Lucy (by William Wordsworth)
“She Dwelt among the Untrodden Ways” is a 12-line ballad written in 1798 by
William Wordsworth, one of the founding figures of the English Romantic
movement. In the poem, an unidentified speaker mourns the loss of Lucy, a young
woman who died young in the English countryside and whose beauty and virtue
were overlooked in life. The poem is one of five in a group critics refer to as the
“Lucy Poems,” all but one of which mention Lucy by name — though
Wordsworth never acknowledged their connection and was notably quiet on who
Lucy might have referred to.
She lived in a remote place where few people ever ventured, near the source of
the Dove River in central England. She was a young, unmarried woman who
didn’t get the appreciation she deserved in life, and whom very few people loved.
She was like a violet next to a big mossy stone, the result of which was that her
delicate beauty was often obscured by bigger, more obvious things—it was hard
to fully see and understand her. She was as beautiful as a star when it is the only
one to appear in the evening sky.
This young woman was unknown by people when she lived, and therefore few
people noticed when this woman, whose name was Lucy, died. Nevertheless, she
is dead and buried in the earth—and, I must admit, it has had a serious
emotional impact on me.
Detailed Analysis
The first stanza describes the area in which Lucy (“She”) lived. This rural
scenery is described as a locus amoenus, an idealized beautiful place. From the
first line, the lyrical voice refers to a “She”, his/her loved one that will later
acquire a name (“Lucy”). Notice how it is described that she “dwelt”, meaning
that she lived there in the past. Although this rural scenery is described as idyllic
and magnificent place (“among the untrodden ways/Beside the springs of
Dove”), Lucy was alone and there was no one to praise her and to love her (A
Maid whom there were none to praise/ And very few to love”). The first line,
which serves also as the title of the poem, suggests that Lucy lived both
physically and spiritually unrevealed and distant.
The second stanza focuses on nature. As a representative Romanic device, the
lyrical voice compares the beauty of nature to the grace of Lucy. She is likened
to “A violet by a mossy stone/ Half hidden from the eye” and to a fair star “when
only one/Is shining in the sky”. These comparisons serve to exemplify Lucy as an
embodiment of all beauty. Notice how her description is made by an economic
use of words, as they depict Lucy’s simplicity by using short, straightforward,
everyday words. This word usage creates a meaningful and powerful poetry that
emphasizes on passionate feelings of love and grief.
The final stanza serves as an antithesis. The lyrical voice accentuates her
isolation: “She lived unknown, and few could know/ When Lucy ceased to be;”.
The poem follows a cyclical pattern. Notice how this stanza repeats the
characterization of Lucy as distant and unknown (like in the first stanza).
Moreover, this cycle is also related to the movement between growth and death
(In the first stanza she is presented as alive, whereas in the last stanza the lyrical
voice talks about her death). This cyclical form conveys great dramatic intensity.
Lucy’s death is expressed with great sadness: “But she is in her grave, and, oh”.
Love is asserted by the lyrical voice’s exclamation of difference (“The difference
to me!”). The lyrical voice, dissimilarly from others, feels that he/she is unlike
he/she was before because he/she could love her passionately, and that changed
him/her. This “difference” functions powerfully trough understatement, and
establishes a dramatic ending for the poem. Notice how, throughout the poem,
the lyrical voice focuses on his experience and how Lucy affected him/her rather
than his/her beloved one herself (this is another recurrent characteristic of the
Romantic Movement).
