DAFFODILS I WANDERED LONELY AS A CLOUD • This poem was written by William Wordsworth in 1804 and published in 1807. It tells the experience of a walk the poet went for with his sister, near their home in the Lake District. • 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. • Vagabondavo da solo come una nuvola che fluttua in alto sopra le valli e le colline quando improvvisamente vidi una folla, una schiera di giunchiglie dorate, vicino al lago, al di sotto degli alberi, ondeggianti e danzanti nella brezza. • 1) What are the verbs in the first stanza? • 2) Why does the poet use the simple past? • 3) What is the predominant colour that you can imagine? • 4) What is the simile? • 5) What is the rhyme? • 6) How many daffodils are there? • 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. • Continue come le stelle che risplendono e scintillano nella Via Lattea, si estendevano in una linea senza fine lungo il margine della baia: ne ho viste 10.000 con un’occhiata che scuotevano le loro teste in un’allegra danza. • • • • • • 1) What are the verbs in the second stanza? 2) Why does the poet use the simple past? 3) What is the simile? 4) What is the rhyme? 5) What colours can you imagine? 6) What are the daffodils doing? • 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: • Le onde accanto a loro danzavano; ma i fiori superavano le onde spumeggianti in allegria. Un poeta non poteva che non essere felice in una tale compagnia giocosa. Io fissavo e fissavo ma pensavo poco a quale ricchezza lo spettacolo mi aveva dato. • • • • • 1) What are the verbs in the third stanza? 2) Why does the poet use the simple past? 3) What were the waves doing? 4) What was the poet like? 5) What is the rhyme? • 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. • perché spesso, quando sono sdraiato sul mio divano in uno stato d’animo ozioso e pensieroso, esse appaiono (improvvisamente) in quell’occhio interiore che è la beatitudine della solitudine, e allora il mio cuore si riempie di piacere e danza con le giunchiglie. • • • • • 1) What are the verbs? 2) Why does the poet use the simple present? 3) What is the rhyme? 4) What is the poet doing? 5) What is the poet like? • The poem was inspired by the sight of a field full of golden daffodils waving in the wind. The key of the poem is joy, as we can see from the many words which express pleasure and delight: in fact the daffodils are golden, waving in a sprightly dance. They provide a jocund company and the sight of them fills the poet’s heart with pleasure. Classe 3B • Prof.ssa Maria Antonietta Cirminiello