I wandered Lonely as a cloud(Analysis)..l

من أعظم الشعراء الذين مروا على الأدب الإنجليزي ... هو الشاعر William Wordswort .... الذي كتب مجموعة من القصائد التي لا تنسى .... أحدها قصيدة I wandered lonely......as a cloud ..

وهذا تعليق أدبي على القصيدة ... لطلاب الأدب الإنجليزي ...

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I wandered lonely......as a cloud




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.





Vocabulary:

Wandered: to walk aimlessly.
Ov'r: over.
Vales: small valley.
Host : a large number of people.
Daffodils: yellow flowers.
Beneath: under.
Flutter: move or tremble.
Breeze : fresh air.
Twinkle: shine.
The milky way: a group of stars in the sky.
Margin: edge.
Glance: quick look.
Tossing: hitting.
Sprightly: lively or full of life.
Outdid: excelled.
Sparkling: shining.
Glee: happiness.
Jocund: merry or happy.
Gaze: stare.
Couch: sofa.
Vacant: leisure time.
Pensive: thoughtful.
Inward eye: the eye of mind.
Bliss: heavenly happiness.
Solitude: loneliness.
Oft: often.

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About the writer:

William Wordsworth is the father of the romantic poets. He was born in 1770 and died in 1850. when he was young* he roamed the countryside and he came close to the life of the country people. This early and close contact with nature influenced his poetry to a great extent. He *with his friend Coleridge* produced a famous book called "The Lyrical Ballads"* and Wordsworth's preface to this book is considered his most important contribution to literary criticism. Wordsworth's theory of poetry is(or his own concept of poetry) " a spontaneous overflow of powerful emotions recollected in tranquility".


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About the poem:

"The Daffodils" is an 1804 poem by William Wordsworth. It was inspired by an April 15* 1802 event in which Wordsworth and his sister* Dorothy came across a "long belt" of daffodils. It was first published in 1807* and a revised version was released in 1815. In anthologies the poem is sometimes titled "I wandered lonely as a cloud."


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Main theme:

Beside the description of the beautiful daffodils* the poet writes about himself and his own emotions. He writes about nature* and at the same time* he writes himself in relation to nature. Also* the theme is about loneliness and solitude which are the main characteristics of romantic poetry. Romantic poets prefer to be lonely contemplating (or meditating) nature. Wordsworth represents this idea of loneliness in a contrast with the crowd and happiness of the daffodils.


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Form:
This poem consists of 4 stanzas* each stanza has 6 lines.


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Rhyme scheme:

Any fixed pattern of rimes characterizing a whole poem or its stanzas.(definition)


The rhyme scheme of this poem is: ababcc dedeff egeghh ijijbb


I wandered lonely as a cloud A
That floats on high o'er vales and hills* B
When all at once I saw a crowd* A
A host* of golden daffodils; B
Beside the lake* beneath the trees* C
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. C
Continuous as the stars that shine D
And twinkle on the milky way* E
They stretched in never-ending line D
Along the margin of a bay: E
Ten thousand saw I at a glance* F
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance. F
The waves beside them danced; but they E
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee: G
A poet could not but be gay* E
In such a jocund company: G
I gazed - and gazed - but little thought H
What wealth the show to me had brought: H
For oft* when on my couch I lie I
In vacant or in pensive mood* J
They flash upon that inward eye I
Which is the bliss of solitude; J
And then my heart with pleasure fills* B
And dances with the daffodils. B
A. Cloud rhymes with crowd.
B. Hills rhymes with daffodils* fills* and daffodils.
C. Trees rhymes with breeze.
D. Shine rhymes with line.
E. Way rhymes with bay* they* and gay.
F. Glance rhymes with dance.
G. Glee rhymes with company.
H. Thought rhymes with brought.
I. Lie rhymes with eye.
J. Mood rhymes with solitude.


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Paraphrase:


First stanza:

It is a romantic habit to wander lonely to have a chance to contemplate nature. The poet compares himself to a cloud. He is walking lonely as the cloud is moving lonely in the sky over vales and hills. So* the poet from the very beginning represents the idea of loneliness. Suddenly* in his solitude while the poet was walking lonely* he saw unlimited number of golden daffodils. They were beside the lake and under the trees. These daffodils were moving so rapidly as if they were dancing. The poet saw them fluttering and dancing together happily. They were dancing only in his eyes and imagination. In fact* the poet colors what he sees by his imagination. The physical movement of dancing reflects the psychological state of the daffodils' happiness. The first stanza a contrast between the loneliness of the poet and the crowd of the daffodils.


Second stanza:



The poet compares these daffodils to the stars on the milky way in the sky. Both of them are numerous in number and are shining or twinkling. So* the daffodils are shining because they have yellow color at their top. So* when they are grouped together* the yellow color at their top shines like stars in the sky.

Daffodils are continuing in their movement. The poet describes their movement(dancing)saying that they were stretching along the edge of the lake as if they were human being tossing their heads. So* the poet* in this stanza* describes the happy movement of the daffodils.

These daffodils were situated in a line that never ends to the degree that he imagines himself seeing ten thousand of them. In fact* this is an exaggeration because the poet cannot see ten thousand daffodils just in one glance. But* he makes this exaggeration because he is influenced by the shiny appearance of the daffodils.


Third stanza:

In this stanza* the poet starts to talk about the waves which are in the lake. The waves* like the daffodils* are dancing. They are happy* therefore* they are moving as if they were dancing in the lake besides the daffodils. The joy of the waves exceeds the joy of the daffodils. The waves and the daffodils are humanized as they feel joy. But* the waves are happier than the daffodils. This scene affects the poet and makes him happy. So* in the company of happy daffodils and waves* the poet should be happy like them. In this contemplation* everything in nature affects him* and makes him happy.


Last stanza:

In this stanza the poet describes his state when he remembers the dancing of the daffodils and waves in his solitude. He says that from time to time when he has nothing to do* when his mind is vacant* or when he his mind in contemplating something* he sees by his inward eye and imagination something which gives him pleasure. He remembers the happy dancing of the daffodils and waves while he is lying on his couch. As result* he becomes happy and his heart is filled with pleasure and happiness. This can be done only in his solitude which gives him a chance to contemplate nature. Contemplation of nature is the main source of happiness to all the romantic poets. So* his contemplation of nature (the dancing of the daffodils and waves) is the source of his happiness even he starts to dance with the daffodils after his heart is filled with pleasure. This explains the effect of nature on the poet. So* this poem represents the beauty of nature and its effect on human beings.


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Figures of speech:

Simile:


When you liken something to another thing by using like* as* etc.(definition)

1- I wandered lonely as a cloud

The poet likens himself as he was wandering alone to a cloud. This simile suggests the

loneliness of the poet which resembles the loneliness of the cloud that is moving high in

the sky far away from people. Also* the poet thinks of himself as a cloud in the sense of

being free.

2- Continuous as the stars that shine
The poet likens the daffodils to the stars that shine in the sky in their large number and in

the way they shine. This simile suggests the endless number of the daffodils and their shining colors.


Metaphor:

When you liken something to another thing without using like* as* etc. (definition)

1- What wealth the show to me had brought:

the poet imagines the happiness that is brought to him by the beautiful scene of the

flowers as a wealth. The poet's choice of the word "wealth" suits his description of the

flowers * in the first stanza* as being golden. This metaphor suggests the poet's high

valuation to the effect of the wonderful nature scene on him.


Personification:
A figure of speech in which human attributes are given to an animal* an object* or a concept. (definition)

1- Fluttering and dancing in the breeze
The poet personifies the daffodils and gives them a human attribute which is dancing. This image suggests their happiness.



Comparison:

1- Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:

The poets holds a comparison between the waves that are dancing in the lake and the

daffodils. According to the poet* the daffodils are better than the waves in their happiness.

So* this comparison suggests the excellence of the daffodils over the waves.


The word "dance" is repeated 3 times in his poem. In the 1st stanza* it denotes the

happiness and liveliness of the flowers. In the 2nd stanza* it creates a sense of harmonious

relationship between the daffodils and the waves. In the last stanza* it refers that this

harmony is advanced to include the

poet himself


Apostrophe:

1- I saw a crowd*
A host* of golden daffodils;
The poet apostrophizes the daffodils and describes them in their large number as a crowd of people.


2- In such a jocund company:

The poets addresses the flowers as human beings and describes them as a happy company

of good friends. This image suggests the strong relationship that is created between the

poet and the daffodil* that the poet considers them as a company of friends. He describes

this company as being " jocund" to refer to their own happiness and the happiness that

they bring him.




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