William Wordsworth, "Lines Written in an Early Spring" and "Daffodils"

I heard a thousand blended notes,
While in a grove I sate reclined,
In that sweet mood when pleasant thoughts
Bring sad thoughts to the mind.

To her fair works did Nature link [5]
The human soul that through me ran;
And much it grieved my heart to think
What man has made of man.

Through primrose tufts, in that green bower,
The periwinkle trailed its wreaths; [10]
And 'tis my faith that every flower
Enjoys the air it breathes.

The birds around me hopped and played,
Their thoughts I cannot measure:—
But the least motion which they made [15]
It seemed a thrill of pleasure.

The budding twigs spread out their fan,
To catch the breezy air;
And I must think, do all I can,
That there was pleasure there. [20]

If this belief from heaven be sent,
If such be Nature's holy plan,
Have I not reason to lament
What man has made of man?

"Lines Written in an Early Spring"

Poem Analysis

The Prelude discusses nature in relation to the creative process, while this poem contrasts the pleasure of nature with "[w]hat man has made of man" (line 8). It could be the bloodshed of the French Revolution that causes the speaker to "lament" (23): Wordsworth was horrified by its escalation. 

But the speaker intentionally leaves his meaning vague. He wishes humanity, in general, could be like the elements of nature, which appear to live in happy harmony.

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, [5]
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: [10]
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, [15]
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, [20]
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

"Daffodils"

Poem Highlights

• Literary Element

  Tone

  The tone (attitude of the speaker) is crucial in "Daffodils." At first, it seems as though the speaker is currently wandering through the daffodils, peacefully enjoying them. But, as we learn from the final stanza, the speaker is actually dwelling on a memory. The tone becomes nostalgic as the speaker remembers this solitary moment in nature with wistful affection.

  Nostalgia is a common feature of Wordsworth's poetry and Romantic poetry as a whole.

• Literary Device

  Personification

  The speaker walks alone through the daffodils. However, in a sense, he considers himself to have the company of the daffodils. He personifies them by giving them human attributes:

  • They are a "crowd" (3) and a "host" (4)

  • They are "dancing" (6)

  • They are "[t]ossing their heads in sprightly dance" (12)

  • They express "glee" (14)

  

Have you ever experienced these emotions of joy and peace while in nature?