nature

“I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” by William Wordsworth Poem and Analysis

Gary R. Hess

Daffodils“I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” by William Wordsworth is a poem commonly known as “The Daffodils”. Let’s take a moment and go over a summary of the poem and then discuss it through a line-by-line analysis.

Summary

This poem is about the speaker who wanders throughout the land and comes upon a field of daffodils everywhere he goes. He feels great pleasure from it. Later, when the time has long gone, he thinks about the pleasure he felt while seeing it for the first time.

Analysis

Style: Four stanzas that are written in iambic tetra-meter with each stanza having the same rhyme scheme.
Theme: Being Alone
Tone: Joy
Rhyme scheme: ABABCC

Line-by-line Analysis and Figurative Language

    • I wandered lonely as a cloud / That floats on high o’er vales and hills, – The speaker walked around because he was lonely. Vales means valleys.
    • 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. – The speaker suddenly saw a field of daffodils moving in the wind.
    • Continuous as the stars that shine / And twinkle on the milky way, – Neverending
    • They stretched in never-ending line / Along the margin of a bay: – The went along the side of the bay.
    • Ten thousand saw I at a glance, / Tossing their heads in sprightly dance. – The speaker saw 10,000 with only a quick look. The daffodils swayed in the wind.
    • The waves beside them danced; but they / Out-did the sparkling waves in glee: – The waves were flowing yet the flowers moved more.
    • A poet could not but be gay, / In such a jocund company: – A poet can only be happy in such a happy place.
    • I gazed—and gazed—but little thought / What wealth the show to me had brought: – He looked but didn’t think. The scenery brought him great “wealth” – – joyfulness and memories.
    • 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; – Often times when the speaker is lying on his sofa alone, whether thinking deeply or without thought, the scenery of the daffodils comes to mind. And that is the happiness of being alone.
    • And then my heart with pleasure fills, / And dances with the daffodils. – after he thinks about the daffodils, he gets happy.

Poem: “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” by William Wordsworth

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.

Love Poetry: “Growth” by Gary R. Hess

Gary R. Hess

Love poetry: Growth by Gary R Hess

“Growth” is a poem written for Valentine’s Day during the year 2018. Time has come and gone so quickly, and everything changes. There’s not much which can be said about the poem in terms of overall meaning. It speaks for itself. It is written in unrhymed meter.

Want to be romantic? Feel free to share this with your loved one. Write it on a card, print it out, or remember it and recite it during the perfect moment. Whatever you do, you can’t go wrong.(Continue reading…)

Nature Poetry: “Tree” by Gary R. Hess – A Personification

Gary R. Hess

Sometimes we see the Earth alive and moving. We see it breathing, swaying, walking, running, and even talking to us. “Tree” was one of those times for Gary R. Hess. What the beautiful nature has and what it does for us is remarkable. It is irresistible to write down on paper for the world to read and feel. The author states, “I hope you enjoyed reading this nature poem with its personification as much as I did writing it.”(Continue reading…)

The Eclipse – A Haiku by Gary R. Hess

Gary R. Hess

“The Eclipse” is a poem to memorialize the total solar eclipse that occurred on August 21, 2017, across the United States. Sadly, I wasn’t able to view it as I’m half-way across the world. Nonetheless, it brought back great memories of when I was a child attempted to view an eclipse during elementary school. It was a great time and I look forward to being able to view the next one.(Continue reading…)

“The Tyger” by William Blake Analysis and Poem

Gary R. Hess

Tiger

“The Tyger” by William Blake is often considered as one of the greatest poems ever written. In this article, we will take a look at Blake’s tiger through a brief synopsis of the writing, an analysis of the poem, a look at any figurative language used, and end with a reading of the writing.

Synopsis

“The Tyger” looks at what could create such a creature like a tiger. The poem takes a look at the different parts of the tiger’s body and the thing (God?) who created the subject.

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“Ode to Large Tuna in the Market” by Pablo Neruda Analysis and Poem

Gary R. Hess

Ode to Large Tuna in the Market
Are you looking for information on the poem “Ode to Large Tuna in the Market” by Pablo Nerudo? If so, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we will take a look at a summary of the poem, an analysis of the meter, rhyme and idioms, and then we take a look at the poem itself.

You can also learn how to write your own poetry explication.

Synopsis

“Ode to Large Tuna in the Market” is about the author walking through the market and seeing a variety of different vegetables but only one fish, and the fish is what catches his eye and admiration the most. He goes on to brag about the greatness of this fish, the tuna.(Continue reading…)

“Deer Hit” by Jon Loomis Analysis and Poem

Gary R. Hess

Deer

In this article, we will take a look at the true meaning of “Deer Hit” by Jon Loomis. We will first look at a synopsis of the poem, analyze it, then look at some of its figurative meanings.

Synopsis

The author tells the reader to remember a time when they were seventeen and drunk, driving home in their father’s station wagon at 3:00 AM on a two-lane curvy road in the middle of nowhere. A deer jumps out, you don’t see it. You try to steer clear but still manage to hit the deer as you wind up in the ditch with a busted up car. The deer, however, is still alive, barely. You pick up the deer and put it in the backseat and drive home. Midway through the drive, the deer wakes up and bites you but soon passes out. Once you get home, your dad freaks out, gets a concrete brick, and kills the deer. The poem ends by mentioning how all your life you leave a trail a ruin even though you try to fix the problem you created.

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“Snow” by David Berman Analysis and Poem

Gary R. Hess

In this article, we are going to take a look at the poem “Snow” by David Berman and analyze the literal and figurative meanings it conveys. “Snow” first appeared in Actual Air by David Berman in 1999 and was considered an instant classic. The poem was then published by Billy Collins published in his A Poem a Day for American High Schools.

Synopsis

“Snow” follows two brothers who are outside in winter. The two brothers are walking through a field and see snow angels. The younger brother asks who made the snow angels. The older brother tells him that it was a troop of angels who had been shot and dissolved. The younger brother continues to ask questions about who shot them and why. The older brother says a farmer shot them for trespassing. The narrator then finishes by saying the outdoors is like a room.

(Continue reading…)