‘Daffodils’ by William Wordsworth.

Hello Readers! In this post, I am going to discuss the poem ‘Daffodils’ by William Wordsworth.

Introduction of William Wordsworth:

William Wordsworth was born on April 7, 1770, in Cockermouth. His father, John Wordsworth, was a lawyer to Lord Londsdale and a respected figure of his time. His mother, Anne Cookson, came from a well-off family involved in the dairy trade in Penrith. William was the second of five children, with siblings Richard, Dorothy, John, and Christopher. He attended Hawkshead Grammar School and later studied at St. John College, Cambridge, earning his B.A. in 1791.

In 1791, Wordsworth traveled to France, where he spent a year deeply influenced by the French Revolution. He published his first poetry collection in 1793. Two years later, he met S.T. Coleridge, and they became lifelong friends. Wordsworth, along with his sister Dorothy and Coleridge and his wife, lived near each other in Somerset for a year. In 1798, they jointly published "Lyrical Ballads," a significant collection of romantic poems that garnered public attention. They also traveled to Germany together that year, where Wordsworth began writing "The Prelude" and completed several other poems. In 1802, Wordsworth married Mary Hutchinson. He finished "The Prelude" in 1805, and it was published posthumously in 1850. In 1807, he moved to Rydal Mount in Grasmere, where he lived until his death. In 1843, Wordsworth became the Poet Laureate after the passing of Robert Southey.

Background of the Poem 'Daffodils':

The Romantic poet William Wordsworth's “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”, also known as “The Daffodils” is probably his most famous lyrical work. The original title of the poem “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”  is merely the first line of the poem. It is somewhat misleading, as it suggests that there is something about the poet's loneliness in the poem. But the poem is all about the beauty of the daffodils and how they brought happiness to the poet. 

On April 15, 1802 Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy went to their friends, the Clarksons, at Eusemere. When they were coming back to Grasmere, they saw a large number of golden daffodils growing on the bank of a lake Ullswater in the Lake district. They both were astonished by the mesmeric beauty of these daffodils which were fluttering and dancing with the light breeze. Inspired by this delightful spectacle Wordsworth composed this poem in 1804 and published it in 1807.

Poem Analysis:

‘Daffodils’ is Wordsworth’s most famous work and shows vividly his love of nature. It underlines the idea that beautiful objects of nature like daffodils—flowers that bloom earliest in spring in England—fill our minds with pleasure. Even the memory of such objects delights us.

Stanza 1

The poet recalls how once he wandered as freely as a cloud over valleys and hills. Suddenly he saw a large number of golden daffodils. The daffodils had grown under the trees near the lake. A cool breeze was blowing. So the beautiful flowers tossed their heads in the breeze as if in a dance. The beautiful scene, thus, captivated the poet.

Stanza 2

The poet, then recalls that the daffodils he saw were as numerous as shining stars in the Milky Way in the sky. The simile underlines the large number and the beauty of the flowers. The daffodils growing beside the lake seemed to form an endless line. They tossed their heads to and fro in the breeze as if they were engaged in a lively dance. The daffodils are personified as human beings “dancing” and “tossing” their heads. Earlier, they have been described as “a crowd” and “a host”. This personification continues throughout to underline an inherent unity between man and nature.

Stanza 3

The poet recalls how the shining waves in the lake seemed to be dancing in the breeze. But their dance was surpassed by the dance of the daffodils. The daffodils seemed to be dancing with much more liveliness and vigour. The poet is of the opinion that no sensitive person can help feeling delighted in the company of such joyful companions. He recalls how he continued to gaze at the beautiful scene. He could not think what wealth of joy it had brought to him.

Stanza 4

This stanza marks a break in time. There is a clear shift from the past to the present. The poet says that whenever he lies on his couch in a free or sad mood, the beautiful scene of daffodils seen by him flashes across his mind. This happens only in solitude. The memory of the beautiful scene fills the poet’s mind with joy. His heart begins to dance with the dancing daffodils. This is the crux of the poem. The poet conveys the idea that nature has the power to make us come out of our melancholy or depressed mood and be happy.

Structure of Poem:

The poem consists of four stanzas, each comprising six lines. It follows a consistent rhyme scheme of ABABCC, with each line written in iambic tetrameter. Within each stanza, the first line rhymes with the third, the second line rhymes with the fourth, and the fifth line rhymes with the sixth.