Question

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

–“I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud,”
William Wordsworth

What is the effect of the repetition of the word gazed in this passage?

The repetition suggests that the speaker wants to pick the flowers.
The repetition emphasizes how captivating the daffodils are to the poem’s speaker.
The repetition draws attention to the speaker’s extreme loneliness

Answer 1

The repetition emphasizes how captivating the daffodils are to the poem’s speaker. It shows prolonged, absorbed attention and wonder rather than action (picking) or emphasizing loneliness.