Ullswater Poems of OldEric

The Daffodils.

Almost everyone is familiar with Wordsworth's famous poem whilst at school and have nostalgic feelings for its beautiful simplistic prose. I too have those same feelings for this beautifully simple poem, but for me it has an extra special significance. For I have walked and stood in the very same spot where Wordsworth stood and walked and I've seen those the self-same short stemmed wild daffodils. We lived on the opposite shore of Lake Ullswater to Wordsworth's daffodils.

Each year when the daffodils flower they take me back in mind to beautiful Ullswater, and then my heart too, with pleasure fills and dances with the daffodils. It is indeed, without doubt my favourite poem.

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 be but gay
Among such jocund company !
I gazed---and gazed---but little thought
What wealth to me the show had brought ;

When oft, upon 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.


Wordsworth wrote many poems prior to and after penning The Daffodils, about 30 in total, I believe, but none of his other works rose to the prominence of the simple "The Daffodils".