I Wander Lonely as a Cloud by William Wordsworth

rowsavtat · Post by **rowsavtat** » 19 Jun 2019, 10:59

This is the first time reading a poem from William Wordsworth. I love to be lonely at times and completely understand it all in this poem. I would love to read more poems by him.

Hawaii-Stitch_02 · Post by **Hawaii-Stitch_02** » 21 Jun 2019, 15:26

This was quite an interesting poem. I enjoyed reading it because it had a cool theme that I believe that many people can relate to at least once during their lifetime. I would like to see this published because I can see this poem getting somewhere.

ChainsawCat · Post by **ChainsawCat** » 26 Jun 2019, 11:24

You know what would be cool, would be a list of all of the quotations of and allusions to this poem in other literature. It comes up constantly, but when I try, I cannot for the life of me remember an individual instance. Next time I come across one or remember one I'll post it here...

reignstar2149 · Post by **reignstar2149** » 05 Aug 2019, 13:31

A week ago I made my daughter memorize and recite this poem to me.
She is 12. She shares the same birthday as Wordsworth, and like him is the second of five children…
I didn’t know that about him till today.
The elements he used in this poem are those we take for granted when nature presents it to us.
If not, none has seen nor seek to understand or appreciate its bounty.
Stars above and thousands of flowers….not one or two but thousands.
Wander we all do as a cloud, in our all-consuming gaseous state….
And all it took was one lovely object to disperse that form and envelope that loneliness with happiness.
(Like my own daffodils here....

)

I like the lines:
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;

How wondrous this ‘inward' eye is!
How it left me inspire to write a great many more things that Existence is still yearning to speak to us sapiens.
Our background is personification of The Wise. Nature is for all and for all to return. Whether the individual sees it or not, the loss is not in nature but his.
I'm not in whole agreement that Romanticism could be the first of 'Green' movement as Pastoralism should have been.
I could say it was the precursor to it though, a springboard to intellect and awareness of the need for 'Greens'.

Lead by or followed by many movements. Be it Traditional, Symbolism, Medievalism, Supernaturalism etc.
Were these the basic primary colours that has helped shaped the tools that would smother/batter or fuse the English language that we use today?
Oh Willam! how we have lost great art to illuminate the beauty of nature and self-reflection.
Yet nature remains the same in its abundant simplicity.
A good topic... thank you knightss!

SirLaddie · Post by **SirLaddie** » 14 Feb 2020, 09:58

This is my favorite poem since my freshman year in college and always will be. I love W.Wordsworth's poems.

Xuberance60 · Post by **Xuberance60** » 03 Mar 2021, 13:26

This is my first submission here, therefore, I would like to say 'Hello' to all involved with this site. I am excited to be with you.

Moving on to the matter at hand, I was first exposed to this poem when I was in grade 7. I am 60 now so... it's been a while!

I absolutely LOVED this poem from that first reading and my love for the poem and it's author have only evolved and stregnthend across the many years and experiences life has granted me.

I must agree with my fellow poster that even his name brings me joy as it is so fitting; his words are of great worth.

In this poem, I appreciate his love for the solitude found both in nature and in those more "... pensive moments" we have all come to know.

There is, for me, a constant duality, existing simultaneously throughout the entirety of this short work. Similarly, there are both brevity and expanse in the astuteness of observations so simply stated in juxtaposition with the magnitude and eternal relevance of those observations.

I have enjoyed countless solitary walks in nature in my day and have often thrilled at the wonders of things both great and small before me. It has been a pleasure to be alone in so very many of these times, uninterrupted by intrusive conversations that likely would have decreased the thrill and fullness of a moment.

Likewise, there have been times during which, I wished I had been accompanied by some other appreciative soul to share in the glory of it all.

Certainly in a moment such as this, I am reminded, I have been simultaneously alone and in a crowd of millions in these excursions. Wordsworth penned these observations and experiences in a way, I think, few others could have done in such an enduring and beautiful manner.

Like our beloved writer I find, I am never truly alone in solitude- whether in grief or celebration. Glory and desolation have been known to us all but in the end, they are located in the great consciousness that experiences all and never underestimates it's values.

I supposed it is for all these reasons, and a few more, that this poem is proudly displayed on my entry wall. Even at a time of profound grief, the loss of 2 children, I could come upon this work and find moments of beauty and glory, in the midst of a perticular solitude. The visual images Wordsworth captured here are etched indelibly upon my heart, and I am most grateful that he shared this with the world.

It has been said that"... the power of life and death are in the tongue..., and that "... from the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks...". This work has breathed a breath of life into me countless times. Even now, I can see and feel "a host of golden daffodils", and feel the sun upon my face.

Thank you, Wordsworth... and thanks to all the patient reviewers whom I have so excitedly joined here.

I have no particular religious persuasion but I do wish happiness, peace and love to all!!!

Adriana Ortencio · Post by **Adriana Ortencio** » 19 Mar 2021, 00:17

This is my first read by Wordworth, and I really enjoyed it. I really like how he describes many things in nature as having the same motion (ex: the daffodils floating across the grass and tress, just like the stars float across our skies). I most definitely think that Romantic Art and Literature could be the first "green movement" because this type of literature recognizes the beauty in nature - I think recognizing that something is beautiful and needs to be preserved is the first step towards a movement towards change and conservations.

My favorite stanza from the poem is below and moved me because I have experienced this numerous times when I am relaxing and visualizing a wonderful walk with my dog through the wetlands at night with the stars dancing, the birds chirping and flying across the star painted sky, while hearing crickets, birds and fishes flapping in the water. I can relate to this stanza here because I do feel immense pleasure when I am in nature with my dog (especially rain after the spring showers when everything is so vibrantly blooming and flowing in the wind.

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 author reflects a positive perspective on experiencing solitude in nature and it does seem to be an important immerging trend as more people spend more time online, on applications, in big cities and away from peaceful nature.

Katarina Radovcic · Post by **Katarina Radovcic** » 01 Nov 2021, 17:14

Oh God, this poem! I remember the first time I read it in high school a few years ago and how much it resonated with me. I don't remember discussing it in class specifically, but I was drawn to it first because daffodils are my month flowers so I was just being my narcissistic self

but also because the tone suited my mood at the time. Being lonely was what marked that whole period of my life and being alone in nature was what brought me peace. "I wandered lonely as a cloud" is what got me and from there it was love at first read. I love the presentation of clouds and people when the clouds are so fickle just like the moods, sometimes they are dark and threathening with lighting and sometimes they are translucent and careful not to hide the sun. As for daffodils, they always find a way to stand out, waving and stretching and standing tall with their bright colors. For me this poem has such a light tone with a simple, yet such a vivid scene. I learned it by heart and kept it close to heart all these years.

Mary Bircher · Post by **Mary Bircher** » 19 Feb 2023, 19:52

I love this poem. A simple daffodil becomes a symbol of joy and melancholy at the same time. I'm not terribly interested in Romanticism, but I love this one.