Joy of Nature Through Wordsworth
Poem: I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud by William Wordsworth
Note: The original poem, by William Wordsworth, is at the bottom of the article.
Self-Sufficiency in Nature
William Wordsworth was an expert at being self-sufficient. The only thing he needs to be happy, as he shows in one of his poems “I Wondered Lonely as a Cloud”, is to walk through nature. Seeing ten thousand golden daffodils dancing in the breeze beneath the trees, he found bliss. Henceforth, he will no longer feel alone or depressed, memories of that moment will be enough to fill his heart with pleasure and keep it safe from dark places. Through his wisdom, readers can learn the art of equanimity, and how to turn their happiness into a stoic who needs nothing more than a walk to be happy.
The Lonely Cloud
The tone of the story starts seemingly sad. The author does not write much about his lonely part of the walk, but enough to make his readers empathize with him. “I wandered lonely as a cloud/That floats on high o’er vales and hills,” (Wordsworth lines 1-2). At first glance, clouds are an ideal way to describe a lonely person. Clouds do not have anyone to talk to or share their pain with. All they can do is wander around, soaring above mountains, lakes, and flowers, unable to make a contact with anything. The Author, on the other hand, does not feel lonely, not even at the beginning of the poem, he is simply stating that he is walking alone and that he is perfectly okay with it. Clouds might seem lonely, but if humans and clouds could change places, even if chained to the sky, any wise person would find that enough to be happy. In this poem, the author is a cloud who feeds his happiness with something as simple as a flower, not one, but ten thousand.
Dancing Daffodils
Aimlessly roaming around, the author finds himself surrounded by golden daffodils. There were around ten thousand of them, continuous as the stars that shine. He personifies the flowers and sees them tossing their heads and sprightly dancing. The flowers seemed like happy ballet dancers playing and dancing in the grass, making everyone around them happy, but nobody was shinier and happier than them. “The waves beside them danced; but they/Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:” (Wordsworth lines 13-14). Wordsworth is not only describing his memories but also trying to show the simplicity in which happiness can be born. He has a great connection with nature, as he perhaps insinuates that nature is a part of us, a part of our world, if we find peace in it, concepts such as loneliness will be superfluous. He purposefully personifies flowers to show the magnitude and importance of that moment, of that connection he had with nature and the wealth he found in it.
Bliss Of Solitude
Even the strongest of souls and wisest of people sometimes find themselves in a grey, vacant, or pensive mood. Even in those moments, the author shows the readers that the memories or simply being aware of the existence of something beautiful, such as daffodils, can fill their hearts with happiness and pleasure. “They flash upon that inward eye/Which is the bliss of solitude;/And then my heart with pleasure fills,” (Wordsworth lines 22-23). The walk he aimlessly started brought him more wealth than perhaps any material thing he had. It opened a door for him out of any hole, dark place, or maze his soul found itself in. As the author said with a beautiful metaphor, those memories, those beautiful daffodils flash upon his inward eye. The first step is always to go out and make that connection with nature, as it is impossible to find treasure behind a closed door, in a dark, grey room.
Lesson From The Nature
What Wordsworth teaches his readers is one of the most important lectures in today’s day and age. Even if someone is stuck in his house for weeks or months against his will, he can overcome that by creating memories. Memories that are full of beautiful lakes, flowers, trees, mountains, or anything that can leave a significant mark on one person. He is trying to teach his readers that nature should have a way bigger purpose in their lives. If they go out and see a sun that’s shining bright, flowers that are soaked in the morning rain, or trees that seem like they are fighting because of the ferocious winds, that alone should light up their heart and brighten their day, if only they would take the first step and make a connection with the nature.
The Poem: 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.
References
Wordsworth. “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud.” The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature, 12th ed., edited by Michael Meyer and D. Quentin Miller, Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2020, pp. 1.
Thanks Viktor for the Wordsworth poem & commentary. Looking forward to see a multitude of daffodils spring up. So far I've noticed the snowdrop crocuses are dominating the landscape which means the daffodils are coming soon. Hugs to mother nature. Embrace the earth - she's the only home we've got!