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Do you like the Beauty of Romantic Poetry

Sarah SoonPoetry, Writing

Lately, my husband and I have been reading poetry together. Usually at the dinner table. We take turns reading a short poem out loud.

Poetry is the language of symbols. Depending on the type, it can elicit violent feelings and emotions. Or linger into your soul like a melancholy thought. Or it can inspire with its beauty and rhythm.

And it’s a great challenge as we tackle it like deciphering code. The more I study it, the more I get clarity. And often times, deeper meanings appear from the shadows.

We are currently reading the first-generation British Romantics: Wordsworth, Coleridge, and Blake.

Since we’re focusing on William Wordsworth, I wanted to share his poem, “I wandered Lonely as a Cloud.” I enjoy the juxtaposition of moods: lonely, solitude, jocund company, vacant, pensive, bliss, pleasure. These contrasts make the discovery of the playful, dancing daffodils more pronounced as I feel their magical, carefree presence.

Even when the wanderer was feeling melancholy and alone, the daffodils incited a more playful and childlike manner. Yes, that’s often the beauty of nature. Its simplicity and beauty can inspire and alter emotions. Remind us of the world dancing and breathing life around us.

Enjoy this poem.

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.
beauty-art-Romantics-poetry
This poem reminds me of the melancholy atmosphere during COVID especially the beginning months when non-essential businesses and churches were closed. Robert and I would take long walks. We’d feel refreshed by the breeze, trees, and wildflowers around us. Even though we were social distanced from our friends and family, at least, we could have full access to nature and it’s life. And it felt grounding to have this normalcy in the midst of the unexpected.
What stands out to you in this poem? Please share in Comments blow. Thank you. 

Featured Photo by Eric Ward on Unsplash