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 lineAlong 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 Outdid 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.
William Wordswortii
Author.-William Wordsworth (1770-1850), born in England, finished his education at Cambridge. His first book was published in 1793. He was made Poet Laureate in 1843.
General.-Where was I wandering? What did I see? How were myspirits affected? What was the after-effect? Answer in the words of the poet. What is meant by the Milky Way, the inward eye? What kind of man is revealed in the poem? Why are flowers like stars? What are " vacant " and "pensive " moods? What Australian flowers come out like the daffodils in early spring? Tell the story of your finding of these.