Audiobook · read by volunteers
I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud
William Wordsworth (1770–1850)
Read by Annie Coleman Rothenberg, Dilini Jayasinghe, Deborah Stafford, Graham Williams, JemmaBlythe, Jacqueline Pulliam, Kymm Zuckert, Fox in the Stars, Martin Clifton · 9 chapters · 13 min
About the book
I wandered lonely as a cloud: few opening lines in English are as familiar. William Wordsworth’s poem describes a walk, a sudden sight of daffodils beside a lake, and the quiet way that memory turns a passing pleasure into lasting riches. It is a simple scene, but the poem wraps it in a feeling of joy that never quite fades. In this collection, nine volunteers read the poem in turn, each in a distinct voice and each with a different way of lingering over the dancing flowers or the moment of reflection at the end. The recordings were made for a weekly poetry project in the spring. Together they last only about twelve minutes, a short walk in sound. Listen to one, or to all nine, and notice what changes each time.
Introduction
William Wordsworth (1770–1850) was one of the central figures of English Romanticism. With Samuel Taylor Coleridge he published Lyrical Ballads in 1798, a collection that helped to change the direction of English poetry by taking ordinary life and natural scenes as its subject. Later he became Poet Laureate. The poem is among the most frequently anthologised in English, partly because its message is so clear: that a moment of beauty can be stored and drawn on later, when the world seems less kind.
I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud, sometimes known as Daffodils, is among his most famous works. It is built from four stanzas. The speaker describes coming upon a host of golden daffodils beside a lake and under the trees, fluttering and dancing in the breeze. In the final stanza he reflects that the memory of the sight returns when he lies on his couch in vacant or pensive mood, and fills his heart with pleasure. The poem is direct, musical and memorable, and has become a symbol of the Lake District, where Wordsworth lived.
This recording is a multi-version project. LibriVox volunteers recorded nine separate readings of the poem for the weekly poetry project of 14 May 2006, chosen because spring flowers come and go quickly while the blessings they give last. There are nine short chapters and about twelve minutes of listening in all.
Hearing the poem in several voices brings out its rhythm and its unexpected depth. It is a pleasant companion for a spring walk, or for any day that needs a little light.
Public domain
William Wordsworth died in 1850: the work is in the public domain in Switzerland, more than 70 years after the author’s death.
The LibriVox volunteers dedicated this recording to the public domain.
Sources : LibriVox page · Files at the Internet Archive · Original text