Daffodils

- William Wordsworth (1770-1850)

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 the 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.

This is one of my favourite poems, it gives me a sense of peace. Though I always have a feeling of loneliness when I read this but the image of dancing yellow daffodils brings a smile along.