ENGLISH LITERATURE (CBSE/UGC NET)

Detailed explanation-1: -In the poem Daffodils, the poet William Wordsworth says “I gazed and gazed but little thought what wealth the show to me had brought” because the poet was mesmerised and enchanted by the sight of the vibrant, golden daffodils stretched beside the lake, beneath the trees.

Detailed explanation-2: -Answer. Answer: In the lines ‘I gazed–and gazed–but little thought, What wealth the show to me had brought, ’ the poet refers to the ‘wealth’ of happiness and gaiety that the beautiful daffodils brought to him. This wealth was induced by the joyful memory of the daffodils dancing in the breeze by the lakeside.

Detailed explanation-3: -Stanza Three What wealth the show to me had brought: The speaker liked the “sprightly dance” of the daffodils so much that he, in the third stanza, says that the sparkling waves of a lake beside cannot match their beauty. The waves are sparkling due to the sunlight. This image is contrasted with the dance of daffodils.

Detailed explanation-4: -What wealth the show to me had brought: The repetition of “gaze” tells us that he kept looking at the flowers for a long time. It’s as if the speaker enjoys looking at these daffodils at the time, but doesn’t realize exactly how great of a gift he has just received with this vision.

Detailed explanation-5: -c) What does the poet mean when he uses the word ‘wealth’? Ans – By using the word wealth, the poet wishes to convey that the sight of the daffodils was a rich experience that not only made him happy then but even later on whenever he recollected those memories. It was more valuable than any material gain.