Question

Explain the following:
They flash upon that inward eye Which is the bliss of solitude;

Answer 1

Whenever the poet gets in a pensive mood, the image of the daffodils “flashes” through his mind. The “inward eye” or his imagination expresses what Wordsworth felt to be a deeper, truer spiritual vision. A person cannot share his or her own spiritual vision completely with others, and so it is a form of “solitude.” But its truth and beauty make it “blissful.” When the memory of the flowers and the lake flashes into his head, he feels happy again. It’s almost like the same experience he had while “wandering” through nature at the beginning of the poem, when the real daffodils pushed the loneliness out of his head.The memory of the daffodils is as good as the real thing. His heart is set to dancing, just like the flowers. He dances along “with” them – they are his cheerful companions once again.