I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud by William Wordsworth

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 leaves in glee;
A poet could not be but 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 title of this poem is very interesting. The speaker compares himself to a “cloud,” which suggests freedom, but portrays his state as being “lonely.” Usually, the idea of having freedom is not paired with the state of being lonely. The first three words “I wandered lonely” has a depressing tone, but by relating himself to a cloud, the speaker lightens the tone and makes the solitude his choice instead his condition. In his poem, the speaker is a cloud floating over hills and valleys full golden daffodils. One can definitely feels his joy and love for the scene through his choice of diction such as fluttering, dancing, twinkle, sprightly, glee, wealth, etc. The speaker describes the daffodils as a “crowd,” seeing them as human beings. I find it interesting that he, a human being, portrays himself as nature while the daffodils are described as human beings. The speaker in this sense sees himself in nature, and, even more significantly, he feels that nature welcomes him. Throughout the poem, the speaker uses many adjectives to bring a vivid picture of the lively daffodils to the readers. The speaker chooses simple and cheerful words to create carefree and joyful feelings for the readers. Repetition of the word “dance” makes the whole scene dynamic. Yet repetition of the word “gazed” calms the scene. With such brilliant choice of diction, the speaker creates a balance in nature – which was the “wealth” he realized was brought to him in the poem. The last stanza describes the speaker lying on his couch contemplating on the beauty of the daffodils he had seen. This stanza links with the title of the poem. As the stanza suggests, while being "lonely as cloud," the speaker has found what he was looking for, "the bliss of solitude" - the joy and pleasure that could only be acquired when he is nature and apart from everything of his world.