Sir Simon Russell Beale recites Wordsworth’s ‘I wandered lonely as a cloud’ (aka ‘Daffodils’)
Sir Simon Russell Beale, ‘the finest actor of his generation’ recites Wordsworth’s masterpiece, commonly known as ‘Daffodils’. This utterly brilliant ‘lockdown’ interpretation of the poem was recorded during the summer of 2020 for the FT Weekend Festival, in a poetry event called ‘Nature as Salve’, which was curated by Simon and Allie. The poem appears in Allie’s anthology, “A Poem for Every Night of the Year”.
The film was directed by Juliet Riddell, filmed and edited by Joe Fletcher.
Simon Russell Beale together with Helena Bonham Carter read all the poems on the bestselling audiobook, A Poem for Every Day of the Year, with introductions to each poem read by Allie Esiri. Available on Audible, iTunes and CD.
‘I wandered lonely as a cloud’ is perhaps the most famous poem by William Wordsworth. Wordsworth is regarded as a member of the Romantic movement in English poetry — a movement which celebrated the beauty of nature. This poem opens with a multitude of natural images: clouds, vales, hills, and — most famously — daffodils. While Wordsworth talks at length on the sight of the daffodils, he never mentions their smell. This is unsurprising, as Wordsworth actually suffered from anosmia and had barely any sense of smell at all!
I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud
by 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.
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