I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud by William Wordsworth Feature Menu Introducing the Poem Literary Focus: Rhythm and Meter

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud by William Wordsworth

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud Introducing the Poem Click here to listen to the first stanza.

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud Introducing the Poem In this poem the speaker describes a memorable, inspiring moment in which he connected deeply with nature. The opening lines compare the speaker, in his solitary strolling, to a drifting cloud. The solitude is broken when the speaker notices some daffodils “dancing in the breeze.” [End of Section]

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud Literary Focus: Rhythm and Meter Rhythm—repetition of sound patterns. Rhythm is what gives poetry its musical quality. Meter—regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry. You can hear meter just as you can hear the steady beat of a heart.

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud Literary Focus: Rhythm and Meter Scanning To describe a poem’s meter, you scan the poem. Read the poem aloud and listen for the beat. Mark the stressed syllables with the symbol (′) and the unstressed syllables with the symbol (˘). It was many and many a year ago, from “Annabel Lee” by Edgar Allan Poe ˘ ′

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud Literary Focus: Rhythm and Meter Read Wordsworth’s poem aloud to scan it. What pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables can you identify? I wandered lonely as a cloud That floats on high o’er vales and hills ˘ ′ [End of Section]

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud Background This poem captures with enormous precision a special moment that occurred two hundred years ago—on April 15, 1802, to be precise. We can be precise because there was another witness to that miracle—the poet’s sister, Dorothy, also a wonderful writer—who captured the very same scene in her journal. [End of Section]

Quickwrite

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud Quickwrite Make the Connection Recall a scene you once saw that made a strong impression on you. Perhaps it was the earth seen from a plane window, the ocean just before a storm, the desert at night, or a sky filled with migrating birds. Close your eyes, and be there again. Make notes about what you see. [End of Section]

Meet the Writer

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud Meet the Writer Born in 1770 in northern England, William Wordsworth was the second of five children. His mother died when he was seven years old. After his father’s death six years later, William and his three brothers were sent to a grammar school in the village of Hawkshead, in the heart of the Lake District. At Hawkshead, Wordsworth was allowed to explore the countryside after completing his lessons, and he developed a deep love of nature. More About the Writer [End of Section]