William Wordsworth: THE DAFFODILS

1   I wandered lonely as a cloud                   X sound: Daffodils,Derek Godfrey.mp3 
   That floats on high o'er vales and hills,      X sound: Daffodils,Wordsworth.mp3 (W.E.P.)
    When all at once I saw a crowd,              X sound: Daffodils,M.Jackson-style.mp3
    A host, of golden daffodils,                                              
5  Beside the lake, beneath the trees,                            plus: cartoon
     Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

     Continuous as the stars that shine
     And twinkle on the milky way,
     They stretched in never-ending line
10 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:
15 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
20 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.

ANNOTATIONS:

daffodils  [German]: gelbe Narzissen — 2 floats  sails through the air — o'er  over — vales  valleys — 4 host  great number in good order— 6 breeze  light wind — 8 twinkle  shine with changing intensity of light — 10 margin  edge, small strip of land along ... — 12 tossing  throwing up — sprightly   full of life and movement — 14 out-did  did (it) better than ... — sparkling  shining with short sudden brightness — glee  feeling of intense joy — 6 jocund  cheerful — 17 gazed  looked long and steadily — 20 vacant  empty of thoughts — pensive  full of deep thoughts — mood  state of the mind — 21 flash  come as quickly and brightly as lightning — 22 bliss  perfect happiness sent by heaven.

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