This line from "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" is found in this stanza:
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:
The speaker is describing a simple scene in nature. While on a walk, he discovers a "host" of daffodils growing alongside a lake and blowing in the breeze. He pauses life for a moment and soaks up the beautiful glory of the scene: the way the daffodils seem to "dance" in the breeze, the way they "[toss] their heads" during their dance, and the way they stretch out in a stunning line that accentuates the border along the water.
The natural beauty of this scene provides the speaker with immense wealth—but not in a material sense. He later finds that, when he is in a foul mood, he can bring to mind this image of the dancing daffodils bordering the lake on a gorgeous day, and the memory fills his heart with pleasure. The wealth the daffodils bring to the speaker is the power to overcome negative thinking by recalling simple, powerful beauty.
Thursday, November 24, 2016
What is the wealth that the sight brings to the speaker in "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud"?
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