William Wordsworth - An A-Z post

Picture from www.bbc.co.uk

William Wordsworth is the first poet to be studied in this course. His name is synonymous with the Lake District, and Dove Cottage in particular is where he spent much of his writing career. This little cottage near Grasmere is now a museum, along with Rydal Mount where Wordsworth lived until his death in 1850.

A poet of the Romantic period, Wordsworth's style included dramatising the figure of the poet in his work, and using the solace of memory as the foundation of identity.

One of his most famous pieces is the 'Daffodils' poem, which at first glance would appear to be a spontaneous recollection of a singular experience. Background reading around this subject however reveals that this may not be wholly the case, and his sister Dorothy kept meticulous journals of their walks and journeys together. It is thought these journals were used to inspire and refresh Wordsworths own memories of experiences so that he could turn them into something poetic.

Dorothy's journals were kept private for many years, at the time a womans writing wouldn't have had anywhere near the recognition that William received for his poetry. Some of her journals have now been published though and it is clear that she must have had some influence on her brothers work.


Daffodils

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. 

Poem taken from http://www.poemhunter.com




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This post is part of the A-Z Blogging Challenge. To get involved and check out other blogs taking part just click here. You won't be disappointed!


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