[1]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;
[5]Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
In line 3, the poet says, "When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils;" Meaning he saw a field of daffodils; they were "Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze" So the use of the word "dance" in this line means that the daffodils waving in the breeze of the wind. Dance is just another, more fantasy-like word.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
[10]Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance
In line 2, the poet is saying that the stars were twinkling, when he says that they were, "Tossing their heads in sprightly dance" They probably appeared to be twinkling.
The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
[15]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:
In line one, when the poet says, "The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee" He is saying that the waves splashed in an elegant way, since they were elegantly splashing, it is only natural that they appear to be "dancing"
For oft, when on my couch I lie
[20]In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
"And then my heart with pleasure fills, And dances with the daffodils" The poet is saying that, seeing all of this beautiful activity going on before his eyes, his heart is "dancing" just as the daffodils were in the beginning. It brings him happiness to see nature this way.
In each instance, what does the use of the word "dance" reveal about Wordsworth's view of nature? I think that the use of dancing by the author, means that he views nature as peaceful and dream-like. Dancing creates a tone in the poem, making it feel as though we are living in a dream.