“I Wandered Lonely As a Cloud,” also known as “Daffodils,” the poem by former British Poet Laureate William Wordsworth (1770-1850) read by the President of The Society of Classical Poets, Evan Mantyk, and filmed by Katy Mantyk on May 10, 2020, Mother’s Day.

 

 

Daffodils, or ‘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 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.

 

 

 

 

 

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10 Responses

  1. C.B. Anderson

    Evan,

    You should plant more of them this fall. What’s not mentioned in the poem is that daffodils are bullet-proof — nothing will eat them, and they increase prodigiously in just a few years. The number of varieties of Narcissus available today is simply staggering.

    Reply
  2. Theresa Rodriguez

    Thanks for posting this Evan, I enjoyed hearing (and watching) you read very much!

    Reply
  3. Joseph S. Salemi

    In the author’s name in the illustration, the “s” has been left out of “Wordsworth.” Easy to fix.
    “

    Reply
  4. Alan

    A classic poem—something worthy to be memorized and performed.

    Reply
  5. Peter Hartley

    A very clear and well-read recitation of what must be the most famous two lines in English poetry, ‘pace’ Shakespeare and his sonnets, although God knows why. But then I can’t say I’ve seen many lonely clouds. Still it was good to hear it properly read by someone with good clear pronunciation who is obviously well-practised and knows how to.

    Reply
  6. Sally Cook

    Dear Evan,
    This is one of the first poems my mother read to me as a child. I was astounded and pleased to notice that my mother had noticed a beautiful thing I had seen, and was affected by it to the extent that she wanted me to know about it. The daffodils ended by becoming one strand of that bond between mother and child, so appropriate on Mother’s Day.
    Thanks, everyone involved for this gift.

    Reply
  7. Rod Walford

    I really enjoyed your performance Evan – thank you – and the camera work was excellent I thought – particularly at the end where the daffodils bask in their majesty.

    Reply
  8. David Watt

    I could hear every word clearly Evan, and your pace of reading was suitably unhurried. I’m glad you chose a windy day, as the daffodils danced right on cue.

    Reply
  9. Susan Jarvis Bryant

    A beautiful recital of one of my favorite poems and that wonderful glimpse of those jocund daffodils took me straight back to the Lake District of England. Bravo and thank you!

    Reply

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