A Brief Analysis of Daffodils by William Wordswort

龙源期刊网

A Brief Analysis of Daffodils by William

Wordsworth

作者：Chen Gaowa

来源：《校园英语·上旬》2016年第12期

【Abstract】William Wordsworth has been regarded as a great romantic poet in English

literature. “Daffodils”is one of the masterpieces on nature written by William Wordsworth. The paper

mainly deals with William Wordsworth’s poetic theory through analysing the poem“Daffodils”from

language ， theme and other aspects and reveals its significance in real life.

【Key words】William Wordsworth； daffodils； language

William Wordsworth（1770-1850）is one of the greatest romantic poets . Wordsworth is

regarded as a “worshipper of nature.”Wordsworth created his own unique poetical theory.His theory

and theme can be found in Lyrical Ballads written in 1802.He emphasizes the combanition of nature

and mind and mainly presents the influence of natural scenes on one’s inner world to express his

complicated spiritual feelings .Therefore one of the most important subjects he depicts in his poems is

about nature.Moreover Wordsworth made bold experiments in poetic language and artistic form .In

his works the diction of a poem is simple ，plain and vivid with the application of lower–class

persons’daily language to express human feelings and show the natural beauty.He also advocated that

rhythm and rhyme of poem should be consistent with colloquial sound and tone. “Daffodils”is one of

the masterpieces on nature.It is perhaps the most anthologized poem in English literature ，one that

takes us to the core of Wordsworth’s poetic beliefs.After appreciating the poem we can know that how

the poet shows his genuine love for the natural beauty and harmony between man and nature.

I. A Brief Introduction to“Daffodils”

“I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”it is also commonly referred to as “Daffodils”written in 1804. It

was published in 1807.

The poet draws the materials from his personal experiences .

When he walked along with his sister Dorothy Wordsworth near Ullswater Lake， in England，they saw beautiful daffodils and were deeply attracted by them.Dorothy Wordsworth， the sister of

the poet， records in her journal for April 15，1802，the episode that gave the material for

Wordsworth’s poem on the daffodils entitled “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”.Two years later he

came to write the poem . The poem contains six lines in four stanzas， as an appreciation of daffodils.

II. Analysis of “Daffodils” 龙源期刊网

William Wordsworth’s purpose ，or the value of morality in his poems， is not simply stated ，but carried along by descriptions of objects which stronly excite the poet’s feelings.According to his

theory ， a work of art is essentially the internal made external.This is what he says about poetry

being “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings”（Adams432）.He thinks that sometimes his

feelings are emotions recollected in tranquility.”It is a sort of recreated emotions.So Wordsworth’s

definition of good poetry is “the spontaneous overflow of feelings and emotions recollected in

tranquility.”That is the most important characteristic of his poems.let’s appreciate the poem

“Daffodils”and attempt to get fully understanding of it.

In the first line“I wandered lonely as a cloud” Here“I”，probably means the poet himself.In the

first two lines the poet said he wondered like a cloud floating above hills and valleys appreciating

nature.Here he employs a simile to compare himself to a free floating cloud.The purpose of using

simile here the poet wants to convey how lonely he is .After reading this line it evokes the readers to

think where he can get some consolation and trigger readers’ interests to read the following lines.

When the poet is in a melancholy mood suddenly he discovered a field of daffodils by a lake. The

daffodils ，the symbol of nature ，are personified as human beings by using the words like dancing

and “tossing their heads”in “a crowd ，a host.”This technique implies an inherent unity between man

and nature.As soon as the poet sees such beautiful and vigorous daffodils ，he could not help but be

happy and excited in such a jocund company .At very beginning the poet feels very lonely but after

appreciating golden daffodils he forgets something unhappy ，bored and gray. He is completely

engaged in the natural senery. The memory of the daffodils is kept in his mind.When the poet is in

“vacant” or in “pensive” mood ， the daffodils flash upon his “inward eye”，which is the “bliss” of

loneliness.The poet here uses“inward eye”and “bliss”to indicate that not only he gains the inward

happiness from wild nature but also nature can purify his soul. Because the poet is deeply touched by