.

 

Questions on reference to the context. 

1."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." 

a.What does "they"refer to? 

b. Why have they been compared to the Milky Way? 

c. Pick out an example of personification from these lines. What is the picture created by this description? 

d. Find an example of a rhyming couplet from these lines. 

Answers:

a. The term "They" refer to the daffodils. 

b. The poet saw daffodils were blooming in countless numbers, appeared sparkling golden in hue, under the bright sunshine. So the poet compares the daffodils with the continuously twinkling stars in countless numbers in the milky Way. 

c. The poet describes the daffodils as "Tossing their heads in sprightly dance". Here the poet uses the poetic device of 'personification' by giving human qualities to the daffodil flowers as they are dancing in happiness. 

d. In this stanza the last two lines are rhyming couplet. The ending word 'glance' is rhymed with 'dance'. The two lines have an individual meaning in itself.