"I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" Analysis

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.

.: :.

I agree. It's better to just enjoy the beauty of the poem than to smother it with all these explanations. Frankly, I think if the author wants people to know his point, he should just write it out after the poem. If they don't want the public to know, then just write the poem and let the public enjoy poetry. But then again, I'm a literal person and don't work well with poetry, so if your offended, then simple, don't read this.

| Posted on 2008-12-09 | by a guest

.: :.

All we are trying is murder the poem. It is better to read and enjoy, again read and enjoy, rather than squeezing the delicate poem.

| Posted on 2008-11-17 | by a guest

.: :.

this poem is about a man who finds joy in the simple pleasures of nature.

| Posted on 2008-11-15 | by a guest

.: :.

DAMARA
the first line says all you need to know. "i wondered loneloy as a cloud". wondering alone can have more than one meaning, but wondering lonely shows the negative emotions that he might have had. being lonely makes one sad. when there are clouds, the sun can be covered easily, but a single cloud can vanish easily because of being overpowered by the sun and winds. the possible vanishing of the clouds shows how lonelyness can make one to feel extict. therefore for one to find answers and satisfaction, they need to get in touch with nature. nature understands man better than he understand himsef. amiring nature is similar to meditating. thats the only way of making peace with yourself.

| Posted on 2008-11-10 | by a guest

.: :.

This is a simple, excellently crafted poem with no hidden meaning. Anyone reading more in this poem than just a man with a love of nature should put their overactive imagination to better use.

| Posted on 2008-11-09 | by a guest

.: :.

in the first line he uses a simile because his comparing his lonely to that of a cloud.the third line uses personification because his comparing the daffodils to a crowd of people.the second stanz the lst line william uses personification once again comparing the daffodils movement to people tossing their heads.the stanzas are six lines each,ab ab cc

| Posted on 2008-09-01 | by a guest

.: :.

The poet seems in awe of how peaceful, jovious and what seems to be more civilized the daffodils are in comparison to himself. the 'lake' 'trees' 'cloud' and 'waves' are all natural images and the daffodils give the clear focus of the poem which predominately makes nature the most important feature throughout.
This shows the importance of nature and the power of the imagination we need to recognize.

| Posted on 2008-06-19 | by a guest

.: :.

To me this has always been a grief poem. The experience of the poet (and cloud - the chosen metaphor for this experience), and the daffodils themselves are inherently ephemeral. Like almost everything that makes us happy, be it people or animals or relationships, the poem describes beautiful things that don't last. When people talk about the five stages of grief and bereavement, they describe a final stage called acceptance, when the memory of a deceased person can bring pleasure through memory. This is exactly what the poem describes. I don't know (nor do I really care) who or what Wordsworth was grieving, but the acceptance of loss through the pleasure of memory is gloriously portrayed in this poem. To me, it is the ideal poem for a funeral.

| Posted on 2008-05-09 | by a guest

.: Mohamed Ibrahim , Tanta, :.

x Egypt
002 016 616 7316
My own reading to "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud", Mohamed Ibrahim
Handling such a wonderful poem gives me a feeling of internal joy, the thing which pushed me to choose it from the poetry of Wordsworth. In my simple reading here I hope to present a comprehensive appreciation to this glorious piece of harmony with nature. I chose such poem because I think that it stands for a craftsmanship of a poet when he delineates perfectly his experience in a very well-created versicular language.
The peace of mind and the sense of tranquility which man always seeks in life reside in the identification with nature, the picture which Wordsworth introspectively presented in this poem. Whenever you feel depressed, sad, or miserable, just contemplate on the past experience with nature, the thing which makes you feel the ultimate happiness. This is the very message Wordsworth would like to give us in this poem.
In my own interpretation to this poem, I could conclude that William Wordsworth would like to give us a kind of a universal message of life force. He would like to say that whatever the problematic conditions you are in, the miserable plight you have, the bad life you struggle, the gloomy world you live in "I wandered lonely as a cloud", you need just to look for the happiness around you, perhaps you can find it near " o'er", " beneath", but you have to do your best to find it "I gazed—I gazed". At that time you exert effort, your inward eye will feel the tranquility you seek. Hence, whatever the bad life is, there must be light there, there must be hope, there must be pleasure could fill your heart.

The whole picture of the dancing daffodils was depicted perfectly using the prominent imagery. I realized that most of this imagery is created by the many metaphors and similes Wordsworth uses. In the first line, Wordsworth says "I wandered lonely as a cloud." This is a simile comparing the wondering of a man to a cloud drifting through the sky. The sense of loneliness is evident here that the passing cloud is only in the sky, unnoticed and untouched. Also, the image of a cloud brings to mind a light, carefree sort of wandering. The cloud is free to go anywhere as the wind takes it. The next line of poem says "I saw a crowd, a host, of golden daffodils." Here Wordsworth is using a metaphor to compare the daffodils to a crowd of people and a host of angels. The word crowd brings to mind an image of the daffodils chattering amongst one another, leaning their heads near each other in the wind. The word host makes them seem like their golden petals are shimmering like golden halos on angels. It is interesting to note that daffodils do have a circular rim of petals in the middle that could look like a halo. Later in the poem Wordsworth uses another simile, saying the dancing of daffodils in the wind is "continuous as the stars that shine and twinkle on the milky way." This line creates the image of the wind blowing the tops of random daffodils up and down in a haphazard matter, so they appear to glint momentarily as their faces catch the sun. This goes along with the next metaphor of the daffodils "tossing their heads in sprightly dance." Comparing their movement to a dance also makes me think of swirling, swishing yellow skirts moving in harmony.
The apparent contrast between the two images here has a great sense denoting the status of the poet. The first image of the wanderi

| Posted on 2008-05-04 | by a guest

.: poem :.

Wordsworth is simply trying to get across what one can get just by being alone with nature. He says that by being alone with nature one might be able to appreciate the beauty and sincerity of nature. With this poem he is also showing that by being alone with nature one can see that humanity should stop being so materialistic and should take a moment to stop and APPRECIATE NATURE@

| Posted on 2008-03-17 | by a guest

.: :.

Well I personally thought that the poet did not enjoy his solitude (despite the fact he'd found himself wallowing in it often) and that both literally and mentally, he used the beauty of nature's dances (dances are not a solitary event) to distract him from his lonliness and give him happiness. In the first half of the poem, he's the lonely cloud that happens upon the beautiful field, and is mesmirized by it, though not understanding why. I believe it's because the beauty and togetherness and glee of it distracts him from his lonliness. Then, later when he's on his couch, alone again, he's unhappy and remembers his experience at the daffodil field, and this memory saves him from his misery.

| Posted on 2007-11-11 | by a guest

.: "host" :.

i am doing a brief project on this poem and i have been reading many of the responses to this piece of literature. id like to say first off that this poem has changed my view on poetry, i was not a fan before reading this. with that said i agree with many point made in response to this poem, however there is one thing that ive noticed a few times and that is that "host" is an example of personification. i dont feel that this is correct. host can be used to describe a group or a large amount of something. i feel that wordsworth is describing the amount of daffodils and not that they are acting as some kind of host (in the more common sense) to the speaker. just a thought.

| Posted on 2007-05-25 | by a guest

.: :.

This poem is about the heartbreak of a man... that feels betrayed by everyone close to him for finding passion for a women that he is forced to leave... and as he gazes over the hills and valleys he remembers her after she has left and her love for the daffdils while he sits and morns his loss of the love of his life

| Posted on 2007-04-25 | by a guest

.: MS Illinois :.

You guys are only getting part of the poem. Not only is it about the pleasures of solitude, but it is also about nature and human happiness. He is one with the clouds and the daffodils, and he finds happiness in nature's beauty. He personifies the natural wonders (pathetic pallacy) to support the theme that nature is like people and people are like nature. I guess I can't say that your ideas are wrong, because it is open to interpretation. I believe that this poem is not at all about the pleasures of solitude, but the pleasure of being alone with nature. His happiness comes from the daffodils (in stanzas three and four.) Also notice that he gets happiness from them and absorbs the beauty, his happiness differs in stanzas three and four. This is why people write poetry to say what I just tried to say except with rhythm and meaning below the surface of the rhetoric.

| Posted on 2007-04-07 | by a guest

.: William Wordsworth :.

In “I wonder Lonely as a Cloud” by William Wordsworth, the author puts himself in the position of a single cloud, drifting over the never ending hills of rolling daffodils. He also puts himself in position of solitude. The last stanza of the poem reveals that he is lying on a couch and visualizing the daffodils, which brings him serenity and joy.
In the poetry Wordsworth comments on the pleasure obtained from solitary contemplation. His use of the word 'lonely' is positive. In the first stanza there is a comparation between the poet and a cloud which suggests laziness and freedom. He uses terms as 'crowd' and 'host' to refer to daffodils as if he is talking about human beings. These daffodils are located in the countryside near a lake and trees and are also seen to move continually in a dance. The poet gets pleasure from remembering the scene of daffodils he saw. In the first three stanzas the tense is the past and in the last stanza there is the present. The past is used to underline the rememberance of the vision had while the present indicates a permanent condition in the present when he is in a meditative or pensive mood.


| Posted on 2007-02-20 | by a guest

.: :.

ľ The four six-line stanzas of this poem follow a quatrain-couplet rhyme scheme: AB AB CC. Each line is metered in iambic tetrameter.
ƒæ Simple poem, one of Wordsworth¡¦s most famous
ľ Talks about nature and memory
ľ Wordsworth wanders like a cloud floating above the hills and valleys
ľ He encounters daffodils beside a lake
ľ This tranquil scene mesmerizes him
ľ Although the waves dance , the fluttering flowers out do them
ľ He can not help but be happy in this company there fore he is not alone but surrounded with beauty
ƒæ He didn¡¦t know at the time, but whenever he feels ¡§pensive or vacant¡¨ he thinks of the flowers and he is uplifted.
ľ Personification Wordsworth is metaphorically compared to a natural object, a cloud "I wandered lonely as a cloud / That floats on high..."
ľ More personification and the daffodils are continually personified as human beings, dancing and "tossing their heads" in "a crowd, a host."
ľ Characterization of sudden occurrence of a memory the daffodils "flash upon the inward eye / Which is the bliss of solitude"
ľ He cleverly and simply states his experience of unity between nature and himself
ľ Pensive- Deeply, often wistfully or dreamily thoughtful.
ľ Jocund- Adjective- Sprightly and lighthearted in disposition, character, or quality.
ľ Sprightly- Full of spirit and vitality; lively; brisk.
ľ Symbolizes freedom, nature as a life force,


| Posted on 2007-02-03 | by a guest

.: unoriginal :.

This poem goes much deeper than any of these comments are getting at. I cannot claim that I know myself what this may be, but I find that many of the comments of this poem on this sight are repetative and shallow.
People- look for the real peace of mind he finds with this, fist I would suggest you draw a mental picture of the poem, such as the dancing daffodils could just be the constant motion the wind makes.
Once people do this- then try to find the parallel of the mental state of life with this picture.

Come on people, let's try to not repeat one smart idea that one person has to say, and come up with our own profound ideas. If you don't have anything original or important to write, don't write it at all.

| Posted on 2006-04-05 | by Approved Guest

.: simona e stefania :.

In this poem the poet is wandering alone through the countryside.The first line compares the poet to a cloud which suggests freedom.In the 3-4 lines the poet uses the terms "crowd" and "host"to define the groups of daffodils.The daffodils are located in the landscape.The moment of vision brings a shock of happiness at the beauty of the scene and the flowers seem to feel the same pleasure as the poet.The final stanza illustrates the characteristic of composition of the poet through the recollection of a precise event.The idea of the nature is reflected even in its title and the poet says that the nature is a life-force.

| Posted on 2006-02-01 | by Approved Guest

.: Francy, Nunzia, Ale 5E :.

In the poetry Wordsworth comments on the pleasure obtained from solitary contemplation. His use of the word 'lonely' is positive. In the first stanza there is a comparation between the poet and a cloud which suggests laziness and freedom. He uses terms as 'crowd' and 'host' to refer to daffodils as if he is talking about human beings. These daffodils are located in the countryside near a lake and trees and are also seen to move continually in a dance. The poet gets pleasure from remembering the scene of daffodils he saw. In the first three stanzas the tense is the past and in the last stanza there is the present. The past is used to underline the rememberance of the vision had while the present indicates a permanent condition in the present when he is in a meditative or pensive mood.

| Posted on 2006-02-01 | by Approved Guest

.: :.

In “I wonder Lonely as a Cloud” by William Wordsworth, the author puts himself in the position of a single cloud, drifting over the never ending hills of rolling daffodils. He also puts himself in position of solitude. The last stanza of the poem reveals that he is lying on a couch and visualizing the daffodils, which brings him serenity and joy.

| Posted on 2005-10-19 | by Approved Guest