"She Dwelt among the Untrodden Ways" by William Wordsworth

William Wordsworth was an English poet who lived from 1770 to 1850. A notable experience in his younger life was the death of his mother at age 8, an experience that arguably affected some of his later works. One might even see a correlation between the death and the poem below, as you will see.

     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!  

     The speaker in this poem, not necessarily Wordsworth, uses his tone and style to show his feelings for the deceased woman, Lucy. He shows sincere grief along with admiration of her simple yet beautiful existence. It is clear that the narrator misses Lucy, although it is unclear what kind of relationship he had with her. With knowledge of the author the reader might infer that this is a poem about Wordsworth's mother, who died when he was eight. However, one cannot infer that the speaker is the same person or has the same ideals as the author. While we cannot assume anything about Wordsworth, we can assume some things about the speaker, namely that he misses Lucy and that he thinks very highly of her. Using the metaphor of a small flower he characterizes her as a hidden treasure, something he regrets that more people didn’t appreciate while she was alive. He goes on to say that nobody really knows when she died, further removing her from society. After more careful analysis we get the idea that the narrator himself does not know Lucy personally, but that she is a sort of figure of influence on him. Because she passed away, he is affected greatly, although she did not directly relate to his life. Here we see a story that mirrors Wordsworth and his mother, where the same feelings are being portrayed. Although it is unfair to assume this from the beginning, it becomes clear that his mother did have some influence on this poem.