Tuesday, April 6, 2010

The Daffodils by William Wordsworth

One of my favorite poems is about my favorite flower, the daffodil. And all that kept coming to me as I thought of blogging this morning is this poem about what joy nature's beauty can continue to give - if we take it to heart.
Enjoy the poem, and enjoy this beautiful day.

"The Daffodils" (1804)By William Wordsworth

I WANDER'D 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 stretch'd 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.

1 comment:

Jodie said...

Oh, the memories you just brought back of my very favorite English lit professor, who truly did love his Wordsworth. I can just see him, tiny little gray-haired thing that he is, clasping his hands and reciting this one. I can even hear the little lilt he'd get in his voice. I used to sneak back even after I had graduated to sit in the back of his classes on occasion. :-)