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;
These lines are quoted from "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" composed by William Wordsworth who initiated the revival of
romanticism in 1798, through the publication of "Lyrical Ballads"
These lines refer to Wordsworth's poetic theory that a poem is the "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings...... recollected in tranquillity" and to his belief in nature's healing power.
This poem reflects Wordsworth's poetic theory. Wordsworth believed that a poet should have a very sensitive mind so that he would be able to respond to his surrounding instantly. He also believed that nature had healing power and it could bring solace to an afflicted man whenever he needed it. In this poem the speaker experienced a happy sight of the daffodils in the past. He was then deeply moved by the joyous dancing of the flowers. In fact, he shared the joy of those flowers, taking them as a "jocund company". Later on, whenever, he becomes gloomy, the happy sight returns to his mind and relieves him of his pensive mood. In addition to this communion between nature and man, these lines also suggest Wordsworth's belief that the past experience spontaneously flows out in the shape of a poem. The speaker's past experience of the daffodils here flashes upon his inward eye and when it is put in language it has become a poem.
