LUCY by: William Wordsworth (1770-1850) I.

STRANGE fits of passion have I known: And I will dare to tell, But in the lover's ear alone, What once to me befell. When she I loved look'd every day Fresh as a rose in June, I to her cottage bent my way, Beneath an evening moon. Upon the moon I fix'd my eye, All over the wide lea; With quickening pace my horse drew nigh Those paths so dear to me. And now we reach'd the orchard-plot; And, as we climb'd the hill, The sinking moon to Lucy's cot Came near and nearer still. In one of those sweet dreams I slept, Kind Nature's gentlest boon! And all the while my eyes I kept On the descending moon. My horse moved on; hoof after hoof He raised, and never stopp'd: When down behind the cottage roof, At once, the bright moon dropp'd. What fond and wayward thoughts will slide Into a lover's head! 'O mercy!' to myself I cried, 'If Lucy should be dead!' II. SHE dwelt among the untrodden ways Beside the springs of Dove, A Maid whom there were none to praise And very few to love: A violet by a mossy stone Half hidden from the eye! Fair as a star, when only one Is shining in the sky. She lived unknown, and few could know When Lucy ceased to be; But she is in her grave, and oh, The difference to me! III. ITRAVELL'D among unknown men, In lands beyond the sea; Nor, England! did I know till then What love I bore to thee. 'Tis past, that melancholy dream! Nor will I quit thy shore A second time; for still I seem To love thee more and more. Among the mountains did I feel The joy of my desire; And she I cherish'd turn'd her wheel Beside an English fire. Thy mornings show'd, thy nights conceal'd, The bowers where Lucy play'd; And thine too is the last green field That Lucy's eyes survey'd. IV. THREE years she grew in sun and shower; Then Nature said, 'A lovelier flower

On earth was never sown; This child I to myself will take; She shall be mine, and I will make A lady of my own. 'Myself will to my darling be Both law and impulse; and with me The girl, in rock and plain, In earth and heaven, in glade and bower, Shall feel an overseeing power To kindle or restrain. 'She shall be sportive as the fawn That wild with glee across the lawn Or up the mountain springs; And hers shall be the breathing balm, And hers the silence and the calm Of mute insensate things. 'The floating clouds their state shall lend To her; for her the willow bend; Nor shall she fail to see Even in the motions of the storm Grace that shall mould the maiden's form By silent sympathy. 'The stars of midnight shall be dear To her; and she shall lean her ear In many a secret place Where rivulets dance their wayward round, And beauty born of murmuring sound Shall pass into her face. 'And vital feelings of delight Shall rear her form to stately height, Her virgin bosom swell; Such thoughts to Lucy I will give While she and I together live Here in this happy dell.' Thus Nature spake -- The work was done -How soon my Lucy's race was run! She died, and left to me This heath, this calm and quiet scene; The memory of what has been, And never more will be. V. ASLUMBER did my spirit seal; I had no human fears: She seem'd a thing that could not feel The touch of earthly years. No motion has she now, no force; She neither hears nor sees; Roll'd round in earth's diurnal course, With rocks, and stones, and trees. The Lucy poems by William Wordsworth: Quick Facts The Lucy poems are a series of five poems composed by the English Romantic poet William Wordsworth (1770 1850) between 1798 and 1801. In the series, Wordsworth sought to write unaffected English verse infused with abstract ideals of beauty, nature, love, longing and death. Common traits in "Lucy poems": In all of the"Lucy poems Lucy is given the embodiment of lady nature with all her spiritual powers and blessings. She is also depicted heavenly and beyond earthly. Again her memory is a fountain of poets joy. In t he subjective world of Wordsworth, she is indeed the princess. The "Lucy poems" consist of "Strange fits of passion have I known", "She dwelt among the untrodden ways", "I travelled among unknown men", "Three years she grew in sun and shower", and "A slumber did my spirit seal". Identity of Lucy: Wordsworth did not reveal the inspiration for the character of Lucy, and over the years the topic has generated intense speculation among literary historians. Moorman suggests that Lucy may represent Wordsworth's romantic interest Mary Hutchinson, but wonders why she would be represented as one who died. It is possible that Wordsworth was thinking of Margaret Hutchinson, Mary's sister who had died. There is no evidence, however, that the poet loved any of the Hutchinson other than Mary. It is more likely that Margaret's death influenced but is not the foundation for Lucy. Some critics are with the opinion that the series was written for the poet's sister Dorothy. The point of view: The "Lucy poems" are written from the point of view of a lover who has long viewed the object of his affection from afar, and who is now affected by her death. Lucy is Wordsworth's inspiration, and she is presented as an ideal . "Strange fits of passion have I known"

Q What is the significance of the title? Ans: The first sentence which has been chosen as the title implies emotional intensity and the secrecy is shown by the word strange. It shows the negative connotations that something bad is about to happen. Q. What is the significance of moon? Ans: The moon, a symbol of the beloved, sinks steadily as the poem progresses, until its abrupt drop in the penultimate stanza. The speaker links Lucy with the moon is clear, though his reasons are unclear. The moon nevertheless plays a significant role in the action of the poem: as the lover imagines the moon slowly sinking behind Lucy's cottage, he is entranced by its motion. Q. When down behind the cottage roof, At once, the bright moon dropped... Briefly comment on the sudden disappearance of the moon? Ans: The sudden disappearance of the moon stimulates the thought of a possible more grievous disappearance in the narrators mind. The moon is a traditional symbol of change. In the poem the moon is peculiarly fixed in the intensity of the narrators gaze while he rides and ye t it is also oddly mobile as it descends and drops with uncanny speed which is made mysterious by an optical illusion. "She dwelt among the untrodden ways" Q. Where did Lucy live? Ans:"She dwelt among the untrodden ways" presents Lucy as having lived in solitude near the source of the River Dove. It conveys the dignified, unaffected naturalness of Lucy. The isolated and untouched area where Lucy lived proves her innocence and beauty. Q What are symbolic significance of Lucy's "untrodden ways"? Ans: Lucy's "untrodden ways" are symbolic of both her physical isolation and the unknown details of her thoughts and life. It also proves her mysterious state of death or abstracts. Q. A violet by a mosy tone Half hidden from the eye! ---Fair as a star, when only one Is shining in the sky. With which Lucy has been compared to? Ans: With an economy of words the narrator sees the simplicity in Lucy in a pair of complementary images. The solitary, hidden violet is she. She is visible as Venus, emblem of love and first star of evening. Wordsworth views her as "the single star, completely domin ating lovers world, not arrogantly like the sun, but sweetly and modestly.Wordsworths Lucy appeals close to the violet and lies in her seclusion and her perceived affinity with nature. "I travelled among unknown men" Q. How is England related to Lucy? Ans:The first two stanzas seem to speak of the poet's personal experience, and a patriotic reading would reflect his appreciation and pride for the English landscape. Lucy only appears in the second half of the poem, where she is linked with the English landscape. As such, it seems as if English nature joins with the narrator in mourning for her, and the reader is drawn into this mutual sorrow. "Three years she grew in sun and shower" Q. Explain the antithetical imagery in Three years she grew in sun and shower. Ans:"Three years she grew in sun and shower" depicts the relationship between Lucy and nature through a complex opposition of images. Antithetical couplings of words"sun and shower", "law and impulse", "earth and heaven", "kindle and restrain" are used to evoke the opposing forces inherent in nature. A conflict between nature and humanity is described, as each attempt to possess Lucy. "A slumber did my spirit seal" Q.What is the meaning of the phrase A slumber did my spirit seal? Ans: The speaker declares that a "slumber" has kept him from realizing reality. In essence, he has been in a dream-like state, devoid of any common fears ("human fears"). To the speaker, "she" (his unnamed female love, Lucy) seemed like she would never age and die. Q. No motion has she now, no force: She neither hears nor sees, Rolled round in earth's diurnal course With rocks and stones and trees. Explain the line. Ans: Here we learn that Lucy has died. She lies still and can no longer see or hear. She has become a part of the day-to-day course of the earth. The speaker describes the young woman trapped beneath the surface of the earth. In fact, she has become a part of the earth, rolling with it as it turns day to day like gravestones and common rocks. Q. Briefy comment on balladic structure of this poem. Ans:"A slumber did my spirit seal" is a ballad, though a very short one. The stanzas follow an abab rhyme scheme, and the first and third lines are in iambic tetrameter, while the second and forth lines are in iambic trimeter. Apa pikiran menyukai dan patuh akan meluncur Ke kepala seorang kekasih! 'O rahmat!' Aku menangis dalam hati, "Jika Lucy harus mati!" II. SHE tinggal di antara cara untrodden