SHE+DWELT+AMONG+THE+UNTRODDEN+WAYS

SHE DWELT AMONG THE UNTRODDEN WAYS **//by: William Wordsworth (1770-1850) //**               HE 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 <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;">When Lucy ceased to be; <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;">But she is in her grave, and, oh, <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">The difference to me! <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">**Summary** The poem is about three main subject matters. Loneliness is evident as the poet describes her living in a place 'untrodden' (somewhere no on else is or has been), while 'Beside the springs of Dove' conveys a beautiful image of nature. The poem mourns the death of Lucy, who has 'ceased to be' and the poet imagines her in 'her grave'. Therefore, the poem is about loneliness, the beauty of nature and death.

In the first stanza, Wordsworth describes the isolated, untouched and beautiful place where Lucy lived. He shows that her beauty mainly went un-noticed. In the second stanza, he compares her shy beauty to a hidden flower. This shows her innocence. He compares her innocence, aloneness and purity to a single star. This is probably Venus, which appears alone after sunset. In the third stanza, Wordsworth shows that Lucy was unknown and died young. Her death is a cause of deep personal grief to Wordsworth.