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WILLIAM WORDSWORTH (part 2)

daffodils









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A. Listen to the poem and read it.

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.

o'er vales: over the valleys
host: large number
fluttering: moving quickly like a bird's wings
tossing: moving up and down or from side to side
sprightly: energetic
out-did: did better
glee: happiness, excitement
gay: happy, excited
jocund: happy and cheerful
gazed: looked attentively for a long time
oft: often
couch: sofa
in vacant or in pensive mood: not thinking about anything or thinking deeply about something
inward: inner, inside
bliss: complete happiness
solitude: the state of being completely alone

B. Answer the questions.

  1. Where is the poet in the first stanza and what is he doing? Is he alone or in company?
  2. What does he suddenly come across?
  3. Find references in the poem to the colour, the location, number and movement of the daffodils.
  4. What is the poet's reaction to the scene?
  5. Where is the poet in the fourth stanza and what is he doing?
  6. What is the poet's mood in the fourth stanza? Why and how does it change?
  7. Find a simile in the first stanza. What state of mind is the poet in?
  8. Find the words in the description of daffodils in the first stanza that contrast with the poet's description.
  9. Find a simile in the second stanza. Why does the poet use this comparison?
  10. Find examples of personification in the second and third stanzas. What is the movement of the daffodils compared to?
  11. Find three synonyms in the third stanza for 'happy' and 'happiness'. Which other words in the first three stanzas convey the sense of joy?
  12. In which part of the poem does the setting change? How does the tense of the verbs change? Why?
  13. What does the poet mean by the word 'wealth'?
  14. What metaphor does the poet use for human imagination?
  15. Wordsworth's definition of poetry, in Lyrical Ballads' preface, is: "the spontaneous overflow of feelings and emotions recollected in tranquility." How is this definition connected with the poem you've read?
  16. What is the main idea of the poem?
spontaneous: happening without being planned or thought about;
overflow: a very strong emotion (something flows over the top because there is too much of something);
tranquility: calm

C. Think of a natural setting which you particularly liked and write its short description with an account of emotions it stirs up in you.




Скачать: Wordsworth's poems (part 2)

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