Episode 109b English Poetry Reading - 'I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud' by William Wordsworth

Today we are reading the William Wordsworth poem 'Daffodils' or 'I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud'. Why? This is one of the most famous British poets and this is his most famous and most loved English poem. If you're coming to the UK or have any interest in British culture, this poem is one you MUST know. Don't worry if poetry isn't interesting to you, or this kind of poetry is overwhelming, I'm going to walk you through it. We'll understand it together. If you'd like to read along with me you can find the poem here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45521/i-wandered-lonely-as-a-cloud As we know from yesterday's episode William was walking with his sister, Dorothy, when they saw this lot of daffodils on the side of the mountain on Ullswater. She wrote a diary entry about it and he wrote a poem. William, is one of the most famous British poets and this probably his most famous poem. In yesterday's podcast I mentioned a few things about William. First of all he is considered a Romantic Poet. Click here: Poetry Foundation where Romanticism (a movement in this time period in the UK and across Europe, not just in poetry but in art and writing too) is described. As the quote says, it's less about 'romance' or love but more about being spontaneous and connected with nature. He was also known as the 'Walking Poet' so it was fitting that he was walking and capturing the spontaneity of nature. Just like these daffodils, unexpected, wild and unpredicted. There are many poets since who walk and are famous for it but he was the first. William was also Poet Laureate for seven years. This is a special title given by the king. There's not really a job to do but the Poet Laureate does usually write poems for special occasions. Let me know your favourite poem (from your country or in your language) and your favourite English poem, if you have one, in the comments. Vocabulary Poetic Licence - (similar to Artistic Licence) this is a phrase we use to describe when poets (or artists) change what they see or the circumstances of an event to make the poem (or artwork) prettier or more effective. both of them were so taken with this little crowd of daffodils - if we are 'taken' with something then we really like it vivid - very clear and bright captivating - attracts and holds interest quite a character - British English, a statement to say that someone as a particular kind of personality, usually is a little quirky or unusual along the margin of the bay - margin means to the side, we have a margin on the paper and in this case it means alongside the bay sprightly - lively and full of energy a poet could not but be gay - it is common to see the word 'gay' used in writing and poetry from this time. It means happy. Over time the word has entirely changed it's meaning and is now almost completely associated with homosexuality. jocund - cheerful and light-hearted. This is a very old fashioned word! I have never seen it used outside this poem and I had to look up how to pronounce it! oft - common use for this time period. It means 'often', never used in Modern English. vacant or pensive mood - so 'vacant' means not there, 'pensive' means waiting and particularly waiting for something bad to happen. So if you're in a 'vacant or pensive mood' then you're not very happy. they flash upon that inward eye - We have a much more common idiom for this idea now: 'in my mind's eye' throw the rules out of the window - this is an idiom often used when we had a set of rules but we're not planning to use them anymore. In this case I mean English has a very long list of rules, but when you read English poetry you will find poets don't seem to have read the rule book. stanza - this word means 'verse' and is used to describe poetry longevity - the lifetime of something or something that has lasted a long time hideous - terrible, very bad, usually referring to how something looks down in the dumps - idiom used to describe feeling sad or depressed