I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud

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I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud

• By William Wordsworth
• (1770-1850)

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Think about the titleI Wandered Lonely As A
Cloud

• Based on the title, what might the poem be about?
• Do the words in the title have any significant
  connotations?

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The Poem I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud I
wandered lonely as a cloudThat floats on high
oer vales and hills,When all at once I saw a
crowd,A host, of golden daffodilsBeside the
lake, beneath the trees,Fluttering and dancing
in the breeze.Continuous as the stars that
shineAnd twinkle on the milky way,They
stretched in never-ending lineAlong the margin
of a bayTen thousand saw I at a glance,Tossing
their heads in sprightly dance. (continued..
.)
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The waves beside them danced but theyOut-did
the sparkling waves in gleeA poet could not but
be gay,In such a jocund companyI gazedand
gazedbut little thoughtWhat wealth the show to
me had broughtFor oft, when on my couch I
lieIn vacant or in pensive mood,They flash upon
that inward eyeWhich is the bliss of
solitudeAnd then my heart with pleasure
fills,And dances with the daffodils.
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How would you characterize the tone of this poem?
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Vocabulary
Sprightly lively, brisk, energetic Jocund
jolly Pensive thoughtful, contemplative
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New Literary Term
Elision (the omission of an unstressed vowel or
syllable). This is used to preserve the meter
in the poem.
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Examples of elisionoer (for over)
vales (for valleys) oft (for often)
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Lets look at the poem again.
I wandered lonely as a cloudThat floats on high
oer vales and hills,When all at once I saw a
crowd,A host, of golden daffodilsBeside the
lake, beneath the trees,Fluttering and dancing
in the breeze.
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What is literally happening in this stanza?
I wandered lonely as a cloudThat floats on high
oer vales and hills,When all at once I saw a
crowd,A host, of golden daffodilsBeside the
lake, beneath the trees,Fluttering and dancing
in the breeze.
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Do you notice any interesting literary devices in
this stanza?
I wandered lonely as a cloudThat floats on high
oer vales and hills,When all at once I saw a
crowd,A host, of golden daffodilsBeside the
lake, beneath the trees,Fluttering and dancing
in the breeze.
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Simile lonely as a cloudPersonification
daffodils...Fluttering and dancing...
I wandered lonely as a cloudThat floats on high
oer vales and hills,When all at once I saw a
crowd,A host, of golden daffodilsBeside the
lake, beneath the trees,Fluttering and dancing
in the breeze.
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How would you describe the overall structure of
this stanza? (i.e., meter and rhyme scheme)
I wandered lonely as a cloudThat floats on high
oer vales and hills,When all at once I saw a
crowd,A host, of golden daffodilsBeside the
lake, beneath the trees,Fluttering and dancing
in the breeze.
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Meter iambic tetrameter Rhyme scheme
ababcc(a quatrain and a couplet)
I wandered lonely as a cloudThat floats on high
oer vales and hills,When all at once I saw a
crowd,A host, of golden daffodilsBeside the
lake, beneath the trees,Fluttering and dancing
in the breeze.
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Lets look at the second stanza...
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Continuous as the stars that shineAnd twinkle on
the milky way,They stretched in never-ending
lineAlong the margin of a bayTen thousand saw
I at a glance,Tossing their heads in sprightly
dance.
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Continuous as the stars that shineAnd twinkle on
the milky way,They stretched in never-ending
lineAlong the margin of a bayTen thousand saw
I at a glance,Tossing their heads in sprightly
dance.
Once again, what is literally happening in this
stanza?
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Continuous as the stars that shineAnd twinkle on
the milky way,They stretched in never-ending
lineAlong the margin of a bayTen thousand saw
I at a glance,Tossing their heads in sprightly
dance.
Once again, are there any interesting literary
devices?
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Lets read the third stanza...
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The waves beside them danced but theyOut-did
the sparkling waves in gleeA poet could not but
be gay,In such a jocund companyI gazedand
gazedbut little thoughtWhat wealth the show to
me had brought
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The waves beside them danced but theyOut-did
the sparkling waves in gleeA poet could not but
be gay,In such a jocund companyI gazedand
gazedbut little thoughtWhat wealth the show to
me had brought
Whats happening in this stanza?
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The waves beside them danced but theyOut-did
the sparkling waves in gleeA poet could not but
be gay,In such a jocund companyI gazedand
gazedbut little thoughtWhat wealth the show to
me had brought
Do you spot any literary devices?
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Now for the final stanza...
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For oft, when on my couch I lieIn vacant or in
pensive mood,They flash upon that inward
eyeWhich is the bliss of solitudeAnd then my
heart with pleasure fills,And dances with the
daffodils.
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For oft, when on my couch I lieIn vacant or in
pensive mood,They flash upon that inward
eyeWhich is the bliss of solitudeAnd then my
heart with pleasure fills,And dances with the
daffodils.
Notice the shift in time. Whats happening in
this stanza?
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For oft, when on my couch I lieIn vacant or in
pensive mood,They flash upon that inward
eyeWhich is the bliss of solitudeAnd then my
heart with pleasure fills,And dances with the
daffodils.
Are there any literary devices worth noting?
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William Wordsworth lived from 1770-1850.
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The English Romantic Period (1798-1832) was an
age in which poetry flourished. Using the simple
language of common people, the Romantics wrote
lyric poems that generally focused on

• ordinary situations and common people
• a strong belief in democratic ideals
• an emphasis on personal experiences and emotions
  rather than reason and intellect
• an interest in mystery and the supernatural
• a belief in spontaneity and living life to excess
• an emphasis upon imagination as a gateway to
  transcendent experiences and spiritual truth
• a deep love of nature.

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How does Wordworths poem reflect the
sensibilities of the Romantic Period?
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• ordinary situations and common people
• a strong belief in democratic ideals
• an emphasis on personal experiences and emotions
  rather than reason and intellect
• an interest in mystery and the supernatural
• a belief in spontaneity and living life to excess
• an emphasis upon imagination as a gateway to
  transcendent experiences and spiritual truth
• a deep love of nature.

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What is a possible theme for this poem?
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How does the title relate to the overall meaning
of the poem?
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Any questions?