Concetti Chiave
- The poem captures the solitary wanderings of the poet, who is suddenly captivated by a host of golden daffodils.
- Daffodils are depicted as a source of joy and inspiration, outshining the waves and enhancing the poet's spirits.
- The poem's structure reflects the poet's emotional journey, with each stanza representing different moods and insights.
- Wordsworth emphasizes nature's role in fostering a mystical connection with the divine and enhancing creative imagination.
- The poem illustrates the concept of emotion recollected in tranquility, where past experiences are cherished and relived in solitude.
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.
The influence of nature
For Wordsworth the principle source of inspiration was represented by the world of nature.
The daffodils is an example of this. In The daffodils is described the flowers that stayed in the bay of his country. These flowers represent the voice of the nature, which is audible except in solitude, when our spirit develops a visionary power and thanks to the nature we know the childhood.
The poet suggests the perfect state of mind; he stay into the contact with the voice of nature as it’s a mystic communication with God.
The structure of poetry
The poem presents a perfect structure. It’s divided into four stanzas which correspond to the various mood of the poet:
Setting and shock at the sight. He is alone, and feels himself not fully related to the world around him; this mood is broken by the sight of the daffodils.
Description of flowers. The daffodils are part of a universal order, and are set in a natural environment.
Relation between the flowers and the poet: the poet is gay because his mind is once more active, thanks to the feeling that the flower produce in himself.

Emotion and tranquility
Emotion recollected in tranquillity: there is a shift from past to present. Is described the capability of the poet of reorganize the feeling, and recalling it at the future.
The important is not the thought, but the feelings that the vision produce.
Domande da interrogazione
- How does Wordsworth describe the impact of nature in "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud"?
- What is the structure of the poem "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud," and how does it reflect the poet's mood?
- How does Wordsworth convey the theme of "emotion recollected in tranquility" in the poem?
Wordsworth illustrates nature as a profound source of inspiration and joy. The sight of the daffodils brings him happiness and a sense of connection, which he recalls in moments of solitude, highlighting nature's enduring influence on his spirit.
The poem is structured into four stanzas, each reflecting different moods of the poet. It begins with his initial loneliness, transitions to the joy brought by the sight of the daffodils, and concludes with the lasting emotional impact of this experience.
Wordsworth conveys this theme by describing how the memory of the daffodils brings him joy and tranquility in later moments. The poem emphasizes the lasting emotional impact of the experience, rather than the immediate thoughts it provoked.