Notesaboutthispoem:

　　1.Wordsworthmadeuseofthedescriptioninhissister'sdiary,aswellas

　　ofhismemoryofthedaffodilsinGowbarrowPark,byUllswater.Cf.Dorothy

　　Wordsworth'sJournal,April15,1802:"Ineversawdaffodilssobeautiful.

　　Theygrewamongthemossystones...;somerestedtheirheadsuponthese

　　stones,asonapillowforweariness;andtheresttossedandreeledand

　　danced,andseemedasiftheyverilylaughedwiththewind,thatblewupon

　　themoverthelake;theylookedsogay,everglancing,everchanging."

　　2.'Theyflashuponthatinwardeye...':Wordsworthsaidthatthesewere

　　thetwobestlinesinthepoemandthattheywerecomposedbyhiswife.

　　BiographyandAssessment:

　　WordsworthwasbornintheLakeDistrictofnorthernEngland[...]The

　　naturalsceneryoftheEnglishlakescouldterrifyaswellasnurture,as

　　Wordsworthwouldlatertestifyintheline"Igrewupfosteredalikeby

　　beautyandbyfear,"butitsgenerallybenignaspectgavethegrowingboy

　　theconfidencehearticulatedinoneofhisfirstimportantpoems,"Lines

　　ComposedaFewMilesAboveTinternAbbey...,"namely,"thatNature

　　neverdidbetraytheheartthatlovedher."

　　[...]

　　Wordsworthmovedonin1787toSt.John'sCollege,Cambridge.Repelledby

　　thecompetitivepressuresthere,heelectedtoidlehiswaythroughthe

　　university,persuadedthathe"wasnotforthathour,norforthatplace."

　　Themostimportantthinghedidinhiscollegeyearswastodevotehis

　　summervacationin1790toalongwalkingtourthroughrevolutionary

　　France.Therehewascaughtupinthepassionateenthusiasmthatfollowed

　　thefalloftheBastille,andbecameanardentrepublicansympathizer.

　　[...]

　　ThethreeorfouryearsthatfollowedhisreturntoEnglandwerethe

　　darkestofWordsworth'slife.Unpreparedforanyprofession,rootless,

　　virtuallypenniless,bitterlyhostiletohisowncountry'soppositionto

　　theFrench,heknockedaboutLondoninthecompanyofradicalslike

　　WilliamGodwinandlearnedtofeelaprofoundsympathyfortheabandoned

　　mothers,beggars,children,vagrants,andvictimsofEngland'swarswho

　　begantomarchthroughthesombrepoemshebeganwritingatthistime.

　　Thisdarkperiodendedin1795,whenafriend'slegacymadepossible

　　Wordsworth'sreunionwithhisbelovedsisterDorothy--thetwowerenever

　　againtoliveapart--andtheirmovein1797toAlfoxdenHouse,near

　　Bristol.ThereWordsworthbecamefriendswithafellowpoet,SamuelTaylor

　　Coleridge,andtheyformedapartnershipthatwouldchangebothpoets'

　　livesandalterthecourseofEnglishpoetry.

　　[...]

　　ThroughalltheseyearsWordsworthwasassailedbyviciousandtireless

　　criticalattacksbycontemptuousreviewers;nogreatpoethaseverhadto

　　endureworse.Butfinally,withthepublicationofTheRiverDuddonin

　　1820,thetidebegantoturn,andbythemid-1830shisreputationhadbeen

　　establishedwithbothcriticsandthereadingpublic.

　　Wordsworth'slastyearsweregivenoverpartlyto"tinkering"hispoems,