Handout 1

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud by William Wordsworth (1804)

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 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.

Handout 2: “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”

Questions Part 1: Discuss with a partner or in a small group - try to answer each of
the following questions.

1. From what viewpoint does the poet observe nature?

2. To what does the poet compare the arrangement of the daffodils in the second
stanza?

3. In which descriptions does the poet attribute human traits to something non-
human?

4. In your opinion, which words best describe the poet’s feelings about nature?

Detailed Reading

1. 1. This famous lyric starts with a strong simile. What does it tell you about
what the speaker is doing and what his mood is?

2. Line 3 introduces the personification of the daffodils. Find at least three

human qualities or activities that the speaker attributes to them.

3. Name the ways in which the daffodils and their behavior contrast with the
speaker’s mood. How does the encounter change the speaker’s mood?

4. Only much later does the speaker experience the true “wealth” of his
encounter with the daffodils. Explain what you think a “vacant” or “pensive”
mood is.

5. What do you think the speaker means by “that inward eye” (line 21) – is he
referring to memory or imagination or both? In either case, how might the
“inward eye” be the “bliss of solitude?”

6. Do you think any person would have reacted the same way to this experience
or did this speaker create the richness of the experience for himself? Explain.
7. In the nineteenth century, when this poem was written, people felt that it was
important to “commune with nature.” They looked for security and comfort in
the beauty of natural things and in their ability to renew themselves in the
endless cycles. Do you think it is possible to experience nature in this way today?
Can you remember seeing something in nature – in growing things, in animals, in
weather – that remains in your own “inward eye”? Explain.

8. In your opinion, which words best describe the poet’s feelings about nature?

9. How would you describe the mood or tone of this poem?

10. Do you like the poem? Why / why not?

Handout 2a

When you have read the poem, look at the questions below, which will help you
to understand some of

the language and poetic techniques.

1 Match the words on the left with the correct meanings on the right. Use a
dictionary to check your answers.

Words Meaning

1) to wander A. a light wind

2) to flutter B. the edge of a place or thing
3) a breeze C. the state of being completely
alone
4) the Milky Way D. done with a lot of energy
5) the margin E. to look at someone or something
for a long time
6) a glance F. seeming to be thinking carefully
about something
7) sprightly G. to travel from place to place
without a particular direction or
purpose
8) vacant H. a long, low, comfortable seat
9) to gaze I. to move up and down or from
side to side with short, quick,
light movements
10) a couch J. a quick look at someone or
something
11) pensive K. looking as if you do not
understand or are not paying
attention
12) solitude L. a group of planets and stars that
the Earth belongs to
Handout 2b Write the words below in the correct column to show their meaning.
We’ve done the first one to help you.

somber glee gay sorrow misery jocund bliss melancholy

happy happiness sad sadness