Tuesday, March 24, 2009

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud

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 like
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.

William Wordsworth, 1804

3 comments:

Jayme said...

did we once have to memorize this in Ritchies class??

Jen J said...

Hey! Maybe you're right! I remember we had a poem to memorize about daffys but I forget which one it was - maybe this was it.

Joy said...

Spring and poetry, a natural combination. My favorite fictional character, Father Tim, is always reading and quoting Wordsworth. Thanks for sharing!