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- 1. Poem WORDSWORTH: THE DAFFODILS Structure 1.0Objectives 1.1 introductions 1.2 Life of Wordsworth 1.3 Influence of the French Revolution and Rousseau on Wordsworth 1.4 Background of the Poem 1.5 Poem 1.6 Meanings 1.7 Stanza-wise Summary 1.8 Summary 1.9 Critical Appreciation 1.10 Self Assessment Questions 1.11 Answers to SAQs 1.12 Let Us Sum Up 1.13 Review Questions Objectives After going through this unit, you will be able to: Know about William Wordsworth Understand the romantic period Understand the ideas contained in the poem and Appreciate and interpret the poem 1.1Introduction In this unit you are going to study the poem Daffodils written by Wordsworth. You will also learn about the life of Wordsworth, influence of the French Revolution and Rousseau on his life. 1.2 Life of Wordsworth William Wordsworth was born on 7th of April, 1770 at Cocker mouth. His father John Wordsworth was an attorney to Lord Lonsdale and was an influential man of his time. His mother Anne Cookson was the only daughter of William Cookson, a well to do mercer dealer in milk products at Penrith and of Dorothy Crackanthrope, whose ancestors had been lords of the manor of Newbiggin near Penrith. He was second of the five children of his parents, the others being Richard, Dorothy, John and Christopher. He was educated at Hawks head Grammar School and St. John College, Cambridge from where he did his B.A. in1791. He went to France in 1791 and stayed there for a period of one year. During this time he was greatly influenced by the French Revolution which was at it speak at that time in France. He published his first volume of poems in 1793. In 1795 he got a chance to meet S.T.Coleridge and soon they became life time friends. And S.T. Coleridge with his wife were neighbors to each other at Alfoxden and
- 2. Stowed in Somersetfor one year. In 1798, both the poets together published Lyrical Ballads which is considered to be an epoch-making collection of lyrical romantic poems his death on 23rd April 1850. In 1807 he moved to Rydal Mount, Grasmere and lived there till his death. In 1843 he became the Poet Laureate after the death of Robert Southey. 1.3 Influence of the French Revolution and Rousseau on Wordsworth Wordsworth after completing his B.A. in 1791 from St. John College, Cambridge went to France, in the same year. At that time in France, the French Revolution was at its. Rousseau a well known French writer and who is also known as “the father of Romanticism” gave his complete sup-port to this revolution. He also had a deep influence on Wordsworth. Rousseau once said in an Argument favoring the French Revolution that man is born free but he is chained everywhere. Time has come now to do away with the kingship and aristocracy. It would be best for the manta give all the powers to the common man. Wordsworth shared the same point of view with Rousseau. He supported the purpose of the French Revolution whole-heartedly. He was deeply attached to the French Revolution. When England prepared herself to fight against Napoleon he went to Church and prayed there sincerely for the defeat of England, his own motherland. Though later in his life he changed his opinion about the French Revolution and became a republican. He retired as the Poet Laureate of England. But throughout his life, he was unable To shed away the influence of the French Revolution and Rousseau on his poetry. From Rousseau and the French Revolution Wordsworth learnt to glorify the life of the common man. He also learnt to love and respect nature. The relation between nature and man became the main theme of his poetry. In being the poet of nature, he also became the poet of the common man. 1.4 Background of the Poem On April 15, 1802 Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy went to their friends, the Clarkson’s, at Elsmere. When they were coming back to Grasmere, they saw a large number of golden daffodils growing on the bank of lake water in the Lake District. They both were astonished by the mesmeric beauty of these daffodils which were fluttering and dancing with the light breeze. Inspired by this delightful spectacle Wordsworth composed this poem in1804 and published it in 1807. 1.5 Poem THE DAFFODILS 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,
- 3. Tossing their headsin 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. 1.6 Meanings 1. Wander (Verb): To walk slowly around or to a place, often without any particular Sense of purpose or direction. 2. Float (Verb): To move slowly on water or in the air. 3. Vale (Noun): Valley 4. Fluttering (Noun) : A quick, light movement. 5. Toss (Verb): To move one’s head this way or that. 6. Sprightly (Adjective) : Full of life and energy. 7. Outdo (Verb): Surpass. 8. Glee (Noun):A feeling of happiness. 9. Gay (Adjective): Happy and full of fun. 10. Jocund (Adjective) : Cheerful 11. Gaze (Verb): To look steadily at somebody /something for a long time. 12. Pensive (Adjective) : Thinking deeply about something, especially because you are Sad or worried. 13. Bliss (Noun): Extreme happiness. 14. Solitude (Noun): The state of being alone, especially when you find this pleasant. 1.7 Stanza -wise Summary 1. I wandered lonely.................... Dancing in the breeze. The poet is wandering alone from one place to another like a cloud, which flies over valleys and hills with the flow of wind. Suddenly the poet sees a large number of golden daffodils. These daffodils are growing close to the lake and under the trees. Alight breeze is blowing making these daffodils dance and flutter with it. 2. Continuous as the star............................ in sprightly dance. To the poet these daffodils look like the stars that shine and twinkle in the milky-way. The daffodils are spreading over a very large area along the margin of a bay. They are in an excessively huge quantity. All these daffodils are dancing happily with the wind.
- 4. 3. The wavesbeside ........................ to me had brought. The waves in the lake beside these daffodils are also dancing with the wind. But in comparison to the daffodils the waves are not as beautiful and attractive. Watching such a beautiful scene the poet feels very happy. The poet continues to look at the daffodils. The poet prizes the scene greatly for himself. 4. For oft................................. with the daffodils. The poet says that whenever he lies down on his bed either thinking about anything or not thinking, the images of daffodils flash upon his imagination. It usually happens only when the poet is all alone. These images of daffodils have a magical effect on the poet. These images fill the heart of the poet with pleasure. The poet also feels like dancing with the daffodils 1.8 Summary The poet is wandering aimlessly on his way when suddenly sees a highland girl alone in the field. The girl is reaping the crop and singing a song to herself. The poet likes her singing very much. He tells the people passing from there not to disturb her in her singing. He wants the people to stop where they are or to pass from there very quietly. There is nobody with the garland she is cutting and binding the grain all alone. The poet observes that the song which she is singing is full of sorrow and melancholy. The girl is standing in the valley and her song is resounding through the deep valley. The poet feels that the girl’s song is very sweet. He finds her song sweeter than the song of the nightingale. The poet says that the nightingale’s song gives relief and happiness to the travelers in the Arabian deserts when they stayed on Oasis. The poet feels the girl’s song is thrilling also. He says that he has never listened to a more thrilling song than this. He even finds the girl’s song more thrilling than the song of the cuckoo bird. The cuckoo bird sings her . The problem with the poet is that he is unable to understand the girl’s song. He does not know the language in which she is singing. He wants somebody to tell him the meaning of the song. But there is nobody around to tell him. Therefore, the poet himself begun to guess the Meaning or theme of the song. According to him, the song may be about some old, unhappy incidents or of battles of the past. It may also be about a matter familiar to the girl. It can also be about some natural sorrow, loss or pain which has happened to her in the past. The poet is unable to know the theme of the girl’s song. But he is not worried about it. He is still enjoying the song. It seems to the poet that the girl will not stop singing. Her song will never end. She will continue to sing forever. The poet watches the girl singing and doing her work. He stands there without making any kind of movement. He also listens to her song without making any kind of noise. He does not want to disturb the girl. When the poet went up the hill, he could not hear the girl’s song. But the poet says that he can still hear the sweetness and melody of the song in his memory. He is sure that he will never forget it. 1.9 Critical Appreciation Wordsworth is mainly a nature poet and for him. There is nothing which is superior toad better than Nature. He breathes through with nature and finds solace and spiritual peace in it. In his opinion, nature has the solution for all the problems of mankind. It is through nature that he seeks salvation. The theme of this poem i.e. “Daffodils” is based on the healing and refreshing power of nature. How easy it is for nature to lift the spirit and the morale of the manic also depicted in this poem. The poem is rich in imagery and the description of the daffodils is delightful. The poet starts the poem with the simile and compares himself with the cloud
- 5. Wandering lonely, freefrom duty and responsibility, here and there like the cloud. But as soon as he sees the beautiful golden daffodils growing along the margin of a bay beneath the trees, Dancing and fluttering with the light breeze, he finds himself captivated by their magical beauty. The poet is so impressed by their beauty that the near-by lake whose waves are also dancing And sparkling, thus looking enchanting, also captivate his attention. The poet begins to admire the mesmeric beauty of the daffodils and is unable to think of anything else. Infect, at that time he could not think of the great importance of the scene for him but later while lying on his couch He realizes the very great importance the scene had on him. The last stanza of the poem is the most important part of the poem and is the essence of the poem. In this stanza, the poet speaks about the healing and refreshing effect of nature and also praises solitude. According to him, when one is in the state of solitude, one becomes retrospective and meditates on all the good and pleasurable moments which one had or which had happened to him-in his life. These memories have a cheerful and lively effect on him. He greatly feels happy not only with himself but also with all that happened to him. The poet says that whenever he lies on his couch having nothing to do or in pensive mood, enjoying the solitude, the images of the daffodils flash upon his imagination. When this happens, the poet feels calm, refreshed, motivated and good about himself. This is how nature influences him. The memories of the daffodils fill his heart with pleasure and joy and he feels like dancing along with the daffodils. This shows the healing and refreshing effect of nature on the poet. 1.10 Self Assessment Questions 1. What age is known as the “Age of Sensibility?” ................................................................................................... ................................................................................................... ................................................................................................... 2. Which period is known as the Romantic Period? ................................................................................................... ................................................................................................... ................................................................................................... 3. Who are the main poets of the Romantic Period? ................................................................................................... ................................................................................................... ................................................................................................... 4. What was the purpose of the romantic poetry? ................................................................................................... ................................................................................................... ................................................................................................... 5. What are the main characteristics of the Romantic Period? ......................................................................................................................................................... ................................... 6. Who wrote the Lyrical Ballads and when was it published ? ................................................................................................... ................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................
- 6. 7. When wasthis poem written? ................................................................................................... ................................................................................................... ................................................................................................... 8. When was this poem first published? ................................................................................................... ................................................................................................... ................................................................................................... 9. What is the theme of this poem? ................................................................................................... ................................................................................................... ................................................................................................... 10. Where were the daffodils growing? ................................................................................................... ................................................................................................... ................................................................................................... 11. What are the objects the poet compares with the daffodils? ................................................................................................... ................................................................................................... ................................................................................................... 12. What is the effect of daffodils on the poet? ................................................................................................... ................................................................................................... ................................................................................................... 13. What is the bliss of solitude according to the poet? ................................................................................................... ................................................................................................... ................................................................................................... 14. Why does the poet stop on seeing the daffodils? ................................................................................................... ................................................................................................... ................................................................................................... 1.11 Answers to SAQs 1. The later have eighteenth century (1760-1796) is known as the Age of Sensibility. Dr. Johnson called is as such. 2. The period between 1798 and 1832 is known as the Romantic Period. 3. Wordsworth, Coleridge Shelley, Keats and Byron are the major poets of the Roman-tic Period.
- 7. 4. The mainpurpose of romantic poetry was to express the poets personal feelings and emotions. 5. The main characteristics of the Romantic Period are : Love for humming Love and regard for Nature Expression of emotions and imagination Love for the far off Revolt against the hari complete Dryden hope. 6. Wordsworth and S.T. Coleridge together wrote the Lyrical Ballads It was published 7. This poem was written in 1804. 8. This poem was first published in 1807 9. The healing and refreshing effect of Nature is the theme of this poem. 10. The Daffodils were growing beside the lake under the trees. 11. The poet compares the daffodils with the dancing waves and shining and twinkling stars. 12. The daffodils fill the poet’s heart with pleasure and he feels happy with them. 13. When the person is in solitude and there is nobody around him. He is all alone. He has the opportunity to think of nature. In the poem the poet says that when he is either busy thinking or not thinking about anything he is reminded of the daffodils. He says that loneliness becomes lovely if he thinks about daffodils in his loneliness. When he re-members the daffodils he starts feeling happy, content and perfectly at peace with Himself. This happens because of solitude. 14. The poet stops on seeing the daffodils because never before in his life had he seen such beautiful golden daffodils and that too in such a very large number. He is completely attracted towards them. 1.12 Let Us Sum Up In this unit you were able to understand; Wordsworth love for nature, Nature’s healing and soothing effect on man. 1.13Review Questions 1. Elucidate the magical effect nature had on William Wordsworth. 2. Wordsworth was truly a romantic poet. Explain with suitable example.