The Lucy Poems Literary Elements

The poems in the collection are narrated by a first-person narrator. As a result of this narration technique, the reader is given an intimate understanding of the speaker's thoughts.

The poems are written in an iambic pentameter. All of the poems have an ABAB rhyme scheme, with the exception of "Three years she grew in sun and shower" which follows an AABCCB rhyme scheme.

"Fresh as a rose in June" in "Strange fits of passion have I known" (simile): In one of many nature comparisons, Lucy is likened to the freshness and vitality of a summer rose. This also suggests her fragility and eventual mortality.

"A violet by a mossy stone" in "She dwelt among the untrodden ways" (metaphor): Lucy is compared to a violet whose beauty is obscured by a stone. In life, beautiful things—or people—may be overshadowed and underappreciated, just as Lucy was.

"Fair as a star" in "She dwelt among the untrodden ways"(simile): Lucy is compared to the loveliest shining star in the sky, further suggesting that she has a celestial quality and is therefore mortal.

"A lovelier flower/ On earth was never sown" in "Three years she grew in sun and shower" (metaphor): A personified nature claims that Lucy is the most beautiful flower on earth.

"Sportive as the fawn" in "Three years she grew in sun and shower" (simile): Lucy's vitality is demonstrated through this image of her leaping freely as a fawn would.

"A second time; for still I seem" in "I travelled among unknown men" (alliteration)--The "s" sound creates a soft, melodic sound that reflects the contentment of the speaker.

"The sinking moon to Lucy's cot/Came near, and nearer still" in "Strange fits of passion have I known" (alliteration): The repeated "s" sound in "sinking," "Lucy," and "still" creates a gentle, harmonious effect.

"In one of those sweet dreams I slept" in "Strange fits of passion have I known" (alliteration): The "s" sound creates a gentle, dreamlike tone once again.

"Hoof after hoof" in "Strange fits of passion have I known" (assonance): The repeated "o" vowel sounds mimic the sound of the horse trotting along.

"Half hidden from the eye" in "She dwelt among the untrodden ways" (alliteration): The repeated "h" sound makes the words difficult to pronounce together, showing how Lucy being hidden from view was perhaps uncomfortable and unfortunate for her.

"To love thee more and more" in "I travelled among unknown men" (assonance): The long "o" sound in "more" flows well and creates the image of a perpetuating love.

"This Child I to myself will take" in "Three years she grew in sun and shower" (assonance): The quick succession of long "i" sounds in "child," "I," and "myself" makes the line awkward to pronounce, mirroring the awkwardness of nature claiming Lucy as its own.

"By silent sympathy" in "Three years she grew in sun and shower" (alliteration): The repeated "s" sound creates a gentle effect, mirroring Lucy's graceful demeanor.

"A slumber did my spirit seal" in "A slumber did my spirit seal" (alliteration): The repeated "s" sound creates a soft, dreamlike atmosphere.

In "Three years she grew in sun and shower," nature takes Lucy under its wing to make her the most beautiful creature that ever existed. It describes her repeatedly as a vital being, only to let her die prematurely.

In "Strange fits of passion have I known," the speaker states that he would only whisper his thoughts in a lover's ear. Yet, he is sharing this statement with the reader and allowing the reader to be privy to all his intimate thoughts and feelings.

lyrical ballad; Romantic poetry

Mostly the English countryside, as well as inside the mind of the speaker.

Somber and pensive, with touches of passion and anger.

Lucy and the speaker are the protagonists, antagonized by nature and death.

The speaker has to deal with the loss of his beloved Lucy. While he is tormented by her passing, he also seems to revel in her memories. The vicious cycle of alternating sadness and joy when thinking of her makes it difficult for the desolate speaker to move on in his life.

The poems reach their climax when it is revealed that Lucy died while still young and that the poems were written in her memory and to preserve her presence.

In "Strange fits of passion have I known," the slowly descending moon creates a foreboding tone and seems to signify something bad to come. By the poem's conclusion, the speaker wonders what he would do should Lucy die. In the following poem, "She dwelt among the untrodden ways," it is revealed that she has indeed passed away.

The frequent references to Lucy as a flower or animal throughout the poem cycle foreshadow her mortality, as—like all living creatures—she must also die one day.

In the first three stanzas of the poem "She Dwelt among the Untrodden Ways," the narrator claims Lucy's death would have not affected anyone since she was not a remarkable person. This is an understatement, as the narrator admits that his life was forever transformed upon her death.

"Unknown men" in "I travelled among unknown men" represents people in foreign lands outside of England.

In "Three years she grew in sun and shower," nature is personified and given a significant voice.

In "Strange fits of passion have I known," the orchard-plot and the hill represent Lucy's land and therefore her home.

In "She dwelt among the untrodden ways," the lines, "Fair as a star, when only one /Is shining in the sky" exaggerate Lucy's beauty by making her the fairest woman of all.

"Hoof after hoof" in the poem “Strange fits of passion I have known” may be considered an onomatopoeia for the sound of a horse trotting.