I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud - Summary and Analysis - Poem by William Wordsworth

Summary - “I wandered lonely as a cloud” - Poem by William Wordsworth

“I wandered lonely as a cloud” is a poem written by William Wordsworth who is considered the father of Romanticism in England.

This poem is written based on the experiences and emotions of the poet who had been wandering through the country or a forest enjoying the beautiful nature. Infact, the poet himself is the speaker of this poem. He is recollecting one of his forest encounters and sharing the emotions with the reader.

In the opening lines of the poem, the speaker of the poem is introduced as a person who wanders aimlessly. Suddenly, he encounters a host of golden daffodils beside a lake and he is amazed by the beautiful sight. The poet gives a detailed description of the beautiful flowers and how they brought him happiness.

Later, when the poet stays alone and is having a relaxed time, the beautiful scenery comes back in his memories and he realizes the wealth of the experience he had. He shares his emotions recollected in a moment of tranquility with the reader. He considers the beautiful scenery of nature a bliss for him.

Stanza-wise Explanation - “I wandered lonely as a cloud” - Poem by William Wordsworth

The speaker, who hints that he is a poet, describes one of his previous personal experiences and emotions recollected in a moment of tranquility.

The poet has wandered freely without any aim and finds himself as free as a cloud that freely floats over the valleys and hills. Suddenly he sees a host of beautiful daffodils. He sees them beside the lake and beneath the trees. They make a fascinating sight, moving in the breeze as if they are dancing.

He can see them stretched in a never ending line along the margin of a bay. He sees the bay as a milky way and the daffodils shining like stars on the milky way. He says that he saw ten thousand flowers at a glance creating a very lively picture. He sees the wavering flowers as tossing their heads in a vivacious dance.

By the side of the stretch of daffodils were the waves of the lake. The waves too danced but the gleaming waves were second to the delightful dance made by the beautiful daffodils. The poet says that he, as a poet, was very much delighted in such cheerful company. He kept on looking at this beautiful sight but did not realize then, the value of the sight until later.

When the poet is lying on his couch in a relaxed mood having nothing particularly in his mind, the memories of the beautiful daffodils come back to him. He considered himself blessed to be alone enjoying the tranquility of mind so that he can see the daffodils in his imagination. His heart is filled with the emotions recollected in a moment of tranquility. He feels as if his heart is filled with happiness and dances with the daffodils .

Background - “I wandered lonely as a cloud” - Poem by William Wordsworth

William Wordsworth is a well known nature poet whose work is famous for intense criticism of people and society for being materialistic and exploitative.

Wordsworth lived in the time of capitalism and contributed to the romantic period of poetry which evolved as a reaction against the Augustan Age of Poetry known as the “Age of Manners” and the age of industrial revolution in the 18th century. The focus of romantic poetry was nature, human nature, experiences and emotions.

“I wandered lonely as a cloud” is one of his most famous lyric poems. It is also known and cherished as “Daffodils” under the genre of Romantic Poetry in the world of English Literature.

This poem was written in 1804, published in 1807 and revised in 1815. It is said that the poem was written based on a forest encounter by himself and his sister Dorothy Wordsworth in 1802 where they were amazed by a belt of beautiful daffodils. The poem was written after two years of this experience and as a recollection of the beautiful scenery in a moment of tranquility.

Analysis - “I wandered lonely as a cloud”

The poem “I wandered lonely as a cloud” is a lyric poem written in the viewpoint of a first person which is the best option to share first hand experience, especially of one’s emotions.

According to William Wordsworth, nature can be admired on a physical level as well as spiritual level. Therefore, in this poem, the poet describes how he could enjoy the beautiful scenery of the daffodils when he was wandering in the countryside and he also describes what wealth it brought back to him when he was imagining the same scenery while relaxing and recollecting memories later on.

As a forerunner of the genre of romantic poetry, the poet highlights the value of nature, the value of human feelings and human imagination.

Wordsworth believed that the human soul is deeply attached to the soul of mother nature. By being able to understand the spiritual presence of nature, man receives guidance for better living. One who mingles with mother nature may find peace of mind. Hence, Wordsworth suggests that man should live close to nature.

The poet also admires freedom of mind.

“I wandered lonely as a cloud…”

A lonely person has his mind vacant from unnecessary worries and easily gets opened to the secrets of nature.

Loneliness is considered a bliss by the poet since it paves time for freedom of mind.

Theme of Human Mind and Mental Processes in “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”

Towards the last two stanzas of the poem, the poet describes the mind’s process of creating emotions in a very methodical way. This explanation is very interesting since it takes into consideration that the human mind is constantly active and several mental processes such as memory, emotion, imagination and thinking take into effect all the time.

He suggests that when one is immersed with nature, its effect is stored deep inside and it comes back in imagination creating an even more powerful effect on the mind of the beholder. This happens only if your mind is at peace. The final step of the process is described in the last two lines of the poem.

A peaceful mind paves way for recollection of moments which brings in happiness. Further his dancing with the daffodils suggests that his soul and the soul of nature has finally become one.

As we reach the final stanza, the impression made by the daffodils still remains with the poet and his heart is filled and thrilled with it. It suggests that the daffodils or the soul of nature have become a lifelong companion of the poet. Therefore, it is evident that the poem is not literally about the poet’s mere encounter with a forest and daffodils there, but it is his encounter with nature and its spirit.

Poetic Techniques used in “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”

The poet uses several similes and metaphors in the poem to bring out effective communication of the intended message to the reader.

The poet compares himself as a cloud, a natural object. When you have a view from the above as a cloud could see, you could get hold of amazing things unless otherwise you could not see. This suggests that not everyone is eligible to enjoy the company of nature since you simply cannot see nature in its pure form just because you are part of it. If you are not free from the earthly disturbances and distractions, you will not be as free as a cloud to enjoy an aerial view of nature around you.

Daffodils - The symbols used in “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”

Daffodils do the work of opening his mind towards freedom and peace. Daffodils represent nature in its bliss for human kind.

It is a single large yellow flower on a tall green stalk. Hence, the poet describes them as “golden” to suggest immense wealth attached to it for him.

The magnificent presence of the daffodils is portrayed in the mind of the reader as a precious living being amidst the other living aspects of mother nature. Daffodils are not brought to the minds of the reader as a single aspect. The beautiful surroundings described along with the daffodils add value to it. The lake, the trees and the breeze create an aesthetic atmosphere. The entire description creates very strong and effective visual imagery.

As we can see, the poet describes the daffodils along with many other interesting features of nature. Therefore, it is important to understand that Daffodils do represent nature, but to be more specific, it is the soul of nature.

Metaphorical Language in “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”

The metaphorical language in which the entire atmosphere is described has been continuously used throughout the poem. The daffodils have been referred to as the stars that shine on the milky way. Milky Way is the soft moonlight in which the stars twinkle. On the other hand, the milky way is the metaphor used to describe the beautiful lake beside which the daffodils are grown.

Hyperbole in “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”

The poet uses hyperbole; words of exaggeration such as “never-ending line” and “Ten thousand saw I at a glance…” to emphasize that there were plenty of daffodils creating a strong effect on the behold.

Poetic Imagery and Personification in “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”

Daffodils are personified in this poem in many instances. They are treated as living beings with so much liveliness.

The reader can sense the movement of the daffodils since the poet generates kinesthetic imagery by using the words like “tossing” and “dance” to describe the movement of the flowers in the breeze.

The poet does not stop by describing the movement of the daffodils, he goes on adding a description of the movement of waves beside them; “The waves beside them danced”.

The poet creates an entire picture of a lively environment which joins hands with each other in a dance of happiness and bliss.

Repetition in “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”

The repetition of the word “gazed” highlights that the poet is deeply immersed in the cheerful company of this blissful atmosphere.

Choice of words in “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”

With the words, “Jocund company”, the poet considers nature as a wonderful companion. He emphasizes one can enjoy a true sense of happiness in such a pure company than with anyone else.