DAFFODILS FOR HRIDI : SHORT ANSWER-TYPE

Daffodils by Wordsworth

COMPREHENSION I (LINES 1 – 6)

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.

1. Explain with reference to context.

These lines have been taken from the poem ‘Daffodils’ written by William
Wordsworth. The poem expresses Wordsworth’s love for nature and how
his woeful soul sought solace in it.
At the beginning of the poem, the poet is feeling lonely and sad. As he
moves along, he finds a huge area full of daffodils, blowing in the breeze.
The sight of the bright yellow flowers fluttering heads in the wind enlivens
him greatly.

2. Who wandered like a lonely cloud and where?

The poet William Wordsworth wandered like a lonely cloud over the
valleys and hills in the ‘Lake District’ region in England.

3. What did he come across while wandering?

While wandering in the valleys and hills the poet came across a host of
golden daffodils flowers.

4. Where were the daffodils and what were they doing?

The daffodils were occupying a huge area by the side of the lake. Under the
trees they were fluttering in the breeze as if they were dancing like human
beings expressing joy and energy.

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5. Who has been referred to as ‘I’ in the first line of the extract? Where
do you think was he wandering?
The poet William Wordsworth is referred to as 'l' in the first line of the
extract. He was wandering all alone in the woods of the Lake District.

6. What does the poet encounter while wandering? And where?

The poet encountered a large number of golden daffodils. They grew
beneath the trees along the edge of a lake.

7. Why do you think the poet refers to the daffodils as golden?

The daffodils were yellow and they were shining in the sun like gold.

8. Discuss the importance of the following lines with reference to the

poem: “Beside the lake, beneath the trees, / Fluttering and dancing in the
breeze.”
These lines personify the beautiful daffodils. The poet finds the daffodils
growing along the margin of a bay, and they appear to be dancing and
fluttering in the breeze. These lines are important as it was the lively
appearance of the daffodils that captivated the poet.

9. Which figure of speech is used in the following lines? How many

daffodils do you think the poet saw? Give reason for you answer.
“When all at once I saw a crowd, / A host, of golden daffodils,”
The poet has used ‘hyperbole’. He saw a host of daffodils, which, as he
mentioned in the poem, was ten thousand in number. Poetically, it is a
hyperbolic expression. Possibly he might have seen a few hundred of them,
but the hyperbolic expression used in the poem helps to conjure up a scene
of countless daffodils.

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COMPREHENSION II (LINES 7 – 12)

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.

1. Explain with reference to context.

These lines have been taken from the poem ‘Daffodils’ written by William
Wordsworth. The poem expresses Wordsworth’s love for nature and how
his woeful soul sought solace in it.
It seems to the poet that there are countless daffodils just like innumerable
stars twinkling in the sky. Only to express how large the bed of flowers was,
he writes that in a single glance he found ten thousand of daffodils. This
number is impressionistic and it helps to describe the area full of countless
flowers. The daffodils seemed to be dancing in the breeze.

2. What is being compared to the stars and why?

The poet uses a simile to compare the host of golden daffodils to the stars
on the Milky Way. A milky way is a cluster of innumerable stars which
shine brightly across the sky. The poet feels that similarly the uncountable
daffodils are occupying a huge stretch of space. .
As infinite number of stars shine on that cosmic space, so a multitude of
golden daffodils grew along the edge of the lake. The use of such a
comparison has heightened the poetic effect.

3. How many did the poet see at a glance?

The poet wrote that he saw possibly ten thousand at a glance.

4. What were the daffodils doing? Which literary device is used here?
The daffodils were dancing merrily in the breeze. The poet is using
personification here when he compares the waving of the daffodils to
dancing human figures.
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5. What is the Milky Way? Why is it referred to in the extract?

Milky Way is a galaxy of stars that stretches like a band across the sky. It is
referred to in the extract to compare the infinite number of stars to the
countless number of daffodils.

6. What is meant by the margin of the bay?

The margin of the bay means the edge of the lake.

7. Briefly describe the musical quality of the extract.

‘Daffodils’ is a lyric poem by William Wordsworth. Each line consists of
eight syllables and the rhyme scheme is ababcc. Soft consonants have been
used which gives a musical effect when read aloud.

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COMPREHENSION III (LINES 13 – 18)

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:

1. Explain with reference to context.

These lines have been taken from the poem ‘Daffodils’ written by William
Wordsworth. The poem expresses Wordsworth’s love for nature and how
his woeful soul sought solace in it.
It was a fascinating sight to look at. The waves of the lake were reflecting
light too, but the poet found that even those sparkling waves could not
match up to the daffodils joyfully fluttering in the breeze. The poet was
ecstatic in such jubilant company. He kept looking at them, but at that time
he did not think much on the impact the sight of daffodils would eventually
have on his mind.

2. Which wealth is referred to by the poet? Explain how the wealth

was brought to the poet?
The wealth that is referred to by the poet is the wealth of beauty and
happiness. The scene of a host of golden daffodils by the side of the lake left
a deep sense of joy in the mind of the poet. It was not just momentary but
stayed with him forever. So, this is fondly referred to here as ‘wealth’.
The wealth was brought to the poet when he suddenly encountered a host
of golden daffodils, waving in the breeze along the margin of a lake.

3. Whom did the daffodils outdo and how?

The daffodils outdid the shiny waves on the lake. The flowers, fluttering
and tossing their heads in the breeze, seemed to be dancing in sheer joy.
While the waves just rippled and sparkled, the floral dance was more
energetic and expressive. This is how the daffodils outdid the waves.

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4. Which jocund company is the poet referring to?

The poet is referring to the jocund company of the host of golden daffodils
dancing in joy by the side of the lake. Along with them the sparkling waves
in the lake too were dancing. He observes that such a sight, consisting of
shining daffodils and the gleaming waves, would inevitably make a poet
feel happy.

5. What is meant by jocund company? Which jocund company is the

poet referring to? Why does the poet find it jocund?
A jocund company means a happy and elated companionship.
The poet found himself in the jocund company of golden daffodils and
dancing waves.
They all were jocund because they were not static, but kept on moving
merrily without any pause.

6. What is the mood of the poet in the above extract? Which lines tell
you so? Why is he in such a mood?
The poet is in a happy mood. The lines 'A poet could not but be gay / In
such a jocund company' reveal that he was elated. The daffodils and the
waves were happy and their happiness made its way into the heart of the
poet. It made him joyful too.

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COMPREHENSION IV (LINES 19 – 24)

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.

1. Explain with reference to context.

These lines have been taken from the poem ‘Daffodils’ written by William
Wordsworth. The poem expresses Wordsworth’s love for nature and how
his woeful soul sought solace in it.
In the final stanza, the poet realises how deeply the flowers have affected
him. Often, when he is lying alone on his couch, either in a vacant mind or
thoughtful. During those moments the memory of the dancing daffodils
comes back to him. For him, this particular scene is a secret source of joy
that makes his heart dance with those countless flowers.

2. What happens to the poet when he is sometime in a pensive mood?

Whenever the poet is alone, lying on his couch, either in blank or pensive
state of mind, the happy memories of the jubilant daffodil flowers reappear
on his inner eye of imagination. It lifts his spirit and rejuvenates him too.

3. What is the bliss of solitude referred to here?

The ‘bliss of solitude’, as described by the poet, is a particular state of mind
that is happy and blissful. When the poet remains alone, in a sad or pensive
mind, he gets a flashing sight of countless golden daffodils waving in the
breeze. Once it was beautiful scenery that he came across. Later, it became
a happy and uplifting memory that would make his lone and gloomy
moments blissful. This is the ‘bliss of solitude’ referred to here.

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4. What does he mean by the ‘inward eye’?

The ‘inward eye’ is the vision of the poet’s imagination that draws upon his
memory. When he is far away from those daffodils, he can still re-visit them
within his soul. So, ‘inward eye’ refers to this inner vision of the poet.
5. Explain the transition from poet’s pensive mood to his heart filled
with joy.
When the poet is lying alone on the couch in a sad or thoughtful mood, the
memory of the dancing daffodils reappears in his imagination. He feels that
he is in the company of those jubilant flowers. The melancholy of his
lonesome mind vanishes in a jiffy. His heart is filled with joy.

6. Wordsworth says that poetry is “the overflow of feelings arising

from emotions recollected in tranquillity.’ In this context, state how
the poem shows the truth of his statement.
According to Wordsworth, poetry originates from the ‘overflow of feelings’
that has its root in the emotions, ‘recollected in tranquillity’. The present
poem ‘Daffodils’ is a beautiful example of this theory. Once the poet came
across countless daffodils, waving in a breeze. The visual stayed with him
and whenever he is alone in a sad or thoughtful state, the memories of
those daffodils flash upon his inner mind and turn him happy. All these
happen because the poet in a tranquil situation recollects some fond
emotions that lead to an overflowing of joyful feelings. Clearly, such an
intense flow of feelings arising out of emotions recollected in tranquil state
led to the composition of this particular poem.