Poems
Daffodil
Gold tassel upon March’s bugle-horn,
Whose blithe reveille blows from hill to hill
And every valley rings–O Daffodil!
What promise for the season newly born?
Shall wave on wave of flow’rs, full tide of corn,
O’erflow the world, then fruited Autumn fill
Hedgerow and garth? Shall tempest, blight, or chill
Turn all felicity to scathe and scorn?
Tantarrara! the joyous Book of Spring
Lies open, writ in blossoms; not a bird
Of evil augury is seen or heard:
Come now, like Pan’s old crew, we’ll dance and sing,
Or Oberon’s: for hill and valley ring
To March’s bugle-horn,–Earth’s blood is stirred.
Whose blithe reveille blows from hill to hill
And every valley rings–O Daffodil!
What promise for the season newly born?
Shall wave on wave of flow’rs, full tide of corn,
O’erflow the world, then fruited Autumn fill
Hedgerow and garth? Shall tempest, blight, or chill
Turn all felicity to scathe and scorn?
Tantarrara! the joyous Book of Spring
Lies open, writ in blossoms; not a bird
Of evil augury is seen or heard:
Come now, like Pan’s old crew, we’ll dance and sing,
Or Oberon’s: for hill and valley ring
To March’s bugle-horn,–Earth’s blood is stirred.
Analysis (ai): The daffodil functions as a herald of seasonal change, aligned with martial and musical motifs like the “bugle-horn” and “reveille,” suggesting a ceremonial awakening of nature rather than a passive blooming.
- Tone and Structure: A shift from questioning doubt in the octave to exuberant affirmation in the sestet mirrors the sonnet’s traditional volta, though the rhyme scheme loosens slightly, reflecting a move toward lyrical freedom common in Victorian adaptations of form.
- Mythological Allusion: References to Pan and Oberon position the scene within a pantheistic, almost pagan framework, distancing it from typical Christian or sentimental nature tropes in mid-Victorian poetry.
- Contrast with Author’s Other Works: Unlike Allingham’s more melancholic or socially grounded lyrics, this poem embraces a rare, sustained optimism, aligning it more closely with his folk-inspired ballads than his narrative or satirical pieces.
- Historical Context: While contemporaries like Tennyson or the Brownings favored psychological depth or dramatic monologue, this poem leans into musicality and pastoral celebration, echoing a pre-Romantic sensibility more than the introspective trend of the 1860s–70s.
- Engagement with Convention: The sonnet form here is employed loosely—accentual variations and playful interjections like “Tantarrara!” subvert expectations, suggesting a lighter, almost carnivalesque take on a traditionally serious structure.
- Less-Discussed Angle: Rather than reading the daffodil as a symbol of isolated beauty (as in Wordsworth), the poem treats it as part of a collective, almost militarized natural force, implying order and communal energy over individual epiphany.
- Place in Author’s Oeuvre: Among Allingham’s lesser-known lyrics, this stands out for its rhythmic boldness and mythic scope, serving as a bridge between Irish folk rhythms and English Romantic conventions without aligning fully with either.
William Allingham (19 March 1824 – 18 November 1889) was an Irish poet, diarist and editor. He wrote several volumes of lyric verse, and his poem “The Faeries” was much anthologised. But he is better known for his posthumously published Diary, in which he records his lively encounters with Tennyson, Carlyle and other writers and artists. His wife, Helen Allingham, was a well-known artist, watercolourist and illustrator.
