“Dances With The Daffodils”

April is National Poetry Month, so I thought it would be appropriate to share a few of my favorite poems and some reflections on the writing.

When I lived in California, we got a few daffodils in the garden and I always liked these bright, cheery flowers that signal the promise of spring. Here in Virginia, daffodils are more common and are even found in the wooded areas. They aren’t originally native to the area, but early colonial settlers brought them over, and many of the “random” patches in the woods are signs of a house or other settler/structure from decades ago.

One of the battlefields where I help with land management has a special patch of daffodils and I was lucky this year to time a work visit to the perfect week to see the blooms.

Update from 4/11/21 – in the week after putting this post together, I had the opportunity to visit the Edith J. Carrier Arboretum at James Madison University (Harrisonburg, Virginia), and oh my goodness! The daffodil beds were still blooming and I was feeling pretty close to botanical heaven. I’ve added a few more photos…

In this poetry William Wordsworth (1770-1820) describes a hillside of daffodils somewhere in Britain. While I enjoy the description of the flowers, the messages of the poem also resonates with me. Bright gifts in nature can lift the lonely spirits and then the recollections of that beautiful memory continues to add joy to our lives!

I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud

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.

May you have a joyous Easter filled with bright hope! And may we learn to “dance” with delight at the beautiful gifts and sights around us.

Sarah