Questions to consider:
- How are the moods and tones in these poems related?
- How do the similies in the first poem add to the speaker's tone and state of mind?
- What is personified in the second poem?
- What contrasting ideas are presented in the second poem?
I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud
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.
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.
Lines Written in Early Spring
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
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;
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
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.
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?
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
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;
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
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.
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?
I really liked "I wandered lonely as a cloud". I think the author really did a good job on the imagery of this poem and made everything clear as day. It really felt like i was in the atmosphere of the poem and can see the golden daffodils fluttering and dancing in the brezze. There seem to be gracious but calm mood.
ReplyDeleteThe mood i got from these two poems is lonely or alone. It seems to me that the writer was in a imaginative mood when he was writing the two poems. The idea of spring inspiring people to write poems. (Roland Anderson)
ReplyDeleteI really liked "I wandered lonely as a cloud". I think the author really did a good job on the imagery of this poem and made everything clear as day. It really felt like i was in the atmosphere of the poem and can see the golden daffodils fluttering and dancing in the brezze. There seem to be gracious but calm mood.
ReplyDelete-Marcus
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteEdwin M.
ReplyDeleteIn the first poem, the mood of the poem was lonely mood because as i read it, the author is describing himself being lonely and being by himself as he looks at everyone else having fun. And the mood of the second poem is calm because he describe the character as a someone who is happy to see other people and animals having fun.
Marcus; i agree with you the poem had really great detailes & was a clear imagine in my head so yeah kudos to the author!
ReplyDeleteComment by Monica Tolson!
@Roland: I agree that these poems share a lonely mood, especially the second poem. The first poem, I believe, has a mood change, in which the speaker’s tone changes from lonesome to joyful.
ReplyDelete@Marcus: I feel that the dance-like rhythm in the first poem especially adds to our ability to feel a part of the scene. Though, you are right that the imagery does that as well.
@Edwin: I would agree that the poems have a lonely mood, but I believe the speaker in the second poem is upset with the way in which nature is treated. Consider the lines, “Have I not reason to lament / What man has made of man?” He says that he has reason to be sad when he sees what people have done to the world. We are no longer like nature.
@Ms. Burton: I agree Ms. Burton. the second poem does have more of a upset mood. He's saying that because what the people have to the world is no longer like nature and it would make upset as well
ReplyDelete