I Wandered Lonely As a Cloud (Daffodils) by Wordsworth

Introduction

William Wordsworth is a famous Romantic English poet known for his imagery in his work. In his poem "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud," (Budden 12) one can see his use of imagery and emotion at its best.

Discussion

The plot in this poem is quite frank. One reading this poem may believe their are on a mystical journey that the author is portraying.

I wander as lonely a cloud

Thead covering rides high on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at one time I glimpsed a crowd,

Aowner, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lagoon, under the trees,

Fluttering and promenading in the breeze. (2-6)

The speaker says that while wandering like a cloud and floating high above the hills and valleys he runs into a field of daffodils beside the lake. These dancing, fluttering flowers seem to be caught by the essence of the speaker(Everett 41). One can obviously see that this instant in his existence has meant a great deal to him. He says that a poet could not help but be joyous in such a joyful business of flowers. He furthermore states when he feels "vacant" or "pensive" the memory blinks upon "that inward eye" that "is the bliss of solitude," and his heart loads up with delight "and dances with the daffodils."

The imagery Wordsworth uses is extremely firm, making one feel like they too saw this extraordinary vision of daffodils. He uses soft words such as, the gentle flower that he is describing. He mentions that the daffodils are "fluttering," "dancing," and "twinkling," such terms make the lines flow with a musical expression. (Kenneth 822) He is able to make the daffodils come to life in a joyous movement making one feel like they are also swaying along with the flowers. One can see that ...