I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud
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.
I remember reading this poem in 8th grade English class, trying to figure out what it meant. For whatever reason, the melancholy words of this poem came back to me today. Recently, I have been plagued by loneliness and rejection. I have been struggling in every aspect of my life, trying to get through homework, work, and everything that is wearing upon me. I feel isolated from the few friends I have and even my family. I have a deep longing for someone to care enough to reach out and ask how I am. I don’t think that these are unique feelings and I am probably not alone in this struggle. Even though our world is more connected than it has ever been, it is a lot easier to feel isolated from human contact. The words of this poem spoke to me, because the narrator compares himself to a cloud. He is floating over a beautiful landscape; being able to observe it, but not be involved in it and being detached. Yet the narrator finds hope in the beauty of his observations. Even though he is not experiencing the beauty at the moment he is recalling it, he is still able to find hope in it. This is beautiful, and as Christians this is applicable to our own lives because we have hope in Christ.
Our God is faithful, Isaiah 41:10 says, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (NIV).
He is also on our side, Romans 8:31-35 says, “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?” (NIV).
We have hope in our God that he will be faithful in our sorrow and loneliness. This won’t change our present circumstances, but we can walk with hope knowing that He will never abandon us. He has chosen us to be His people, and we can rest assured knowing that He is interceding for us at the right hand of the Father. Despite our changing circumstances, friendships, and feeling, He is superior and overshadows all of those things with His power and might. We are able to walk with certainty in this hope laid before us.