I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud: John White Alexander

Monday, July 18, 2011

I'm Home

by John White Alexander (American 1856-1915) ~ Sunlight

I am home from a very nice time away house sitting. It was nice to be by myself for a time with all the animals there, four dogs, three cats, and two ponies. I spend time every day with the horses and started the little pony Heidi, so now all the little boys can ride her.
I have only now had time to have a proper look at blogger and all the lovely blogs I follow. I found the above picture on Love for Books where there are allot of beautiful illustrations from books. The painting caught my fancy immediately, I love the skirt of the dress and how the ribbons of light fall across it. The only fault I find with it is her pose my be a little too dramatic or overstated and her face isn't what it could be.
Also this came up in my emails from Poetry Soup and I thought of interest to share with even those who don't write poetry. Who hasn't read at least 95% of them in poetry and prose too?

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.