Summary
Stanza 1: The stanza begins with the speaker narrating in the third person. The speaker describes a female growing “in sun and shower”—in a natural setting. Nature is then personified and quoted as finding the girl so beautiful that it decided to take her and make her its own.
Stanza 2: Personified Nature continues to explain how it plans to nurture the growing girl. It will be her guide, setting rules for her and allowing her to indulge in impulses as well. The girl will be closely connected to all things in nature, living among them in harmony. Nature will further have the power to oversee the girl’s actions and choose when her decisions and desires should be kindled and when they should be restrained.
Stanza 3: In the third stanza, Nature begins to portray the girl as a free spirit. Nature describes her as dynamic, comparing her movements to those of a fawn. She is given an almost superhuman strength as she is depicted leaping across fields and hiking through mountains. At the same time, Nature claims that she will also learn to experience and understand calm.
Stanza 4: Nature describes the girl in a peaceful setting. The clouds are depicted as pillows offering her rest and comfort, and the willow tree offers her shade. When storms may arise, she will be able to see grace and exude it—she will be molded into a maiden who can weather a storm with poise and compassion.
Stanza 5: Nature expands on the earlier vivid references to natural elements. It claims that the maiden will be close to the stars, and she will listen closely to the secrets of the universe. She will hear the beautiful sound of running water and understand their murmurs as they whisper their truths to her.
Stanza 6: In this stanza, Nature elevates the maiden to the status of a fully mature and idealized woman. The energy of life that pulses through her will make her stand tall and fill her heart with joy. Nature states that it will instill such thoughts in Lucy’s mind and live with her happily in the small valley that is her home.
Stanza 7: The initial speaker concludes Nature’s monologue. He states that after describing its desires for Lucy, Nature's work was done. He then cries out that Lucy’s “race”—her life—was run too soon, telling the reader that she died young. Once she died, she left the speaker the natural environment she once inhabited, as well as the memory of all she was and experienced, but will never be or feel again.
Analysis
Unlike the previous poems in the "Lucy" cycle, this poem features a personified nature as a main speaker. The initial speaker recounts how a young girl grew up in the nurturing environment of “sun and shower”—creating an image of a child who thrives. After three years, however, the speaker claims that Nature—personified as a proper noun—spoke up regarding the young girl. Nature is quoted as comparing the girl to a flower, just as flowers also need sun and rain to thrive. It claims that she is so beautiful that it wishes to “take” her. The description of a “child” portrays the girl in an innocent light. The use of the word “take” initially suggests an aggressive move—as if nature wanted to possess her through kidnapping, or even end her life. However, the last two lines make it clear that Nature did not intend to kill her but still wanted to possess her. It wanted to take the girl under its wing and make her even more extraordinary by grooming her into a lovely “Lady” of its own creation.
The second stanza depicts nature as a parent or teacher figure. This representation is typical of Romantic literature, suggesting that nature can educate us by showing us how to live. Nature claims that it will be “both law and impulse,” indicating that it will guide the girl through her impulses while also helping her curb them to follow the laws, or rules, of life. The mention of various natural elements shows the girl’s oneness with nature. She will live in the wild, in harmony with her environment. Nature regards her as one of its creations. Interestingly, there is a reference to “earth and heaven,” insinuating that the girl is still mortal like any living being. One may question if the reference to heaven pertains to her angelic qualities or perhaps serves as a kind of foreshadowing regarding her eventual death. In any case, Nature states that the girl will feel an “overseeing power” guiding her, ensuring that any desires that should be kindled are tended to while others that should need restraint are held back. Nature will govern her as she discovers life.
In contrast to the second stanza, the third stanza depicts the girl as active, spontaneous, and more independent. Nature seems to say that, although it will keep a close eye on her, it will also allow her to express herself and embrace her vitality in full. She will be as “sportive” as a fawn, leaping across the meadows. She will have the energy and the drive to climb mountains. At the same time, her energy and movement are contrasted with silence and calm. Nature’s mention of “breathing balm” implies that she will also learn the importance of slowing down, breathing, and finding calm after going on adventures. Muteness will be good for her spirit and is necessary to existing happily in nature. Despite her vitality, she is capable of being tamed. As in the previous stanzas, natural elements are contrasted (earth/heaven, sun/shower) but also shown to be in harmony. All these elements coexist and together encompass life.
The vivid descriptions of natural elements in stanza four are characteristic of Romantic poetry. Nature is the poet’s muse, and the young woman in the poem—the speaker’s beloved Lucy—is the embodiment of this muse. She is intertwined with nature, depicted as resting calmly in the clouds or finding shade under a willow. She is as vital and inspirational as all the elements of nature to the Romantic poet. The “storm” may represent the trials of life, inferring that the woman will learn to handle conflicts gracefully and come out the other side with her dignity intact. By weathering such storms, she will grow into a young maiden and will no longer be a little girl. Thus, life experience will help her mature and show “silent sympathy,” or compassion, to those around her. Alternatively, the storm may serve as a metaphor for the poet’s creative process. The muse must learn to go with the motions of the storm, allowing itself to be tamed and governed just as Lucy is by nature.
In stanza five, Nature casts the maiden in a celestial light as she is described as communing with the stars. Personified Nature portrays Lucy's connection to the stars as an intimate bond, once again implying that somehow she may be linked to the afterlife. She is depicted as being so in tune with Nature that she is privy to its every rhythm—from the glow of the stars to the movement of the rivulets. The reference to rivulets, or running water, also evokes an image of purity. Nature claims that the maiden will “lean her ear,” or listen closely, in secret places where such clear and beautiful water dances. The sound the water makes is like a murmur, allowing the maiden to have a conversation with it. Her closeness to the water’s beauty will allow her to soak up that loveliness herself, once again putting her in harmony with nature.
The use of the word “vital” in the sixth stanza’s first line highlights the energy of the poem. The maiden is portrayed as alive, strong, and full of joy. Ironically, the reader learns for the first time that the maiden described is indeed Lucy, and the reader knows that she has actually passed away and thus no longer bears any vitality. Nonetheless, Nature builds her up to be larger than life, taking on a large stature like a goddess or supernatural being. The mention of her “virgin bosom” swelling further accentuates the idea of a virtuous woman being filled with joy and reminds the reader that Lucy is an innocent and proper maiden. Nature then adds that it will give Lucy reason to think happy thoughts, enabling her to live serenely in her valley in perfect coexistence with all the natural elements. If one views this stanza through a Romantic lens, one might say that Lucy and her environment are idealized as uncorrupted and pure—away from the evils of society. Lucy is the embodiment of spiritual and even physical enlightenment.
The last stanza marks the end of Nature’s monologue regarding its admiration for Lucy. The speaker does not indicate how long Lucy lived, but he makes it clear that Nature at some point made decided to end her life. It gave her a calm, peaceful life and yet it was cruel enough to take it away from her when she was young. The energy of Lucy’s movements described earlier in the poem contrasts here with the image of the “race” that was run too soon—one can picture Lucy burning out from exhaustion after running free. By passing away, Lucy has left the speaker to ponder the reason for her short life. While Lucy’s solitude is sometimes depicted in a pleasant light, the speaker’s loneliness is weighed down by the pain of losing her. He is left with a “calm and quiet scene,” yet he is tormented. There is no joy to be found in being in the very spot where Lucy lived. He is haunted by the memory of what “has been”—whether they be his own experiences or hers. Whatever good may have once existed in that place will never exist again. If Lucy is viewed as the poet’s muse, one might say that the source of inspiration has died and he will never be able to create as he once did. The idealistic descriptions mentioned earlier in the poem thus contrast with the stark reality which is revealed at its conclusion.
