Daffodils
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.
Wordsworth made daffodils an icon of the English garden.
Since 1804, William Wordsworth’s poem has echoed this wonderful sight. Nevertheless, the earliest known manuscript of an English garden that includes daffodils was written in 1441. Daffodils speak of spring; of life’s renewal; of the joy and promise of hope. It is no surprise the Cancer Foundations adopts the Daffodil as its iconic symbol.
On my first trip to London, the tour bus left me behind as it sped off to lunch in a local pub. I was so entranced with the sight of golden daffodils peeking through the snow in St. James’ Park, I didn’t give a hoot for lunch.
In New York, great beds of tulips rather than daffodils brighten the streets and the parks.
