Unit 4 — The Daffodils

Paraphrase & Stanza-wise Comprehension

Poet: William Wordsworth (7 April 1770 – 23 April 1850)
Textbook: English 9, KP Textbook Board — Unit 4, pp.33–40
Form: 4 stanzas × 6 lines = 24 lines
Rhyme scheme: ABABCC in every stanza
Metre: Iambic tetrameter (four beats to a line)
Theme: Nature poem — the healing, lasting joy that natural beauty gives to the human heart

About the poet (as given in the book): William Wordsworth was born on 7 April 1770 at Cockermouth in Cumbria. He was a major English poet. In 1799 he settled at Dove Cottage in Grasmere in the Lake District, where this well-known poem was written. He died on 23 April 1850.

STANZA 1

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.

Word meanings

Paraphrase

The poet says that he was walking about alone, without any fixed aim or direction. He felt as solitary as a single cloud that drifts high above the valleys and hills. All of a sudden he saw a great crowd of golden-yellow daffodils. They were growing beside a lake and under the trees, and they were moving lightly and dancing in the gentle wind.

Explanation (reference to context)

These lines are taken from the poem The Daffodils, written by William Wordsworth. In this opening stanza the poet describes the moment when he first came upon the flowers.

The poet was wandering aimlessly in a lonely mood. He compares himself to a cloud floating high over valleys and hills — a comparison that suggests both his solitude and his aimless drifting. Then, quite suddenly, his eye fell upon a vast number of golden daffodils growing beside a lake and beneath the trees. The flowers were swaying in the breeze in a way that seemed to the poet like dancing. The word crowd and the word host are both words normally used for people, and by using them for flowers the poet begins at once to treat the daffodils as living, joyful companions. The sudden shift from his loneliness to their happy company is the real subject of the stanza.

Figures of speech in this stanza

• Simile — "I wandered lonely as a cloud" (the poet is compared to a cloud using as)
• Personification — "Fluttering and dancing in the breeze" (the daffodils are given the human action of dancing)
• Imagery — "golden daffodils", "beside the lake, beneath the trees" (appeals to the sense of sight)
• Alliteration — "beside the lake, beneath the trees"

Stanza comprehension

Q1. How was the poet feeling at the beginning of the poem, and how do we know?
He was feeling lonely and aimless. We know this from the word wandered, which means to walk without any purpose, and from the phrase lonely as a cloud, in which he compares his solitude to a single cloud drifting high above the valleys and hills.

Q2. Why does the poet compare himself to a cloud?
A cloud floats high above the earth, alone and without any fixed direction. In the same way, the poet was moving about by himself with no particular aim. The comparison also places him high above the scene, so that he looks down upon the daffodils and can take in their great number at one view.

Q3. Where did the poet see the daffodils?
He saw them beside a lake and beneath the trees.

Q4. What do the words "crowd" and "host" suggest?
Both words are normally used for a large gathering of people. By using them for flowers, the poet suggests that the daffodils were present in very great numbers, and he begins to treat them as living, sociable beings rather than as mere plants.

Q5. What was the condition of the daffodils when the poet saw them?
They were golden in colour and were fluttering and dancing in the gentle breeze, which made them appear lively and full of joy.

STANZA 2

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.

Word meanings

Paraphrase

The poet says the daffodils were spread out without a break, just as the stars shine and twinkle in an unbroken band across the Milky Way. They stretched out in an endless line along the edge of the bay. In a single glance the poet saw ten thousand of them, all shaking their heads in a lively, energetic dance.

Explanation (reference to context)

These lines are taken from The Daffodils by William Wordsworth. Here the poet describes the great number and the arrangement of the flowers.

The poet compares the daffodils to the stars of the Milky Way. The comparison works in three ways at once: like the stars, the flowers were countless; like the stars, they were arranged in a long unbroken band; and like the stars, they were bright and shining. The flowers stretched in an endless line along the edge of the bay. The figure ten thousand is not a literal count but a poetic way of saying that the number was beyond counting, and the phrase at a glance stresses how vast the sight was, since so many could be taken in by a single look. Once again the poet describes their movement as a dance — tossing their heads in sprightly dance — as though the flowers were merry human beings full of energy.

Figures of speech in this stanza

• Simile — "Continuous as the stars that shine" (daffodils compared to stars using as)
• Personification — "Tossing their heads in sprightly dance" (the flowers are given heads and the human act of dancing)
• Hyperbole — "Ten thousand saw I at a glance" (deliberate exaggeration to stress their number)
• Imagery — "twinkle on the Milky Way", "never-ending line"

Stanza comprehension

Q1. With what does the poet compare the daffodils in this stanza, and why?
He compares them with the stars that shine and twinkle on the Milky Way. The comparison brings out three things at once: the flowers were countless, they were spread out in a long unbroken line, and they were bright and shining.

Q2. What does "never-ending line" tell us about the daffodils?
It tells us that the daffodils were spread out in a line so long that the poet could not see where it ended. It emphasises their vast number and the continuous way in which they grew along the edge of the bay.

Q3. Does the poet really mean that there were exactly ten thousand daffodils?
No. Ten thousand is a hyperbole — a deliberate exaggeration. The poet uses it simply to convey that the flowers were too numerous to be counted.

Q4. What is meant by "Tossing their heads in sprightly dance"?
It means that the daffodils were swaying briskly to and fro in the breeze. The poet describes this movement as the shaking of heads in a lively dance, so that the flowers appear to be cheerful, energetic beings.

Q5. Identify one simile from this stanza.
"Continuous as the stars that shine / And twinkle on the Milky Way."

STANZA 3

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:

Word meanings

Paraphrase

The poet says that the waves of the lake beside the flowers were also dancing, but the daffodils surpassed even the shining waves in their joy. In such cheerful company, a poet could not help feeling happy. He kept looking at the scene again and again, but at that time he did not realise what a rich treasure that beautiful sight had given him.

Explanation (reference to context)

These lines are taken from The Daffodils by William Wordsworth. In this stanza the poet describes his own feelings while watching the flowers.

The poet sets up a competition between the flowers and the water. The waves of the lake were sparkling and dancing too, but the daffodils outdid them in sheer delight. Surrounded by such cheerful companions, the poet says that any poet would be bound to feel happy — a poet, being especially sensitive to beauty, could not remain sad in such a scene. He therefore stood and gazed at the daffodils again and again. The repetition gazed—and gazed— shows how long and how completely he was absorbed. Yet at that moment he did not realise the true value of what he was receiving. The word wealth is important: the real gift of the scene was not the pleasure of that hour but the lasting treasure of memory, and this idea prepares the reader for the final stanza.

Figures of speech in this stanza

• Personification — "The waves beside them danced"; the daffodils "out-did the sparkling waves in glee"; "such a jocund company"
• Metaphor — "What wealth the show to me had brought" (the memory is spoken of as riches)
• Repetition — "I gazed—and gazed—" (stresses long, absorbed looking)
• Imagery — "sparkling waves"

Stanza comprehension

Q1. What competition does the poet describe in this stanza, and who wins?
He describes a competition in joy between the dancing waves of the lake and the dancing daffodils. The daffodils win, for they out-did the sparkling waves in glee.

Q2. Why could the poet not help being happy?
Because he was in the company of the joyful, dancing daffodils. A poet is especially sensitive to beauty, and in such cheerful and light-hearted company he could not remain sad.

Q3. What does "jocund company" refer to?
It refers to the daffodils. The poet regards the flowers as his cheerful, light-hearted companions.

Q4. What is meant by "I gazed—and gazed—but little thought / What wealth the show to me had brought"?
It means that the poet went on looking at the daffodils for a long time, completely absorbed in the sight, but at that moment he did not realise what a precious gift the scene had given him. The wealth is the lasting treasure of memory, which would bring him joy for years afterwards.

Q5. What kind of "wealth" did the poet gain?
Not material wealth, but the priceless spiritual treasure of a beautiful memory — a memory that would return to comfort and delight him whenever he was lonely or sad.

STANZA 4

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.

Word meanings

Paraphrase

The poet says that often, when he lies on his couch in an idle or thoughtful mood, the daffodils suddenly appear before the eye of his mind. This power of memory is the greatest happiness of being alone. Then his heart fills with pleasure and begins to dance along with the daffodils.

Explanation (reference to context)

These lines are taken from The Daffodils by William Wordsworth. This concluding stanza reveals the real message of the poem.

The poet has now returned home, far from the lake. But the experience is not over. Often, when he is lying on his couch in an empty or a thoughtful and melancholy mood, the picture of the daffodils suddenly flashes upon his inward eye — that is, upon his imagination or memory. He calls this power of recollection the bliss of solitude, because it turns loneliness from something painful into something joyful. When the memory returns, his heart is filled with pleasure and it dances along with the flowers.

This is the answer to the wealth mentioned in stanza 3. The true gift of nature is not merely the pleasure of the moment but a memory that can be recalled again and again to heal a sad mind. Notice also how the poem comes full circle: it opened with the poet lonely and it closes with him in solitude — but the loneliness of the beginning was empty, while the solitude of the end is blissful. The dance, too, has moved from the flowers to the poet's own heart.

Figures of speech in this stanza

• Metaphor — "that inward eye" (the mind's eye, imagination or memory)
• Oxymoron / paradox — "the bliss of solitude" (being alone is normally sad, yet here it is perfect happiness)
• Personification — "my heart … dances with the daffodils"
• Alliteration — "dances with the daffodils"

Stanza comprehension

Q1. What is the "inward eye"?
The inward eye is the eye of the mind — the poet's imagination and memory. It is the power by which he can see the daffodils again long after he has left the place.

Q2. Why does the poet call it "the bliss of solitude"?
Because when he is alone, the memory of the daffodils flashes upon his mind and fills him with joy. The power of recollection turns his loneliness into perfect happiness, and so being alone becomes a blessing rather than a burden.

Q3. When do the daffodils come back to the poet?
They come back when he is lying on his couch in a vacant (idle, empty) or a pensive (thoughtful, sad) mood.

Q4. What happens to the poet's heart when he remembers the daffodils?
His heart fills with pleasure and begins to dance along with the daffodils.

Q5. How does this stanza complete the meaning of the poem?
It shows that the true gift of the scene was not the pleasure of that one hour but a lasting memory. The poem begins with the poet feeling lonely and ends with him enjoying the bliss of solitude, so the same aloneness that was painful at the start has been transformed into joy by the memory of natural beauty.

CONTINUOUS PARAPHRASE OF THE WHOLE POEM

The poet was walking about by himself, without any fixed purpose, feeling as solitary as a cloud that drifts high above the valleys and hills. All at once he came upon a great crowd of golden daffodils growing beside a lake and under the trees, and they were fluttering and dancing in the gentle breeze.

The flowers were spread out in an unbroken band, just like the stars that shine and twinkle across the Milky Way. They stretched away in an endless line along the edge of the bay, and in a single glance the poet saw thousands of them shaking their heads in a lively dance.

The waves of the lake beside them were dancing too, but the daffodils surpassed even the sparkling waves in their delight. In such cheerful company no poet could remain sad. He went on gazing and gazing at the scene, but at the time he did not realise what a priceless treasure that sight had given him.

Now, often, when he lies upon his couch in an idle or a thoughtful mood, the daffodils suddenly appear before the eye of his mind. This power of memory is the greatest happiness of being alone. His heart then fills with pleasure and dances along with the daffodils.

SUMMARY OF THE POEM (about 100 words)

In this poem William Wordsworth describes a walk during which he came upon a vast number of golden daffodils beside a lake and under the trees. Feeling lonely as a drifting cloud, he was suddenly cheered by the sight of the flowers, which stretched out like the stars of the Milky Way and tossed their heads in a lively dance. They outdid even the sparkling waves of the lake in joy, and the poet gazed at them without realising what a treasure he was gaining. Afterwards, whenever he lies alone in an idle or sad mood, the memory of the daffodils flashes upon his inward eye, fills his heart with pleasure and makes it dance with the flowers. The poem shows that the beauty of nature gives not only present delight but a lasting joy stored in memory.

CENTRAL IDEA / MAIN IDEA

The central idea of the poem is that the beauty of nature is a lasting source of joy to the human heart. The pleasure that nature gives does not end with the moment of seeing. It is stored in the memory, and it returns again and again — through the inward eye — to comfort and delight a person in hours of loneliness and sadness. What begins as an ordinary walk becomes a treasure of wealth that lasts a lifetime.

ANSWERS TO THE TEXTBOOK EXERCISE (p.36)

A. Answer the following questions

1. Is there any personification in this poem? If yes, where?
Yes, the poem is full of personification, for the poet constantly gives the daffodils human qualities and actions. The chief examples are:

• "Fluttering and dancing in the breeze" (line 6)
• "Tossing their heads in sprightly dance" (line 12)
• "The waves beside them danced" (line 13)
• The daffodils "out-did the sparkling waves in glee" (line 14)
• "In such a jocund company" (line 16) — the flowers are treated as cheerful companions
• "my heart … dances with the daffodils" (line 24)

(Note: personification is a literary device in which human qualities are given to inanimate objects or non-human things. The representation of an abstract quality in human form is also called personification.)

2. Write at least two lines showing similes.

• "I wandered lonely as a cloud / That floats on high o'er vales and hills," (lines 1–2)
• "Continuous as the stars that shine / And twinkle on the Milky Way," (lines 7–8)

3. What does the word "crowd" exactly mean?
Crowd means a large number of people gathered together in one place. In this poem the poet uses it not for people but for the daffodils, to show that the flowers were present in very great numbers and to suggest that they were like a gathering of living, joyful beings.

4. Why does the poet compare himself to a cloud?
The poet compares himself to a cloud because a cloud floats high above the earth, alone and without any fixed direction. In the same way, the poet was wandering by himself in a lonely mood with no particular aim. The comparison also gives him a high viewpoint, from which he can look down and take in the whole vast stretch of daffodils at a single glance.

5. Write the main idea of the poem.
The main idea of the poem is that the beauty of nature gives lasting joy to the human heart. The sight of the daffodils delighted the poet at the time, but its real value lay in the memory it left behind. Whenever he is alone in a vacant or pensive mood, that memory flashes upon his inward eye, fills his heart with pleasure and makes it dance with the daffodils. Nature is thus a lifelong companion and a source of comfort in loneliness.

6. Do you like this poem? Why?
(A personal response — students should give their own answer. A model answer:)
Yes, I like this poem very much. I like it because it is written in very simple and musical language, and yet it says something deep. The picture of thousands of golden daffodils dancing beside a lake is easy to see in the mind. I also like the idea that a beautiful sight can be stored in the memory and can make us happy again years later, when we are sad or lonely. The poem teaches me to observe the beauty of nature around me and to keep it in my heart.

B. Choose the correct option

QUICK REFERENCE — ALL FIGURES OF SPEECH IN THE POEM

RHYMING WORDS (rhyme scheme ABABCC)

LIKELY EXAM QUESTIONS

1. Paraphrase any one stanza of the poem The Daffodils.
2. Write the summary of the poem The Daffodils.
3. What is the central idea of the poem The Daffodils?
4. Why does the poet compare himself to a cloud?
5. What is meant by "the inward eye"? Why does the poet call it "the bliss of solitude"?
6. Identify and explain any two figures of speech used in the poem.
7. With what does the poet compare the daffodils in the second stanza, and why is the comparison suitable?
8. "I gazed—and gazed—but little thought / What wealth the show to me had brought." Explain these lines with reference to the context.
9. How does the memory of the daffodils help the poet?
10. Give the rhyme scheme of the poem and write the rhyming words of any one stanza.