Today’s poem is “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” by William Wordsworth from the anthology, The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Volume 2. The book is available for purchase here.
I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud by William Wordsworth
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.
Prompts:
1. Begin with “I saw a crowd…” 2. Begin with “A poet could not…” 3. Make a list of what you have on your mind or tasks. Go for a walk. When finished, make a list of what you noticed. Draft a poem combining the 2 lists. 4. Draft a poem prompted by a flower.
5. Photo by Jacek Mleczek via pexels.com. Use this image as a writing prompt.
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