lucy poems reading

8/13/2019 Lucy Poems Reading

1/96

WILLIAM AND DOROTHY: THE POET AND LUCYA READING OF WILLIAM WORDSWORTH'S LUCY POEM S

Elizabeth GowlandB.A. (Hons.), Simon Fraser University, 1975

THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OFTHE REQUIREMENTS FOR TH E DEGREE OF

MASTER OF ARTSin the department

English

Elizabeth Gowland 1980SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

April, 1980

All rights reserved. Thi s work may not bereproduced i n who le or i n part, by photocopyor other means, without permission of the author.


2/96

APPROVAL

Name: E l z a b e th Anne GOWLANDDegree: Master o f Ar tsT i t l e o f Thes is : W i l l i a m and Dorothy: The Poet and Lucy

A Reading o f W i l l i a m Wordsworth 's Lucy Poems

Exami n i ng Commi t t e e :Chai rpe rson : Paul el any

- - - . T T \J a r e d C u r t i sSen io r Superv i so r

Rob Dunham,Assoc ia te P ro fessor

Mason Harris ,Assoc ia te Professor

June Sturrock, External ExaminerDept . o f C ont in u ing Stud ies , S F.U.

Date Approved: 4.@0


3/96

PARTIAL COPYRIGHT LICENSE

I h ere by g r a n t t o Simon F ra s e r U n i v e r s i t y t h e r i g h t t o l e ndmy t h e s i s , p r o j e c t o r e x t en de d e ss ay t h e t i t l e o f w h ic h i s shown be lo w )t o u s e r s o f t h e S imon F r a se r U n i v e r s i t y L i b r a r y , and t o make p a r t i a l o rs i n g l e c o p i e s o n l y f o r su ch u s e r s o r i n re sp on se t o a r e q u e s t f ro m t h el i b r a r y o f any o t h e r u n i v e r s i t y , o r o t h e r e d u c a t i o n a l i n s t i t u t i o n , o ni t s own b e h a lf o r f o r on e o f i t s u se rs . I f u r t h e r ag re e t h a t pe rm i ss io nf o r m u l t i p l e c o py i n g o f t h i s w ork f o r s c h o l a r l y p ur po se s may b e g r a n te db y me o r t h e D ean o f G r a d u a t e S t u d i e s . I t i s u n de rs to od t h a t c o py in go r p u b l i c a t i o n o f t h i s w ork f o r f i n a n c i a l g a i n s h a l l n o t be a l l o w e dw i t h o u t my w r i t t e n p e r m i ss i on .

T i t l e o f T h e s is / P ro j e ct /E x t e nd e d EssayM I L L / ~ w b b o R o 7 ~ q : PET h ~ bU Y

R ~ e m i v b O ~ O R ~ W O R T ~ SL u c y / POEMS

A u t h o r :Y s signature)

A ~ E ; u s i r 9- / q 8 od a t e )


4/96

ABSTRACT

Thi s t h es i s pr es en ts an exe ges is of each of Wordsworth's Lucy poems i nthe cont ext of th e poet 's frame of mind during two of th e most pain fu l pe riod s

i n h i s l i f e . The f i r s t i s the win te r he and h is s i s te r Dorothy spent i nGermany i n 1798-1799, when he composed Strange f i t s of p as si on I have known,She dwelt among th e unt rodden ways, A s lumber d id my s p i r i t s e a l andThree ye ars she grew i n sun and shower. The second i s the unproductive

peri od t h at began i n th e autumn of 1800 and la st e d u n t i l th e end of 1801,when the only new poem Wordsvorth i s known t o have composed i s I t r a v e l l ' damong unknown men.

My di scu ssi on of the poems' bi og rap hi cal background foc uses upon th ecomplex natu re and or ig in s of Wordsworth 's re l a t io nsh ip with hi s s i s t e r .During t he wi n ter of 1798-1 799 Wordsworth was i n t e n s e l y dependen t uponDorothy; t he Lucy poems proba bly emerged o u t of a fantasy about Dorothy's. . / 6 , < / -

a /deat h. The same melancholy i nt ro sp ec ti on t h a t produced P a r t One of th e two-p a r t Prelude of 1798-1799 a l s o produced th e Lucy poems. S i m i l a r i t i e sbetween t he e a r l y p a r t o f The Re clu se, Home a t Grasmere, which Wordsworthbegan i n the spr i ng of 1800, and I t r a v e l l ' d among unknown men'' su gg es t t h a tthe l a t t e r was generated by Wordsworth's a t temp ts t o proceed with the longpoem. I t r a v e l l ' d among unknown men exp re sse s f e e l i n g s t h a t Wordsworthc ou ld n o t t u r n i n t o a d i sc o ur s e on p a s t o r a l l i f e i n t h e s p r i n g o f 1801.wordswor th 's r e tu rn to the Lucy s e r i e s a t th i s time s ugges t s th a t h i sre la t ion s h ip w i th h i s s i s t e r was on h i s mind, a s t had been i n th e win ter of1798-1799 and i n t he sp ri ng of 1800. I t r a v e l l ' d among unknown men i s simul-tane ousl y a lo ve poem t o Dorothy and a de cl ar at io n of independence.

The Lucy poems exp lo re t he e f f e c t of t he death of a g i r l upon herlo ve r. The c en t r al meaning of th e poems i s conta ined i n the speak er 's response


5/96

to Lucy's death. The s peake r ' s s or row co l our s h i s pe r cep t i on o f t he ex t e r n a lun i ve r s e . The joyous v is io n of th e un i ty of th e uni ver se t h a t Wordsworthce leb rat ed i n Lines w r i t t en a few mile s above Tin ter n Abbey'' s obscured i nthe Lucy poems by the speake r ' s s e l f - c ent r ed g r i e f . Wordsworth's concernwith mu tab i l i ty i n th e Lucy poems foreshadows th e inc rea s in g rel i an ce uponGod and the f a i t h th a t looks through dea th th a t he expressed i n poems sucha s the Ode: In t i ma ti on s of Immortal i ty and Resolu tion and Independencea f t e r 1802.


6/96

S tr an ge f i t s o f p a s s io n I have known,And I w i l l d a r e t o t e l l ,But i n the over's e a r a lo n e, If C P J .What once to me e f e l .When she I lov 'd w a s st ro ng and gayAnd l i k e a ro se i n June,I t o h e r c o t t a g e b en t my way,Beneath an evening moon.Upon t h e moon I f i x ' d my eye,l l over the wide lea ; ,-My horse t rudg'd on, an$ t~e rew nighThose pa ths so dear t o meAnd now we r each 'd the o rcha rd p l o t ,And, a s we c lim b' d t h e h i l l ,Towards th e roof of Lucy's c otThe moon descended s t i l l .- / -

l .-r1 n one of those ~wee dreams I s l e p t ,Kind Nature g en tl e st boonAnd, a l l the whi le my eyes I kep tn the descending moon.

My horse mve d on; hoof a f t e r hoofHe r a i s ' d and neve r s topp 'dWhen down behind the cottage rooft once the planet dropp'd.--. -What fond \andwaywardthoughtswi l l s l ide >// ,.I n t o a Lover's head-- -< r f ."0 mercy:" t o myse lf I c r i e d , f / I n , ,*,, /"I f Lucy sho ul d be dead " t ? f ; - - ,


7/96

SongShe dwelt among th'untrodden ways

Beside the sp r i ng s of Dove,Maid whom t h e re were none t o p r a i s e \ lAnd very few t o lo ve .

V i o l e t by a mossy stoneHalf hidden from the Eye

- -Fa i r, a s a s t a r when on l y one ils s h i n i n g i n t h e s ky :She l i v ' d unknown, and few co ul d know

When Lucy c ea s ' d t o beBut she i s i n he r Grave, and , oh

Th e d i f f e r e n c e t o m e


8/96

slumber did my s p i r i t s e a l ,had no human fears:

She seern'd a t h i s th t cou ld not f ee lThe touch o f arthly years .

No motion ha s she now, no for ceShe ne it he r hears nor s s

Rolled round i n ea rt h' s diurnal courseWith rocks and sto ne s and tr ee s


9/96

v i i i

Three yea rs she grew i n sun and shower,Then Nature said, A l o v e l i e r f lo we rn e a r t h was neve r sown;

This Child I to myself w i l l take ,She sh a l l be mine, and I w l l makeA Lady of my own.Myself w i l l t o my d a r l i n g beBoth law and impul se, and wit h meThe G i r l i n rock a nd p la in ,In e ar th and heaven, i n glade and bower, r r I/ / - -S h a l l f e e l an o v e r s e e i n 1power - , I / ( fTo k i n d l e o r r e st r a xn ;

) ,

She sh a l l be spo r t i ve a s the fawnThat wild with g le e acros s the lawnO r up th e mountain spr in gs ,And her s s h a l l be the bre ath ing balm,And he rs th e s il en ce and th e calmOf mute insensate th ings .The f l o a t i n g c lo u ds t h e i r s t a t e s h a l l l e n dTo he r, f o r he r t he willow bend,Nor s h a l l s he f a i l t o s e eEven i n th e motions of the st ormA beauty t ha t s h a l l mould her formBy s i l e n t sympathy.The stars of midnigh t sh a l l be dearTo her , and she sh a l l lean her ea rIn many a s e c r e t p l a c eWhere r i v u l e t s dance t h e i r wayward round,And beauty born of murmuring soundSha l l pas s i n t o he r f a ce .And v i t a l f e e l in gs of de l igh tSha l l rear h e r form t o s t a t e l y h e i g h t ,er vi rg in bosom swe ll ,

Such thou ght s t o Lucy I w i l l giveWhile she and I t o g e t h e r l i v eHere i n t h i s happy d e l l .Thus Na tu re spake the work was doneHow soon my Luc y s race was run lShe d ie d a nd l e f t to meThis heath , t h i s ca lm, and qu ie t scene,The memory of what has been,And nevdr more w i l l be.


10/96

t r a v e l l ' d among unknown Men,I n Lands beyond t he Sea;

Nor England d i d know t i l l thenWhat love bore t o th ee .

'T is p as t , t h a t melancholy dreamNor w i l l q u i t t h y s h o r esecond t ime ; fo r s t i l l seem

To love thee more and more.Among thy mountains d i d f e e l

The joy of my d e s i r e ;And she che r is hed tu rn 'd h e r wheel

Be side a n En g li s h f i r e .-13 mrnings shew'd thy n i gh ts conce al 'dThe bowers where Lucy play'd

And-th.i~.-i-s_~_ t oo , t h e l a s t g re en f i e l dWhich Lucy's eyes surveyed


11/96

The te x t s of Wordsworth's Lucy1' poems t h a t ar e incl uded her e ar e fromLy r ic a l Ba ll ad s (1800) and Poems, i n Two Volumes (1807). Unless oth er wi sen o t e d , a l l o t h e r poems q u ot ed i n t h i s e s s a y are taken from The Po et ic alWorks of Will iam Wordsworth, ed . E rne st de Se li nc ou rt , re vi se d by HelenD arb i sh i r e , 5 vo ls . (Oxford: Clarendon Pr es s, 1940-1949, v ol . I r ev .1952).


12/96

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Approval pageAbstractQuo t a t i o n sCHAPTER 1 : INTRODUCTIONCHAPTER 2: GERMANY, 1798-1799

1 I Strange f i t s of passion I have knownShe dwelt among the untrodden

ways1'A slumber did my s p i r i t s e a l

I I Three ye ar s she grew i n sunand shower

CHAPTER 3: GRASMEREI t rave 11 d among unknown men

CHAPTER 4 : CONCLUDING REMARKSNOTESBIBLIOGRAPHY

Page

v


13/96

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

'To se e the ob j ec t as i n i t s e l f i t r e a l l y i s , ' h a sb ee n j u s t l y s a i d t o be t h e a im o f a l l t r u e c r i t i c i s mw ha te ve r; and i n a e s t h e t i c c r i t i c i s m t he f i r s t s t e pt ow ar ds s e e i n g o n e ' s o b j e c t a s i t r e a l l y i s , i s t o knowone 's own impression a s i t r e a l l y i s , t o d i s c ri m i n a te i t ,t o r e a l is e i t d i s t i n c t ly . W h a t i s t h i s s ong o rp i c t u r e , t h i s e ng ag in g p e r s on a l i ty p r e s en t ed i n l i f e o ri n a book, t o me?

W a lt e r P a t e r , P r e f a c e t o S tu d ie si n th e His to ry o f th e Rena issance (1873)

T h is t h e s i s p r e s e n t s a read ing of the Lucy poems i n th e co nte xt ofWordsworth' s f rame o f mind dur i ng two o f the most pa in fu l pe r iod s i n h i s l i f e :t h e l o n e ly w i n t e r t h a t h e a nd h i s s i s t e r Dorothy sp en t i n Germany i n 1798-1799, when he composed St ra ng e f i t s of p as si on I ha ve known, She dw el tamong the untrodden ways , A s lu mb er d i d my s p i r i t s e a l a nd Three y e a r sshe grew i n sun and shower, and the unp roducti ve pe ri od from th e autumn of1800 u n t i l th e end of 1801, when t h e on ly new poem Wordsworth i s known t ohave composed is I t r a v e l l ' d among unknown men. 11 1

I w i l l argue t h a t th e f i r s t four Lucy poems are t h e p ro d u c t o fWordsworth's deep dependence upon h i s s i s t e r and o f h i s i n a b i l i t y du r in g t hewin te r o f 1798-1799 t o sus ta in th e joyous pe rcep t ion o f an o rga n ic un ive rsewhich he had expr esse d i n Lines written a few miles above Tintern Abbeyuo nl y s i x m n t h s e a r l i e r . * They probably emerge ou t o f fa n t as ie s aboutDorothy 's d e a th t h a t a r e ro o t e d i n wordsworth's c h i l d h ~ s d ~ r i e s - o fh e

2_ .d e a t hs o f h i s p a r e n t s . ~ o r d s w o r t h ' s i s i o n o f a f a d i n g away of t h e s e l fi n t o a sense subl ime of A motion and a s p i r i t , t h a t i m p e l s / A l l t h i n k i n gt h i n g s , a l l o b j e c t s o f a l l though t , / And r o l l s t hr ou gh a l l t h in g s i n

T i n t e r n ~ b b & y s overshadowed i n th e Lucy poems by th e spe ake r ' s g r i e f .These poems explore a c o n f ro n ta t i o n w i th d e a th , t h e e nd o f p h y s i c a l be in g .


14/96

They ex pr es s th e dilemma of mu ta bi l i ty and su gg es t a need i n Wordsworth t h a twas l a t e r met by a s t ro n g Angl ican f a i t h . Thus they foreshadow Wordsworth 'sa ng u is he d d e s i r e f o r t h e a s s u r a n c e o f f e r e d by a n o rt h od o x C h r i s t i a n i t y o f

3another and a b e t t e r wor ld upon the dea th of h i s b ro ther John i n 1805.

lo v e r , the Lucy poems may be s a i d ~ l f a l l o w t h e f l u x e s a nd r e f l u x e s o f t h e.

mind when ag i t a t ed by t he g re a t and s imple a f fe c t io ns of o ur na ture . d epoems echo and i l l um i na t e each o t h e r and t h i s cum ula t ive e f f ec t i s gnhanced_._._I__ ___. l_ ___lby t h e i r a r rangement a s a g roup . The f i r s t fou r Lucy poems were or ig in a l ly

._I___

pub lish ed i n Volume I of t he 1800 ed i t i o n o f L y r i c a l B a l l ads , w here S t rangef i t s of pas sion , She dwelt among the untrodden ways and "A slumber d id mys p i r i t s e a l a r e p l ac e d t o g e th e r , i n t h a t o r d e r . Three she grewfol lows more than e igh ty pages l a t e r , where i t i s p l a c e d a f t e r R uth , t h r e eof th e Mathew poems and Nutt ing ( t h e s e poems were a l s o composed i n Germany).The sequence of thes e poems c re at es a mounting sense of lo ne l i ne s s amd lo s s ;

__ _ _

se t ag a in s t t he backdrop of na tu re , i n which Three ye ar s she g~e_w~~l _pilrticip . IThi s arrangement s ugg est s t h a t Wordsworth was aware of th e the mat ic un i t y ofmuch of the poet r y he composed du ring t h i s peri od , and pr ef ig ur in g th e group ofpoems cla ss ed a s Moods of My Own ~ i n d n 1 807 i n Poems, i n Two Volumes, alsos u g g e s t s t h a t h e was a l r e a d y b e g in n in g t o t h i n k o f h i s s h o r t poems a s p a r t s o fa l a rg er work. The 1800 arrangement of th e f i r s t fo ur Lucy poems fol l owst h e i r p robab le o rd e r o f composi t ion and i t w i l l t h e r e f o r e , be t h e o r d e r t h a ti s fo ll owed i n t h i s e xeges i s o f t he poems.

I n A p r i l , 1801, Wordsworth included a copy of I t r a v e l l ' d among unknownmen i n a l e t t e r t o Mary H ut ch inson w it h t he i n s t ru c t i on t h a t t h i s poem w a s t o

6be read a f ter She dw elt among th e un trod den ways. W may conclude, there-fo re , t h a t t h i s poem was composed two ye ar s a f t e r the ot h e r Lucy poems,i n Grasmere. Such an assumption is suppor ted by t he t e x t o f I t r a v e l l ' d


15/96

among unknown men : the poem i s w r i t t e n i n r e t r o s p e c t , seemingly reca l l ingWordsworth's s t a y i n Germany, and th e mood i n which he wrote t h e o t h e r Lucypoems, a s a melancholy dream t h a t i s now past. I n t h i s poem Wordsworthof fe rs a t r ib ut e t o h i s love fo r Dorothy, the source of much of h i s f e e li n gfo r the Engl ish landscape , but a t t he same t i m e he d ecl are s h i s independencefrom her. A t home i n Grasmere, Wordsworth's need of Dorothy became l e s sin tense than i t had been i n Germany. When they f i r s t a rr iv ed i n Grasmere a tth e end of 1799, Wordsworth was wholly coranited t o a l i f e s hare d with h i ss i s t e r and he gave voice to t h i s commitment i n th e e ar ly pa r t of The Recluse ,

Home a t Grasmere which he began to compose i n th e s p r i n g of 1800. But by 1801,Wordsworth had begun t o t ur n away from Dorothy, and perhap s t o al re ad y ent er -tain thoughts of marrying Mary Hutchinson.

11I t r a v e l l ' d among unknown men was not p ub li sh ed u n t i l 1807 when i tappeared i n Poems, i n wo Volumes together with another poem about Lucy,Amng a l l lovely thi ngs my Love had been. 117 I I t r a v e l 1 d among unknown men

appeared wi th the o th er Lucy poems fo r the f i r s t t ime i n 1815 i n 9 oemswhere i t followed Strange f i t s of passion and She du el t among the untroddenways i n the cl as s ca l l ed Poems on th e Affec t ions . This i s t h e p o s i t i o n i nwhich Wordsworth sugges ts t ha t t h i s poem be read i n h i s l e t t e r to aryHutchinson. Three ye ar s she grew and A s lum ber d i d my s p i r i t s e a l a pp ea ri n t h a t ord er , i n Poems of th e Imaginat ion i n Poems. I w i l l d i scuss It r a v e l l ' d among unknown men i n a se pa ra te ch ap te r from th e o t h e r Lucy poems,i n the conte xt of wordsworth 's l i f e i n Grasmere.

I have taken a bi og ra ph ic al approach t o the Lucy poems because of t heem ot ional chord th a t t hey s t r i k e in me. The poems seem to be deeply personaland a s my i n t ~ r e s t n them grew I found that my i n t e r e s t i n t he man behindthem also grew: I wanted t o know more about th e vo ic e I heard speaking t o me


16/96

throug h th es e poems. The Lucy po em a r e , f o r me a s s o c i a t e d w i t h a verypowerful and di s t ur bi ng dream rec en t ly had i n which w a s wrappiig mymother i n he r shroud. y mother, who was s t i l l consc ious , was he l p i ng me byt e l l i n g me what t o do as wrapped the mat er ia l around he r . Most v i v id weremy f ee l i n gs of angu i sh and d r ead s got c lo s e r t o t he moment a t whichwould have t o cov er he r f ac e, when she would no longe r be a b le t o speak t o mand t o comfor t me per ce i ve s i m i l a r be r e f t and anx i ous f ee l i n gs i n Words-worth's Lucy poems. Although have t r i e d t o document any as se r t io nsmake about Wordsworth's f ee l i n gs o r pe r s on a l i t y , have had t o r ead between

l i n e s an d my argument f in a l l y r e s t s upon in te rp re ta t i on . Because the poemsmean ce r t a i n t h i ngs t o me have perhaps t ended t o look f o r cor respondingmeanings i n Wordsworth's l i f e . t may be t h a t t h i s t h e s i s u b t i ~ m a t e l ~e v e a l smore about me than i t t r u l y i l l um i na t e s W ordswor th 's l i f e and poe t r y .

I n i t e r a r y B i ogr aph l Leon Ede l po i n t s ou t t ha t a b i og r aphe r can s e tf o r t h t h e d a t a he h a s g a th e re d a nd s t u d i e d o nl y i n t h e l i g h t of h i s ownunders tanding. He had taken i n t o h i s conscio usness a g r e a t many docu-ments a b ou t a n o t h e r ' s l i f e . And the book th a t w i l l emerge w i l l b e i s v i s i o n ,h i s a r rangement, his p i c t u r e . 8 In refa acing my t h e s i s w i th t h e s e o b s e rv a t i on s

have been in f lue nce d by David Ble ich 's warning i n h i s book Su bjec t ive C r i t i -cism t h a t No ma t te r how f u l l . a p o r t r a i t may seem. and no matter howc e r t a i n o n e i s of t h e su p p or t in g a r t i f a c t s , t h e r e i s no f i n a l way t o dec i det h a t a p a r t i c u l a r b i o g r a p h ic a l f o rm ul at io n o f a n a u t h o r' s l i f e o r p e r s o n a l i t yi s ob j ec t i ve l y t r ue . ( ) The Wordsworth now f e e l know may o r may n o t b e a ra profound resemblance t o the h i s t o r i c a l Wordsworth. However, my a p p r e c i a t i o nof t he Lucy poems ha s been markedly enhanced by f a m i l i a r i t y with th e circum-s t an ces i n w t i ch t hey were wr i t t en . My understa nding of th e poems and of myown res po ns es t o them have be en c l a r i f i e d by l e a r n i n g a bo u t t h e p o e t ' s l i f e .


17/96

Because agr ee w i th David B l e i ch ' s s t an ce t h a t a l l e x p l a n a t i o n s o f1 . i t e r a r y works a r e i n t e r p r e t a t i v e and s u b j e c t i v e , do n o t deny t h e v a l i d i t yof o t he r c r i t i c a l approaches t o the Lucyu poems. Ins te ad , would observet h a t e ac h c r i t i c f i n d s and b r in g s o u t i n h i s r e a d in g s t h a t w hich i s mostimpor tant to him o r to her . For example , Geof frey Dur rant f i nd s i t s i g n i f i c a n tt h a t S tr ange f i t s o f pas si on s hou ld be s e n t by a mathemat ician-poet t o aph i l os opher - poet , i n t he hope t h a t i t might ' amuse' h im. In h i s a r t i c l e

~ e n o ' sArrow: Time and Motion i n Two of word swor th's Lucy Poems, Du rra ntd i s c u s s e s S tr an g e f i t s o f p a ss io n a nd A slu mb er d i d my s p i r i t s e a l i n aph i l os op h i ca l and h i s t o r i c a l con t ex t and he s t r e s s es t he i n f l uence o f Newtonianph ysi cs on Wordsworth which he pe rc ei ve s i n both o f th es e poems. o 1nWordsworth's Poetry 1787 1814 Geof f rey Hartman f i nd s t h a t S t range f i t s o fpass ion i s concerned with th e growth of th e Wordsworthian imag inat ion, whichHartman de f in es a s consciousness of se l f r a i s ed to an a p o c a l y p t i c p i t c h . 1 1 1 1In h i s dis cu ss i on of th e poem Hartman i d e n t i f i e s Lucy wi th the moon f o rh i m , t h i s i s th e ce nt r e of th e poem: Lucy, by th e very f a c t of being loved,i s something more tha n h e r s e l f , becomes a landsca pe even. . and may n o ta p pe a r a s o n l y a person . The unconsc ious ye t n a t ur a l t r a n s f e r from Lucy t othe moon. denotes the power of love to draw the s e l f ou t of i t s e l f . . 1 2In my exe ges i s of t h i s poem, on the o t he r hand, sugges t th a t th e moon repre-se nt s t he power of na tu re ov er man. Throughout my dis cu ss i on of the Lucy

poems emphasize th e sp ea ke r ' s perc ept i on of the ex te rn al wor ld, which i scoloured by h i s r esponse to the dea th of Lucy. f e e l t h a t thes e poems a rea bo u t l o s s and g r i e f : f o r me the i r meaning is c o n t ai n e d i n t h e s p e a k e r ' sf e e l in gs about Lucy' s dea th .

Hartman Pe gi ns h i s d i sc uss io n of Wordswor th 's imagina t ion by re fe r r in g t ot h e P re f ac e t o t h e 18 e di t i on of Ly r ic a l Bal l ads i n which Wordsworthemphas izes tha t i t was h i s i n t e n t i o n t h a t i n t h e s e poems t h e f e e l i n g s ho u ld


18/96

give importance t o t h e a c t i o n an d t h e s i t u a t i o n an d n o t t h e a c t i o n an d t h e

s i t u a t i o n t o t h e f e e l i ng . I 3 Hartman goes on t o suggest th a t we c o n s id e r t h eRomant ic ly r ic as a development of the sur mise which tur ned a l l termsd e s c r i p t i v e of m d e i n t o terms d es cr i pt iv e of mood. 14 Fee l ing and mood a r ewords t h a t u se o f t e n i n t h i s t h e s i s . or m as w e l l as for Hartman, the

Lucy poems a r e abou t fe el in g. My i n c l i n a t i o n h a s been t o look f o r t h es ou r ce o f t h a t f e e l i n g by t u r n i n g t o t h e p e r so n a l d e t a i l s of t h e p o e t ' s l i f e .


19/96

CHAPTER 2: GERMANY 1798-1799

Wordsworth composed th e f i r s t th re e Lucy poems Strange f i t s ofpa ss io n, She dwe lt among th e untro dden ways and A s lumber d i d my s p i r i t4eal dur in g h i s s t ay i n Gosla r , Germany, from October 6 , 1 7 9 8 , u n t i lFeb rua ry 23, 1799.15 Ear ly ve rs io ns o f S t range f i t s o f pass ion and Shedwelt among th e untrodden ways, to ge th er wit h a d r a f t of Nut ting and twof ragments tha t were l a t e r i n t e g r a t e d i n to The P r e lu de , t h e e p i so d e s a bo utt h e s t o l e n b o a t a nd s k a i t i ng ( I : 81-129 and 150-185, 1798-1799 t e x t ) , werein c lu d ed i n a l e t t e r s e n t t o C o le ri d ge from Go sl ar by Wil liam and DorothyWordsworth i n e i t h e r December 1798 o r Jan uary 1799. l Although no l e t t e rs u r v iv e s , a n o th e r w a s presumably se nt t o Coler idge around th e same timec o n t a in in g A slumber d i d my s p i r i t seal . A l e t t e r f rom Cole r idge t o ThomasPoole da ted Apr i l 6 , 1799, i n c lu d e d t h e t e x t of t h i s poem which Coler idgedescr ibed as a most subli me ep it ap h re ce iv ed from Wordsworth some monthsago. 17 The image of ea r t h ' s d i ur na l course i n A s lu mb er d i d my s p i r i tseal i s r e m in i sc e n t o f W or ds wo rth' s r e c o l l e c t i o n o f t h e c l i f f s c o n t i n uin g t owheel by h i s boyhood s e l f a f t e r he comes to a sudden s top i n the ska i t ingf ragment . Wordsworth a l s o re fe r s t o the ea r t h ' s d iu rna l round i n t h a tfragment. These s imi la r i t i es sugges t th a t th e two p iec es o f poe t ry werecomposed concurrently and therefore allow a more d e f i n i t e d a t i n g o f Aslu mber d i d my s p i r i t seal than could othe rwi se be made from Col eri dge 'svague reference .

According to a no te which Wordsworth di c ta te d to Is a be l l a Fenwick i n1842-1843,18 Three ye ar s sh e grew was composed i n t h e s p r i n g of 1799, a f t e rhe and Dorothy had l e f t Goslar on a walk ing tou r o f th e Hartz Fores t , a roundFebruary 23-27, 1799.19 The la vi sh imagery of t h i s poem, i n co nt ra s t t o th e


20/96

sparen ess of th e f i r s t th re e Lucyu poems, does indeed evoke the r e l i e f theWordsworths f e l t a t t he end o f t he b i t t e r l y co l d w i n t e r t hey had expe r i enceda t Goslar : Dorothy wrote t o Coler idge about t h e i r walk ing to ur , We observedt h a t t he b r i l l i a n t g r een o f t he ear th -moss under t h e t r ee s made ou r eyes achea f t e r bei ng so lo n g accustomed t o th e snow. @120 However, th e melancholy moodi n which Wordsworth w rote th e o t h e r poems s t i l l dominates Three yea rs shegrew. This poem emphasized man's power lessness a g ai ns t the fo rc es ofI1Nature

The Goslar expe rien ce had been an unhappy one: a s w e l l a s s u f f e r i n g

from t he i n t en s e c o l d , t he Wordsworths f e l t i s o l a t ed from t h e i r f r i en ds andfamily and incr ea s in gl y al i e n at e d from th e i r German neighbours . Dorothyd esc rib ed t h e i r s i t u a t i o n i n a , l e t t e r t o h e r b r o t h er C h ri st op he r s e n t a t t hebeginning of February 1799

For more th an two months p a st we have inte nd ed q u i t t i n gGosla r i n t he cou rse of each week, b ut we have been sof r i gh t e ned by t h e co l d s eas on , t he d r ead f u l r oads , and t heu nc ov ere d c a r t s t h a t w e needed no o th er mot ives. . t oi nd u ce u s t o l i n g e r h e re . W e have had a su cce ss io n ofexce ss ive ly severe weather. and th e co l d of Chr i s tmasday has no t been equ al l e d even i n t h i s c l i m a t e d u ri n g t h el a s t century . I t was so e xce ss iv e t h a t when w l e f t t h eroom where we s i t we were ob lig ed t o wrap ou ts el ve s up i ng r e a t c o a t s e t c . i n o r d e r n o t t o s u f f e r much p a i n f rom t h et ra n s it io n , though we only went i n t o the n ex t room o r down-s t a i r s f o r a few mi nu tes. Gos l a r i s no t a p lac e where i ti s po ss i b l e t o s ee anyth ing of the manners of the morec u l t i v a t e d G ermans, o r of t h e h i g h e r c l a s s e s . I t s i n h a b i t a n t sa r e a l l p e t t y t ra d es pe o pl e: i n g e n er a l a l ow and s e l f i s h r ace ;in te n t upon ga in , and per pe tua l ly of course d i sappoin ted .They cannot f ind i t i n t h e i r h e a r t s t o a s k o f a s t r a n ge r af a i r p r i c e f o r t h e i r g oods. . Be ver y pa r t i c u l a r i n youracco unts of what you a r e , and have been doing. Every thi n gi s i n t e r e s t i n g a t t h i s d i s ta n ce . 1

wordsworth' s as sessment of h i s s t a y abroad as a melancholy dream i nI t r a v e l l 'd among unknown men echoes a des cr ip t i on of h i s ph ys ic al and.emot ional condi t io n sen t t o Coler idge from Gos lar wi th th e copies of S t range

f i t s of passion' ' and She dw elt among th e untrodden ways :


21/96

A s I have had no books I have been ob l i ge d t o w r i t ei n s e l f- d e f en s e . I shou ld have w r i t t e n f i v e t i m es as mucha s I have done but that I am prevente d by an uneasin ess a tmy stomach and s ide, wi th a d u l l p ai n a b ou t my h e a r t . Ihave used t he word pain, but u neas ines s and he at are wordswhich more acc ur at el y des cr ibe my f e e l i n g a t a l l e v e n t si t renders wr i t in g unpleasan t . Reading i s now become ak i nd o f l uxu ry t o me. When I do not read I m a b s o l u t e l yconsumed by th ink ing and f ee l i ng and bodi ly e xe r t io ns ofv o i c e o r of l imbs , t he consequence of those fe e l in gs .

Wordsworth' s de scr ip t ion o f h i s cond i t ion and i t s r e l a t i o n t o h i s work i n t h i sl e t t e r sugges t s t ha t he endeavoured t o f i nd a r e l e a se fo r t he t hough t s andf e e l i n g s th a t consumed him dur ing t h i s t ime by tu rn i ng them in to po e t ry .Seve ra l yea r s l a t e r , Wordsworth desc r i bed t he ca l mi ng e f f e c t o f h i s poe t ry

o n h i s f e e l i n g s i n t h e Ode: In t i m a t i ons o f Im m ort a l it y f rom R eco l l ec t i onso f Ea rl y Childhood (composed 1802-1804):

To m e a lone there came a thought o f g r i e f rA t im e ly u t t e r a n c e g ave t h a t t h ou gh t r e l i e f ,And I aga in am st r ong .

Sim i la r ly , i n 1798 Wordsworth's wr i t in g seems t o have ac ted as a c a t h a r s i s ,a l though he says th a t he was of t e n so overcome by uneasiness and pa in t h a the w a s unable to work. Never the les s , t h i s was a very produc t ive t ime f orWordsworth. During t h e w in te r and s p r i n g of 1798-1799 he composed numerouss h o r t poems in cl ud in g Lucy Gray I 8 Ruth , A Po et ' s Epi taph, The Fountain ,The Two A p ri l Mornings, Matthew, To a Sexton, Nutti ng, There w a s a

Boy, Writ ten i n Germany on one of th e co ld es t days of t h e cent ury , and th ef o u r Lucy poems. He a l s o composed Pa r t One of th e two p a r t Prelu de of

The i s o l a t i o n a t Gos lar seems t o have f lood ed Wordsworth's mind wi thmemories: in st ea d of co nt in uing wi th The Recluse, th e gr ea t work he andColer idge had mapped o u t e a r l i e r i n 1798 a t ~ l f o x d e n , ~ ~ordsworth began t ocompose a p r e f a c e t o i t , The Prel ude, i n which he used th es e memories t ot r a c e the growth of mental power And lo ve of Na tur e's work I : 257-258,


22/96

1798-99). S te ph en P a r r i s h v ie ws t h e i s o l a t i o n a t G o s l a r a s v i t a l t o t h e com-pos i t i on o f The P re l ude n h i s i n t roduc t i o n t o t he 1798-1799 t e x t . 3 However,th e wondering and thankf u l tones Pa r r i s h per ce iv es i n the poem seem t o me t obe imposed upon memories th a t a r e d i s tu r b i ng and t e r r i b l e . A t t he conc l u s i onof P a r t One, Wordsworth a s k s

need I dread from theeHarsh judgements i f I am s o l o t h t o q u i tThose re co l l e c t ed hours t h a t have th e charmOf vis io na ry thin gs , and love ly formsAnd sweet s e n s a t i o n s t h a t throw back o u r l i f eAnd make our infanc y a v i s i b l e sce neOn which t h e sun i s s h i n i n g ? I : 448-464)

But t h i s sumd.ng up seems a t o d ds w i th t h e m emories t h a t h av e a c t u a l l y s u r f a c e di n th e course of th e poem.

A t t h e c l imax of Pa r t One, t he spo t s o f time passage I : 258-374),Wordsworth re c a l l s t h re e ch i ldhood exper i e nces t h a t had profound and l a s t i n ge f f ec t s upon him. In t h e f i r s t ep i sode an a tm osphe re of fo rebod i ng o r o f

b r e a t h l e s s s t i l l n e s s i s broken by th e sudden appe ara nce of th e drowned manfrom benea th t he su r f ac e of Es thwai t e Lake. In t he ep i sode of th e moulderedgibbet the young Wordsworth i s pa r t ed from h i s ad u l t companion and h i s f e a rseems t o l e ad him t o t h e g i bbe t mast and a l ong g reen r i dge of t u r f .Whose shape was l i k e a grave (312-313). T ur nin g t o l e a v e t h i s s p o t , h e seesa g i r l s t r u g g l i n g a g a i n s t t h e wind t o r e ac h t h e naked p o o l t h a t l a y b en e at hth e h i l l s . The poe t comments,

I t w a s i n t r u t hAn ord in ary s ig h t bu t I should needColour s and words t h a t a r e unknown t o manTo p a i n t t h e v i s i o n a r y d r e a r i n e s sWhich, while I lo ok ed a l l round f o r my l o s t g u id e ,Did, a t t h a t t i m e i nv es t t he naked poo l ,The beacon on th e lo ne ly eminence,The woman and her garments vexed and tossedBy f h e st ro ng wind. (312-327)


23/96

In the t h i r d scene Wordsworth r e c a l l s wa tch ing f o r the horse s th a t were totake h im and h i s bro th er s home from school f o r th e Chris tmas hol id ays :

T h i t h e r r e p a i r e dUp t o t he h i gh e st sum mi^, ' twas a dayStormy and rough, and wi ld , and on th e gr a s ss a t e , h a l f - s h e l t e r e d by a n ak ed wa l l ;Upon my r i g h t hand was a s i n g l e s h e e p ,

w hi s t l i ng hawthorn on my l e f t , and th e r e ,Those two companions a t my s i d e , watchedWith e y e s i n t e n s e l y s t r a i n i n g a s t h e m i s tGave in te rm it te nt pr os pe ct s of the woodAnd p l a i n beneath 3 4 0 - 3 4 9 )

During the ho l iday s Wordswor th 's fa th e r d ied , and in h i s g r ie f and bewi lder -ment the boy conc luded th a t h i s fa th e r ' s dea th was a chas t isement fo r h i ss e l f i s h a n t i c i p a t i o n of t he h o li d ay s :

when I c a l l e d t o m indThat day s o l a t e l y passed when from the cr ag

looked i n such anxi e ty of hope,With t r i t e r e f l e c t i o n s of m o r al i ty

e t wi th th e dee pes t pas sio n bowed lowTo God, who thus co rr ec te d my de si re s.355-3601

Each of t he se gloomy ep is od es i s concerned wi th the e f f e c t o f an en -coun te r wi th dea th upon Wordsworth' s ch i ldhood s e l f . They a re f i l l e d wi tht e r r o r , l o n e l i n e s s and g u i l t . The e p is o de s b u i l d i n f or c e a s t h e n a r r a t o r ' sinvolvement inc re as es : th e th i r d and most powerful memory combines thea tmosphere o f fo rebod ing and the lone ly v is ionary d rea r in ess o f the o t he rs c e n e s t o g iv e t h e s e f e e l i n g s a d i r e c t , p e r s o n a l m eaning. The n a r r a t o r i s no

lo n g e r a n o n lo o ke r ; i n s t e a d o f a s t r a n g e r , i t i s h i s f a th e r who i s dead. Thememory of the wind and s l e e t y ra in . the b leak music of t h a t o l d s t on ewal l , Wordsworth t e l l s us , was one th a t he o f te n re tu rn ed to , t o d r ink / sa t a f o un t ai n o r t o r e f r es h h i s s en se o f g u i l t ab ou t h i s f a t h e r ' s d ea th .Th is memory, he be l i ev es , has con t inued to reverb era te i n h i s subconsciousmind and ha s deep connect ions with the growth of h i s menta l o r imagin at ive

power


24/96

I do not doubtT h at i n t h i s l a t e r t im e when s t o r m a nd r a i nBeat o n my r o of a t m i dn i g ht , o r by d ayWhen I am i n t h e woods, unknown t o m eThe wo rk in gs o f my s p i r i t t h e n c e a r e b r o ug h t .

(370-374)W ord sw ort h' s a p p a r e n t l y i d y l l i c e a r l y c h il d h oo d w a s t r a g i c a l l y d i s r u p t e d

by t he d ea th o f h i s mother i n 1778, when he was less t h an e i g h t y e a r s o l d .The young Wordsworth fa mi ly was sub se qu en tl y brok en up when Dorothy was se n tt o l i v e wi t h h e r mo t he r' s c o u si n an d h e r b r o t h e r s were p l a ce d u nd er t h e r i g i d ,u ns ym pa th et ic c a r e o f t h e i r m at e rn a l g r a nd p a re n t s, o n l y r e t u r n i n g t o t h e i rf a th e r ' s home f o r ho l id ays . Wordswor th ' s f a th e r , John Wordsworth, had been abusy man who does no t seem t o have had much t ime t o spend wi th h i s ch i l dr en .In h e r b iogra phy of Wordsworth,Mary Moorman s ug ge st s t h a t when John Wordsworthd i e d f i v e y e a r s l a t e r , i n 1 78 3, The r e a l l o s s s u s t a i n ed by t h e Wordsworthc h i l d r e n . was p e r ha p s l e s s t h a t o f a b e l ov e d p e r s o n t h a n of a happyhome. D ur in g t h e two o r t h r ee f o l l o w i n g y ea r s t h e co n t r a s t b et weenl i f e a t Cockermouth a n d l i f e w i t h t h e i r u n lo ve d g r a n d p a re n t s a t P e n r i t h w a sb i t t e r . 24 The g u i l t f e e l i n g s Wordsworth d e s c r i b e s i n he P r e l u d eperhaps der ive d f rom a s en se o f r esen tment towards a f a t h e r who seemed t o haveabandoned him.

Dorothy and he r b r o t he r s were r eu n i t e d i n th e summer o f 1787 when s he toocame t o l i v e w i t h t h e i r g r a nd p a re n t s. A t t h i s t i m e s h e an d Wi l li am r ed i s co v e r edt h e l o v i n g a f f i n i t y t he y ha d s ha r e d a s s m a ll c h i l d r e n . poem from t h i sp e r i o d , The Vale o f Es thwai te , ce le br a t es Wordsworth 's r enewed love fo r h i ss i s t e r i n a p a ss ag e which b eg i n s w i th a r e c o l l e c t i o n o f h i s f a t h e r ' s d e a tht h a t see ms a n e a r l y v e r s i o n o f t h e s p o t s of t i m e p as s ag e from the 1798-1799~ r e l u d e . ' ~ The poe t then moves t o romant ic spe cu la t i on s abou t h i s own dea th .Imagin ing h imkel f upon h i s dea thbed wi thou t th e comfor t o f a mother ' s arm,h e t u r n s t o h i s s i s t e r


25/96

For I must never sh aret e n d e r p a r e n t s g u ar d ia n c a r e ;

Sure , f rom the wor ld s unkind alarm,Return ing t o a mother s a rm,Mist -eyes awhi le upr ai se th e headE l s e -s i n k in g t o D ea t h s j o y l e s s b ed,And when by pain, by Death depressedAh s u r e i t g e n t l e r s i n k s t o r e s t .A s when a B a l l , h i s d a r l i n g t o y ,Tos sed upward by some w at ch fu l boyMeets in i t s q u ic k d e c l i n i n g c o u r seThe well-known hand t h a t gave i t f o r c e ,Spr ing s up aga in wi th fe eb le boundThen so f t e r f a l l s upon t he g round .S i s t e r , f o r whom I f e e l a l o veWhat warms a Br ot he r f a r above,n you , a s s ad she marks th e s cen e ,

Why does my h e a r t s o fondly lea n?Why b u t bec ause i n you i s givenA l l , a l l my so ul would wish from Heaven?Why b u t be ca us e I fondly viewA l l , a l l t h a t Heaven h a s c la i m ed , i n y ou?

I have s t r on g r es e r va t io ns abou t F.W. Ba teson s hyp oth es i s o f an inces -tuous love between William and Dorothy Wordsworth. H i s argument tha t theywere w e l l aware of the dangerous na tu re of t h e i r r e l a t ion sh i p does no t con-v i n ce m e b u t some of h i s p o i n t s a r e w e ll -t ak en : t h e i n t e n s i t y o f t h e f e e l i n g sth e Wordsworths had f o r each o th er i s r e ad i ly apparen t f rom W i l l i a m s p o e t r yand f rom Dorothy s jou rna ls . 2 However, t h e i r l o v e f o r e ach o t h e r i s I f e e l ,expre s sed wi th an innocence th a t is p er ha ps n o l o n g e r p o s s i b l e i n t h i s po s t -Fre udi an age . There may ver y w e l l h av e b een a s ex u a l e l em en t i n t h e i r r e l a -t i o n s h i p a f t e r b e in g p a r t e d i n c h il d ho o d , th e y met a g a i n a s a d u l t s a ndalmost as s t r a n g e r s l i k e t h e l eg e nd of t h e h er m ap hr od it e i n P l a t o sSymposium, two ha lv es t o make th e p e r f e c t whole. But I do n o t t h i n k t h a t s u chan a t t r a c t io n be tween them was eve r admi t t ed o r even tha t they were consc ious lyaware of i t . Wordsworth s marria ge t o Mary Hutchinson i n 1802 seems a repudia-t i o n o f t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p h e h ad w i th h i s s i s t e r , f o r Do rothy an d W il li amWordsworth s e l a t i o n s h i p was i n many ways l i k e a mar r iage : the s ense o fc lo sen ess and companionsh ip they shared , t h e i r commitment t o a l i f e t og e th er


26/96

and t o Wil l iam's poet ry sugg est Shakespeare ' s "marr iage of t r u e minds." Buti n c o n t r a s t t o h i s a f f a i r wi t h A nn et te Va ll on a nd t h e a n x i e t y an d f r u s t r a t i o nWordsworth mus t have f e l t a t be ing p reven ted , os te ns ib ly by c i rcumstances ,from t a k i ng any r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r t h e i r c h i l d , 2 7 h i s r e l a t i o n s h i p w i thDorothy a l lowed Wordsworth t o recover something o f th e b l i s s f u l s ec ur i t y ofh i s e a r l y c hi ld ho od . The i n t e n s i t y of h i s l o ve f o r h i s s i s t e r probably hadi t s s o u rc e i n W ords wor th 's g r i e f a t t h e d e a th s of h i s p a r e n t s wh i l e h e was ac h i l d : t h e v o id t h a t t h e i r d e at h s l e f t , e s p e c i a l l y h i s m o th e r' s, was nowf i l l e d by Dorothy .

In t h e l e t t e r t o Thomas Poole i n which C oler idge enc los ed a copy of As lu mb er d id my s p i r i t s e a l , " Co le rid g e commented t h a t t h e poem l i k e ly o r ig in -a t e d i n a fantasy about the death of Dorothy Wordsworth:

Oh t h i s s t ra ng e, s t ra ng e scene-;hi t e rDeath t h a t g id d i e s o ne w i th i n s e c u r i t y , a nd s ou n s u b s t a n t i a t e s t h e l i v i n g T hi ng s t h a t one h a sgrasped and handled / Some months ago Wordswortht r a n s m i t t e d t o m a most s ubli me Ep ita ph / whetheri t had any r e a l i t y , cannot say .- - Most probably ,i n some gl oom ier moment he had fa nc i ed th e momenti n which h i s s i s t e r might die.28

Many c r i t i c s a r e i n c l i n e d t o d i s co u n t t h i s r em ar k, a r g ui n g t h a t t o i n s i s t upona rea l id en t i ty fo r Lucy a s Dorothy o r a s Anne tte Va l lon o r a ch i ldhoods we e th e a r t i s t o be r ed uc ti ve and i r r e l e ~ a n t . ~ ' But g iven Coler id ge ' sc lo s e f r i e n d s h ip w i th t h e Wordsworths an d h i s a waren es s of t h e i r s i t u a t io n i nGoslar , h i s remark does seem to me t o p ro v id e a v a lu a b le i n s i g h t i n to t h e moodi n which Wordsworth migh t have begun t h e "Lucy" series . I n Wordsworth'sd e pr es s ed s t a t e d u r i ng t h a t t e r r i b l e w i n t e r , n i gh t ma r es a b ou t t h e d e a th oft h e s i s t e r whose companionship he r e l i e d upon s o hea vi ly might v ry we l l havepreye d upon h i s mind: wi tho ut Dor othy's sav ing pre sen ce, Wordsworth wouldhave been a lo ne i s a c o l d , h o s t i l e w or ld . H i s l i f e would b e l i k e t h a t o f t h edes ola te Fly whose ex is te nc e he des cr i bes i n "wr i t te n i n Germany on one of


27/96

the col de st days of t he century":i s spi ndl es s ink under him, fo ot , l eg , and thigh

H i s eyes ight and hea r ing a r e l o s t ;Between l i f e and death h i s blood f re ez es and thaws;And h i s two pr e t t y pinio ns of b lue dusky gauzeAre g lued to h i s s id es by the f r os t .No bro the r , no mate ha s he ne ar him while ICan draw warmth from th e cheek of my lov e;A s b l e s t and a s g l a d, i n t h i s d e s o l a t e gloom,A s i f green sumner gra ss were the f l oo r of my room,And woodbines were hanging above.

In suppor t of h i s id en t i f i ca t i on of Lucy wi th Dorothy , F.W. Batesonc i t e s a fragment of "Nutting" which addr ess es Lucy:

Ah what a cr as h was th at with ge nt le handTouch the se f a i r haze l s My beloved ~ r i e n dThough t i s a s i g h t i n v i s i b l e t o t he eFrom such rude int er co ur se th e woods a l l sh r in kA s a t th e blowing of Astolpho's horn.Thou, Lucy, a r t a maiden 'i nl an d bred'And thou h a s t known 'some n ur tu re '; bu t i n tr u t hI f I had m e t thee here with that keen lookHalf c ru e l i n i t s eagerness , those cheeksThus [word il l e g i b l e ] flushe d wit h a tempestuous bloom,I might have almo st deem'd t h a t I had pass 'dA hou sel ess bei ng i n a human shape,An enemy of nature , hi ther sentFrom regions f a r beyond th e Indian hi l l s .

A vers ion of "Nutt ing" was a l so inc luded i n the l e t t e r to Coleridge fromGosler th a t contained "Strange f i t s of passion," "She dwelt among th euntrodden ways" and the Prelude fragments. Like the publ ished te xt , andunl ik e th e f ragment quoted above, t h i s vers io n of "Nutting" does not addressLucy. But there i s a s t r o n g echo of "She dwelt among th e u ntrod den ways"i n t he se l i n e s

The vio le ts of f i ve seasons re-appearAnd f ade , unseen by any human eye . . .

The concluding admonition t o a "d ear est Maiden" i n "Nutting" i s reminiscentof WordswortQ1s addre ss to h i s s i s t e r a t the end of "Tintern Abbey." As i n"Tint ern Abbey," Wordsworth draws on the pa st i n "Nutting" t o i l l u n i n a t e th e


28/96

pres en t f o r h i s compan ion . Wordsworth had in t e n d e d ~ u t t i n g a s p a r t o f31 Thehe Pre lude , bu t subsequen t ly &cided n o t t o use t i n t ha t poem.

Pre lude i s addressed to Co le r idge . Perhaps we may re aso na bly suppose t h a tth e Maiden addr esse d i n Nuttingf ' who i s ca l l ed Lucy i n the f ragmentquoted above i s Wordsworth' s o t he r be loved ~ r i e n d nd conf idan t e ,Dorothy.

1 F u r th e r e v id e nc e fo r a n i d e n t i f i c a t i o n o f Lucy w i th Do ro th y i s provided,by Among a l l lo ve ly th in gs my Love had been. Wordsworth composed t h i spoem i n 1802 a b o ut a n i n c i d e n t t h a t t oo k w lace, he to ld Co le r idg e , aboutseven years ago between Dorothy and me 32 I n 1802 he c a l l e d th e g i r l i n

I Ithe poem ~mma , a pseudonym he f re qu en tl y used f o r Dorothy. When hepublished the poem i n 1807 ~mma w a s khanged t o ~ u c y and th e poem wasp laced bes ide I t r a v e l l ' d among unknown men. A t l e a s t i n r e t ro s p e ct , t h e r ew a s an as so ci at io n i n Wordsworth 's mind between th e Lucy poems and h i sf e e l in g s fo r Dorothy .

In th e p reced ing pages I have su gge st ed t h a t t h e Lucy poems emergedo u t o f a t e r r i b l e a nd pe rh ap s recu r ren t f an t asy abou t Doro thy ' s dea t h , andout of th e complex nat ure and or ig in s of Wordsworth 's love f o r her . Byexp lo r ing the e f f e c t o f Lucy ' s dea th upon he r lo ver , Wordsworth spoke h i sown fe el in gs and f e a r s . However, si nc e, un lik e The Pr elu de, th e Lucy poemsare n o t e x p l i c i t l y a u t i o b i og r a p hi c a l , I w l l r e f e r t o t he I of these poemsa s t h e s p e ak e r i n s t e a d o f s Wordsworth.

A p a t t e r n o f f f b l i n d n e s s ' f t o Lucy 's m or t a l i ty , fo l lowed by a t r a g i cawareness emerges i n th e f i r s t th re e Lucy poems. Each se t s p r i o r h e ed l es s -ness and subsequent knowledge i n oppos i t ion , bu t by means o f t h i s r ep e t i t iv es t r u c t u r e Wo~;dsworth dem onst rate s a growth of mental power 'I In s t r a n g ef i t s of p a s si on I have known th e speaker apprehends the p o s s i b i l i t y (and byim p l i c a t i o n , t h e i n e v i t a b i l i t y ) o f Lu c y' s d e a th , b u t b ac k s away from th e


29/96

knowledge th at ov er ta ke s him. In "She dwelt among the untroddenways" he t r i s t o e xp r e s s t h e " d i f f e r e nc e" Lucy ' s de a th ha s meantt o him: now th a t sh e i s dead th e speaker t r i s t o e vo ke h e rl i v i ng pr e s enc e , bu t he c an on ly r e - ca p tu re a n e l u s iv e im pre s s iono f h e r . A sl um ber d i d my s p i r i t s e a l " p l a c e s t h e s p e ak e r 'sp a i n f u l p e r s o n a l f e e l i n g s a bo u t L uc y' s d e a t h i n t h e c o n t e x t o fman 's p l a c e i n na tu r e ' s un ive r s e . The l i v i n g Lucy was pa r t of auniverse governed by t i m e ; i t i s o nl y a f t e r s h e i s dead that Lucyneed not s u f f e r change , because she has become p a r t of an inanimatea nd un f e e l i ng r e alm o f " t h ings .

The pa t te rn of ep iphany i s l es s e x p l i c i t i n " ~ h r e e e ar s sh egrew," but the re i s s t i l l a s t r on g s e ns e o f " be f o r e a nd a f t e r " i nthe s pe a ke r ' s e voc a t i on o f t he pa s t t im e o f Luc y' s l i f e , which i ss e t ag a i ns t th e pre sen t moment f rom which s he i s a bs en t i n t h e l a s ts t a nz a :

Thus Nat ur e spak e th e work was doneHow soon my Lu cy' s ra ce was runShe d i e d , and l e f t t o mThi s he a th , t h i s ca lm , a nd qu i e t s c e ne ;Th is memory of what h as b een,And never more w i l l be.

In "Three year s she grew" Lucy's l i f e i s r e c a l l e d i n t h e c o n t e x t ofhe r re la t i on sh ip wi th "Nature." The wider focus of t h i s poem ando f A s lumber d id my s p i r i t s e a l " pe rha ps e xp l a in s Wordswo r t h ' spl ac in g them i n "Poems of th e Imaginat ion" i n 1815 whil e ass i gn in gt h e ot h e r "Lucy" poems t o "Poems of th e Aff ect io ns ".


30/96

STRANGE- - - F I T S O F P AS SI ON HAVE KNOWN-Of a l l th e l.ucy poems, on ly Stran ge f i t s of i s

r e co g n iz e ab l y l y r i c a l a l l a d . A lt ho ug h u n l i k e most t r a d i t i o n a lb a l l a d s n o t h i n g a c t u a l l y h i ~ p p e n s , t h e a tm o sp h er e 01 the poem

3a r o u s e s a n e x p e c t a t i o n o f t r a g e d The s p e ak e r i n t r o d u c es h i s t a l eby d e s c r i b i n g h i s e x p e r i e n c e as S tr an ge f i t s o f p a s s i o n I haveknown. . . . : u s i n g th e word s t r a n g e u e v ok e s t h e t r a d i t i o n a lb a l l a d w o rl d o f t h e s u p e r n a t u r a l o r t h e m y s t er i o us . T h is e f f e c t i she i gh t e ne d a s h e g o es on t o c o n f i d e t h a t h e w i l l d a r e t o t e l l Buti n t h e L o ve r 's ear a l on e , / What once t o m b e f e l l . T he se l i n e si n t i m at e t h a t i t i s da nge r ous t o s pe a k of t h i s e x p e r i en c e . P e rh a pst h e n a r r a t o r f e a r s t h a t by s p e a k i n g o f h i s p r e mo n i ti o n o f L u cy ' sdeath he wil.1 make i t h ap pe n. I n t h e e a r l y v e r s i o n s e n t t o C o l e r id g ef rom G os l a r , t he poem ha s a f i n a l s t a nz a i n w hi ch w e a r e t o l d t h a tt h e n a r r a t o r ' s f e a r s ha ve come t o p a s s :

Once , when my lo ve was s t r o ng and gay,And l i k e a r o se i n J u n e,

I t o h e r c o t t a g e b e n t my way,Beneath th e e ve ni ng ?loon.

Upon t h e moon I f i x e d my e yeA l l o v e r the w i de l e a :

My ho rse t r ud g ' s on , and we drew n ighThose pa th s so de a r [ t o ] me.

3And now I 'v e reached th e orc har d- plo t ,

And as w e c li mb ed t h e h i l l ,Toward ' s t h e roof o f Lucy ' s co t

The moon descended s t i l l .

In one of t hose swee t d reams I s l e p t ,Kind n a t u r e ' s g e n t l e s t b oo n,

&d a l l th e w h i le my e y e s I k e p tn the descending moon.


31/96

My hor se moved on; hoof a f t e r hoofHe r a i s ed an d n ev e r s t o p p ed ,

When down beh ind th e c o tt a g e roofAt once the p la ne t dropp 'd .

S tr an g e a r e t h e f a n c i e s t h a t w i l l s l i d eI n t o a l o v e r ' s h ea d,0 mercy" t o myself I c r i e dI f Lucy s ho ul d b e dead "

I t o l d h e r t h i s : h e r l au g h te r l i g h tIs r in g in g i n my e a r s ;

And when I t h i n k u pon t h a t n i g h tMy ey es a r e dim w i t h t e a r s .

" f i ti n a momentThe speakerhe ha s f e l t

o f pas s ion" i s g en e r a l l y u sed t o d e s c r i b e an act committedo f aband on o r d u r i n g a momentary l o s s o f s e l f co n t r o l .t e l l s u s h e h a s h ad " f i t s " o f p a s s i o n , w hic h s u g g e s t s t h a tt h i s way more than once, a l th ough he goes on to d es cr ib e a

s i n g l e o c c as i on .The second word o f th e open ing phrase , " f i t s , " pos ses s es a

number of co nn ot at io ns which b ea r upon t he meaning of th e poem."fi t" commonly denotes a t r a n s i t o r y a f f l e c t i o n o r p aroxysm o f h y s t e r i ao r l u na c y. The m aj or e f f e c t o f " f i t s " , t h e r e f o r e , i s t o r ed u ce t h ein te ns e emot iona l expe r ienc e sugges ted by th e use o f "pas s ion" (which"S t range f i t s " m odi f i e s ) t o a momentary a t t a ck o f madness o r a lo s s o fs e l f - c o n t r o l t h a t h a s s i n c e bee n throw n o f f , o r s o t h e s p e a k e rendeavours t o persuade us . " f i t " may a l s o d e s c r i b e a b o d i l y s t a t eo r a f f l i c t i o n t h a t p r es a g es d e a t h , a l t ho u gh t h i s u se o f t h e word i s ,

4and was i n Wordsworth 's time a r c h a i c : a s h e g o es on w i t h h i s s t o r y ,t h e s p e a k e r 's " f i t s " a r e r e v e al e d t o be a m en ta l c r i s i s t h a t i sg ro un ded i n o r f or es hado ws t h e p h y s i ca l f a c t o f d ea t h . T h i s a r c h a i c


32/96

2

usage sugges t s t he l anguage o f t he o l d t r ad i t i o na l ba l l a ds . A f i ti s a l s o a p a r t o f a poem o r a song a s t a nza o r a can to . Thi smeaning s u g g es t s t h e s p e a k e r ' s e f f o r t t o r e g a i n c o n t r o l o v e r h i sf ee l i ngs ; he adm it s h i s pa ss i on t o u s a b i t a t a t i m e i n s t a nz a s ,o r i n f i t s and starts . I f h i s t e l l i n g of h i s p ass io n i ss t ruc t u red , pe rhaps i t may be co nt ro l l ed .

Passion i s used by th e speaker t o def ine a d i s tu rb in g premoni t ionof h i s s w e e t h e a r t ' s d e a th , a nd i s t h u s s e t aga i n s t h i s l ove fo r Lucy:dea th , no t Lucy, f i l l s he r l ove r w i t h pas si on . Although we commonly

use passion to imply sex ual love, and the cl os e proximi ty of passionand Lover i n t h i s s t a nz a t ends to b r i ng th i s usage to mind , t he wordh a s i t s o r i g i n s i n s u f f er i n g, e s p e c i a l l y t h e s u f f e r i n g of C h r i s t onthe c ross , and is c l o s e l y t i e d , t h e r e f o r e , t o l i f e and d e a th , an d t ol i f e a f t e r d e a th o r r ed em ptio n. But in the course of the ~u cy poems,Lucy' s dea th reve a l s he r to be a c re a tu re o f a ph ys i ca l un iverse . Thel ove r ' s pa s s i on i s i nd ee d a n a n t i c i p a t i o n o f e t e r n i t y , b u t i t i s t hec y c l i c a l r ea lm o f e a r t h ' s d i u rn a l c ou rs e ( A sl um be r d i d my s p i r i ts e a l ) t h a t h e i s u l t i m a t e l y con f ron t ed w i t h , r a t he r t ha n th e s p i r i t u a lrealm of God.

Passion i s c l o s e l y l i n k e d wi th p a s s i v i t y : o ne s u f f e r s p a s s io n ,o r i s acted upon by i t . Thus, t h e s pe a ke r i n t r o d u c e s h i s s t o r y i n t h ep a s s iv e v oi c e o r t e l l s us what once to me b e f e l l . Lucy 's loverendeavours to rep ress h i s pass ion , bu t i t becomes c l e a r i n t h i s poeman d i n t h e o t h e r s t h a t t h i s is a passion t h a t cannot be overcome o rignored man must be pass ive i n the face of dea t h , i n t he end he can

5]be nothi ng 5lse


33/96

In the open ing l i n e s of t h e se co nd s t a n z a t h e s p e a k e r recal lshow Lucy seemed t o him a s he se t o u t f o r h e r c o t t a g e: When sh elov ' d was s t ro ng and gay / and l i k e a ro s e i n J u ne . . The use ofth e pa st ten se he re ( When she lo v' d was. . ) imp l ies t h a t Lucyi s no lo nge r str ong and gay: T h i s s u g g es t i o n t h a t L uc y' s y o u t h, i fn o t h e r l i f e , i s now over i s s t reng the ned by he r equa t ion wi th a rosei n June . The a s s o c i a t i o n o f t r a n s i e n c e a n d de ca y w i th r o s e s i s (andwas i n 1798) a comam poet ic ism. Wordsworth 's opi ni ons abou t poet ic

6d i c t i o n e x pr e ss e d i n t h e 1 800 P r e f a c e s u g ge s t t h a t he a n t i c i p a t e d ap a r t i c u l a r r e sp o ns e f rom h i s r e a d e r y us ing such a phrase : the useof such ready o r unin spir ed (and hence unpassionate ) words tod e s cr i b e Lucy r e i n f o r c e s my i mp re ss io n t h a t i n t e l l i n g h i s s t o r y t h en a r r a t o r i s a t t e m p t in g to dim in i sh t h e e f f e c t o f h i s e x p e r i e n c e . Butwhen the ass oc i a t i on o f rose s and June wi th t r ans ien ce i s coupled withth e im p l i c a t i o n s o f t h e p a s t t e n s e , t h i s a pp a re n t com pla cen cy i su n de rcu t . The lo v e r ' s t r a n q u i l i t y i s e xp os ed a s f a l s e . He i n a d v e r t e n t l yrev ea l s the t r u t h o f h i s fond and wayward though ts : i f Lucy i s n o tdead now, s he i s a t l e a s t changed f rom wha t she w a s and a t some time i nt h e f u t u r e s h e w l l d i e .

Because have argued t h a t th e LUCY poems ex pr es s Wordsworth'sown f ee l in gs o r f e a r s , some comment about t h e p o e t ' s c o ns c io u s i n t e n tv e r s u s h i s e m pa th ic i nv olve nren t wi th h i s n a r r a t o r seem s c a l l e d f o r h e r e .W ords wo rth 's i d e n t i f i c a t i o n o f p o e t ry w ith p a s s io n i n t h e P re f ac e t o t h e1 8 0 0 e d i t i o n of Ly r i c a l B a l l a d s s u g g e s t s t h a t e a ch o f h i s poems e x p re s s e sa p ro j e c t i o n o f h i s own r e sp o n s es i f he were t o b e p l ac e d i n a p a r t i c u l a rs i t u a t io n of c i r cu m s tan c e . A t l e a s t a t th e moment of w ri t i ng , Wordsworthseem t o c l a i m i n t h e P r e f a c e , t h e f e e l i n g s ex p re s se d i n a l l of h i s poemsa r e h i s own. On th e o t h e r hand, Wordsworth's not e t o The Thorn i n th e


34/96

t h e 1 80 0 e d i t i o n of L y r i c a l B a l l a d s a b ou t h i s u se o f a f i r s t p er so nn a r ra t i v e to show th e manner i n which men clea ve t o t he same ide a; andt o f o l lo w t h e t u r n s o f p a s s i o n , a lw ay s d i f f e r e n t y e t n o t p a l p a b ly

d i f f e r en t , by which t h e i r conve r s a t i on i s swayed1' , suggests a precedentfo r d i s t i ng ui s h i ng between poet and na r r a t or i n th e Lucy poems. A sw e l l thes e poems have been very ca re fu l l y cr af te d. Wordsworth 'spenchant f o r r ev i s i on i s apparent from Dorothy ' s jou rn a l s i n which shefre qu en t ly remarks upon th e pain Wordsworth su ff er ed a s a consequence

8of r e v i s i ng h i s poems. A s wel l , Co l e ri dge compla ined i n h i s no tebooki n 1803 th a t Wordsworth' s cor rec t ions , coming of ne ce ss i t y so of t e n ,a t t h e e nd of e v e ry 1 4 o r 20 l i n e s o r whatever the poem might chance

9t o be wore him ou t. I1 Separa t ing Wordsworth' s consc ious i n t en tand empathic involvement i n th e Lucy poems, which ( in con tr as t toI1The Thorn ) a r e much more ly ri ca l than they a r e ball ads , seemsn e i t h e r e n t i r e l y p o s s i b l e n o r d e s i r a b l e . However, w i l l assume thatt he f i n i s h ed o r pub l i s hed poem may be d i s t i n gu i s hed f rom t he i n i t i a lspon tane ous ou tpo uri ng and t h a t Wordsworth was w e l l aware of th ei mpl i ca t i o ns o f u s ing a ph r as e s uch a s l i k e a r os e i n J une t o des c r i beLucy.

The foreboding equat io n of Lucy wi th t he b r i e f f lower ing of rose si s e ch oe d i n h e r l o v e r ' s r i d e to he r co t t a ge beneath an evening moon,

4o r beneath a moon t h a t i s s e t t i n g . The moon i s one o f th e major imagesman has of t he cycl es of nat ure : b i r t h , dea th and renewal . The moonwaxes and wanes, and the n waxes ag a in . The moon, however, rema insunchanged throughout i t s cyc l e : t he change occur s i n ou r pe r cep t i onof the moon, ra th er than i n th e moon i t s e l f . But once Lucy i s d e a d , l i k e


35/96

t h e ro s e s h e w i l l be gone forever as a p a r t i c u l a r o r i nd i v i du a l e n t i t y .O r a s Ben Jonson wrot e,

Suns t h a t s e t , may r i s e a g a in :But i f once w e l o se t h i s l i g h t' T i s w i th us p e rp e tu a l n ig h t .

The us e o f " b e nt my wayn t o d e s c r ib e t h e r i d e r ' s s e t t i n g o f f t owardsL U C Y S c o t t a g e s u g g e s ts t h a t h i s j ou rn ey i s g oi ng t o b e a d i f f i c u l t o neand t ha t he w i l l h av e to s t r u g g le t o r e ac h th e c o t t a g e . The r i d e r seemst o b e a r t h e g r e a t weigh t o f t h e moon upon h i s b ac k , j u s t a s h e l a t e r b e a r sth e b urde n o f h i s a n x ie ty a bo u t Luc y' s d e a th. J u x t a p o s in g th e r i d e r ' smovement wit h t h a t of th e moon's each of the fou r middle s t a nz a s slowsdown o r impedes th e r i d e r ' s p ro gr es s. The moon moves always ahead of th er i d e r ; h e i s unable to cat ch up. Looking back upon h i s jour ney, i t seemst o t h e s p e a k er t h a t i f o n ly he c o u ld h ave r ea ch ed Luc y' s c o t t a g e b e fo ret h e moon dropped be hi nd i t he might have esca ped the shocked awarenessof Lucy' s mo r t a l i ty t ha t t he moon's mvement t r i g g e r e d - and thus ,perhaps , saved Lucy. But as he re l i v es h i s journey, he knows he couldno t move quick ly enough, j u s t a s he i s now unable t o evade h i s f ea r . er i d e s tow ards Lucy a s though he were moving i n a dream:

In one of thos e sweet dreams I s l e p t ,Kind Nature s gen t le s t boon

The e f f e c t of end l ess movement, a s i f i n a d ream o r a t r a n c e , i si n c r e a s e d by t h e r e p i t i t i o n o f t h e word "and" a s t h e n a r r a t o r d e s c r i b e sh i s j o u rne y , t o g e th e r w i th t h e r e p e at e d r e f e r e n c e s t o t h e moon's"descend ing" and suc h ph ra se s a s "my ho rs e tr ud ge d on", "my ho rs e movedon'' and "hoof a f t e r hoof/ He r a i s ' d a nd n e v e r s to p p ' d . . Therunning-on qf a thought from one l i n e t o th e n e x t , a device used


36/96

2

thro ugh out th e poem ( f o r example, And a l l t he wh i le my eyes kep t / Ont h e de scen ding moon ) a l s o slo ws down t he poem's rhythm i n sympathy witht he r i de r ' s s low p r ogr es s .

The l i nes I t o h e r c o t t a g e b e n t my way/ Beneath an evening moona l s o sugg est t h a t t he r i d e r bows down t o th e moon. Th is impression becomess t r on ge r two s t an zas l a t e r , when t he speake r r e f e r s t o Kind Na t u r e ' sge n t l e s t boon (my i t a l i c s ) Nature 's power to gra nt boons imp l iest h a t man i s h e r va ssa l . The boon Nature gr an t s is t h e sweet dream1' ofheedless lwss . The r i d e r i s j o l t e d o u t o f t h i s d ream by a s udden f ea r f o rLucy ' s l i f e when the moon, Natu re ' s r ep res en ta t iv e , drops behind Lucy ' sc o t t a g e . He i s made suddenly and pai nf ul ly aware of dea th, the power t h a tNature holds over man.

The man and th e moon conve rge upon Lucy's c o t t a g e bnd the y a l s o seemto rnerge i n t o one an oth er i n the d is to r t e d syn tax of Upon the moonf i x ' d my e ye ,/ A l l over t he w ide l ea i n s t anza t h r e e . Does A l l overt he wide l ea r e f e r t o t he moon's l i g h t , o r t o t he s peake r ' s eye? Althoughth e spe ak er ' s premoni t ion of Lucy's death seems t o be t r ig ge red by anou t s i de agency, th e moon, h i s f e a r fo r Lucy ac tu a l ly emerges ou t of thedepths of h i s own subcon scious , to change h i s sweet dreams i n t o nightmareand t o the reby shock him awake. The r i d e r does no t ra ce ag ai ns t t he moonbut ag ai ns t h i s own mind. i s


37/96

moon. But i n s p i t e o f t h e r i d e r ' s c l o s e a t t e n t i o n t o t h e moon'sr e l e n t l e s s movement towards I ,ucyls co t t ag e, i t n e v e r t h e l e s s s e e m s t o

I 1drop sudden ly , o r a t once" beh ind th e co t t ag e roof . The p rospe c t o fLucy 's dea th seems sudden and unexpected because a 1 hough t he spe ake rhas p resumably bestowed th e c l os e a t t e n t i o n o f a l ov er upon Lucy -- o rperhaps -b ecau s e h e h a s s o l o v i n g l y d o t ed upon h e r -- h e h a s b l i n d e dh im se lf t o t h e e f f e c t o f t h e pa ss ag e of t i m e

The slow-moving r e g u l a r i t y t h a t c h a r a c t e r i z e s t h e r i d e r ' s j o u rn e ycomes t o an abr up t s t op a s th e moon drops beh ind Lucy' s co t t ag e :

My hor se moved on; hoof a f t e r hoofHe ra i s ' d and never s topp 'dWhen own b eh i n d t h e co t t ag e r o o fAt o nce t h e p l an e t d r o p p l d .

T h e r i d e r i s j o l t e d o u t o f h i s " sw ee t drea ms . Yet i n t h e l i n e s t h a timmediate ly fol l ow, h i s sudden epiphany i s l a b e l l e d "fond and waywardt ho ug ht s" t h a t " s l i d e / i n t o a 1,over's head" (my i t a l i c s ) d e s i r i n g t or e t u r n t o h i s f o rm er dr ea m- li ke s t a t e , t h e s p e a k e r se em s t o den y h i srude awakening. Hence, th e s low, g en t l e rhythm of t he rest of the poemi s k e p t up i n t h e f i n a l s t a nz a :

What fond and wayward t ho ug ht s w l l s l i d eI n t o a Lover ' s head --I1 mercy " t o myself I c r i e d ,If Lucy sh ou ld b e dead "

The s p e a k e r ' s r e f e r e n c e t o h im s e lf i n t h e t h i r d p e r so n i n t h e s ec on dl i n e of t h i s s t a n z a ( " I n to a Lo ve r' s h ea d" ), i n c o n t r a s t t o h i s use o f t h ef i r s t pe r so n t h r ou g h ou t t h e res t o f t h e poem, s u g g e s t s t h a t h e is t r y i n gt o d i s t a n c e h i m se l f f ro m t h i s e x p e ri e n c e o r t o r e p r e s s t h e s e " fo nd a n dwayward thoughts I1 With h i s r a t h e r m ech ani cal r e s p o n se o f 0 mercy '' t h es pe a ke r s e e k t o a t t em p t t o c o n ta i n h i s e x pe ri e nc e by e x p re s si n g h i s


38/96

response to i t i n f a m i l i a r an d t h e r e f o r e " sa fe " terms. t the sametime, however, 0 m erc yI " e vo ke s a n a s s o c i a t i o n w i th p r a y e r , s u g g e s t in gt h e s e r i o u s n a t u r e o f t h e s e t h ou g ht s . T h i s a s s o c i a t i o n w i t h p r a y e rs u g g e s t s i n r e t ro s p e c t t h a t " th e In v e r " t o whom th e s p e a k e r s a y s t h a the w i l l " d a r e t o t e l l " h i s " pa ss io n" i n s t a n z a on e i s C hr is t , who a lon ew i l l l i s t e n t o an d u nd er st an d t h e s p e a k e r ' s s u f f e r i n g . S i m i l a r l y , t h espeaker ' s des c r i p t i on o f h i s "fond and wayward though ts" o r h i s "S t rangef i t s o f pass ion" evoke an asso c ia t i on wi th Henry Vaughan' s v i s i on o fheaven i n "They a re a l l gone in t o the wor ld of l igh t" :

And ye t , a s angel s i n some b r i gh t er dreamsC a l l t o t he so ul when man doth s le ep ,

So some st ra ng e thoughts tr ans cen d our wonted themes,And i n t o gl or y peep. 4

But God's presence i s not f e l t i n the uni vers e of th e "Lucy" poems.Nature i s t h e c o n t r o l l i n g f o r c e he r e : "boons" a r e g r a n t e d o r re fu s e d a th e r p l e as u r e . I f t h e s p e a k e r ' s c r y i s read a s a p r ayer to God, i t seemsdoomed t o remain unanswere d. I f i t i s a p r a y e r t o Na tu re , i t seemsdoomed t o rebu ff , f o r death i s a n u n de n ia b le a nd u na v oid ab le f a c t o f l i f ei n N at u r e 's u n i ve r s e. 0 mercy ' t o myself I cr ie d" may be rea d a s ap l e a t o a gr ea te r power , sound less ly exp esed , bu t i t a l s o i m pl i es t h a tth e speaker a sks f o r mercy f rom h imse l f , o r f rom h i s imag ina t ion -- t h e

4sou rce , f o r Wordsworth, of "deep f ee li ng s" such a s the se. But th e poemends wi th the unremi t t ing l i n e " ' I f Lucy shou ld be dead ' These words,towards which the poem has been always moving, overshadow a l l t h a t h a sb ee n s a i d b e fo re .


39/96

"SHE DWELT MONG THE UNTRODDEN WAYS".

The use of f low er imagery t o evoke on e' s beloved i s a t r a d i t i o n a ltech niqu e of E ngli sh l ove p oet ry which Wordsworth makes use of i n "Strang ef i t s o f p a ss io n. " H e a l s o u s e s i t i n "She dw elt among the untrodde n ways,"compari ng Lucy t o A v i o l e t by a mossy s ton e ." Frances Ferguson sug ges tsth a t by avo id ing " the sp ec i f ic s o f cheeks and , roses1 ' and l ik en i ng Lucy t oan e n t i r e f lower , Wordsworth incr eas es Lucy 's anonymity . These " spec i f ic s"were, i n f a c t , u se d by W ordsworth t o d e s c r i b e Lucy i n t h e e a r l y v e r s io n o f"She dwelt among the untrodden ways" s e nt t o Col erid ge from Gos lar:

y hope was one , f rom c i t i e s f a rNursed on a lonesome heath:Her l i p s w r red as r o s e s a r e ,r Her h a i r a woodbine wreath.

. .

She lived among the untrodden waysBeside th e s pr in gs of Dove,

maid whom t he re were none t o pr a i s eAnd very few to l ov e;

v i o l e t by a mossy s to neHalf-hidden from th e eye:

F a i r as a s t a r when only ones s h i n i n g i n t h e s ky

\ And sh e was gr ac ef ul a s th e broomTh at f l o we r s by Ca r ro n ' s s i d e ;But slow distemper checked her bloom,

\ And on the Heath she died.Long time be fo re h e r head l ay low

Dead t o t he world was sh e:But now sh e ' s i n h e r gr ave, and Oh

Th e d i f f e r e n c e t o m e

Wordsworth subseq uent ly removed some s i gn i f i ca n t d e t a i l s f rom t h i sve rs io n of "She dwe lt among the untrodd en ways" the published poem nol o n g e r t e l l s us t ha t Lucy su f f e re d f rom "d istemper" o r t ha t she was alo n g time dfiing. What a r e l e f t a r e t h e b a r e bo ne s. Lucy l ived, and she


40/96

d i e d . B es id e t h e t e r r i b l e f a c t t h a t Lucy is dead, the c i r cums tancessur rounding he r dea th seem u n iq o r t a n t . The re su l t of r emoving thesedetai l s f rom the poem i s increased poignancy: Lucy's absence i s muchmore f e l t . The comparisons o f Lucy t o a v io le t and t o a s t a r a r e nows t a t t he cen t r e o f t he poem; r a t h e r t han be i ng pa r t o f a ca t a l ogue o fh e r beauty , they now seem to exp res s h e r esse nce . The image of Lucy i sa t onc e l ss s u p e r f i c i a l th an t h e s p e c if i c s o f h e r l i p s and h a i r andha rde r to grasp. Now th a t she i s dead, Lucy's lo ve r t r i s t o p r a i s ehe r l i v i n g p r es ence , bu t he can on l y evoke an e l u s i v e i mpr es si on o fwhat she once was.

I n t he f i r s t s t a nza Lucy 's way of l i f e i s evoked with images ofq u i e t an d t r a n q u i l l i t y , b u t t h e s e r e c o l l e c t i o n s o f Lucy a r e c o l o u re d byhe r dea t h . The e f f e c t o f u s i ng dwe lt ( i n s t ead o f l i ved , f o rexample) i s t o emphasize h e r impermanenc -- Lucy re s ide d or l in gere d

o r a t i m e among Th' untrodden ways . This l a t t e r phrase conjures upimages o f a r u r a l r emot enes s o r o f a s o l i t a r y , unhur ri ed way of l i f e .W a re a l s o to ld t h a t Lucy dwel t Bes ide t he spr in gs of Dove. .Because t h e Dove i s a symbol of the Holy Sp i r i t , Lucy's dwe l l ing bes ide

the sp r in gs of Dove sugg es t s th a t she , too , was pure and v i r tu ous .. --

The phrase su gg es t s th a t Lucy dwel t ne ar God, th e source o r the spr ingso f t h e Holy S p i r i t an d t h a t L uc y' s q u i e t , r u r a l l i f e was t h e r e f o r e p ur e ra n d h o l i e r t h a n t could have been i f she had l i v e d among th e wel l - troddenways of town. Lucy' s dwel l ing bes ide the spr ings o r the beginnings ofthe River Dove a l s o s ugg es t s he r youth . Lucy ' s innocence , s im pl ic i t y andv i r t u e , as w e l l a s h e r y o ut h, a r e a l s o i mp l ie d by t h e o ne r e f e r e n c e t o h e ra s a Maid i n t h e t h i r d l i n e o f t h i s s t a nz a . Thi s impress ion of Lucy' s


41/96

v i r t u e o r g o d l i n e s s co n j u r e s up t h e o l d maxim, s h e d i ed y ou ng b ecaus e s h ewas t o o good f o r t h i s w or ld u s u a l l y use d i n r e t r o s p e c t , a f t e r t h e d e at ho f a c h i l d o r a young p e r s o n. Because o f h er you th , Lucy' s dea t h i s_C_- .u ne xp ec te d a nd a l l t h e more s h a t t e r i n g f o r h e r l o v e r : t h e pr om is e c o n ta i n e d

_ . -i n " t h e s p r i n g s o f Dove" o f a c a l m l y f l o w i n g r i v e r i s n o t m i r r o r e d i n L u cy 'sl i f e , w hich e nd s j u s t as i t i s beg inn ing .

The r a t h e r c i r c u i t o u s l i n e s A Maid whom th e re were none t o pr a i s e /And very f ew t o love' ' a l s o h i n t a t Lucy's s i t u a t i o n i n l i f e , t e l l i n g ust h a t Lucy l i v e d i n i s o l a t i o n , w i th a s m al l c i r c l e o f i n t i m a t e s who l o ve d

h e r . More s i g n i f i c a n t l y , t h e s e l i n e s im ply a d i s t i n c t i o n b et we en t h ef e e l i n g s t h e s p eak e r had f o r Lucy when s h e was a l i v e an d t h e f ee l i n g s h ei s l e f t wi t h now t h a t s h e i s dead: when Lucy was a l i v e , h e r family andf r i e n d s d i d n o t " p r a i se " h e r , t h e y l o v ed h e r . " P r a i s e " s u g g es t s w o rs hi po r t h e o f f e r i n g o f hynms t o a r em ot e d i v i n i t y an d t h e s p eak e r s eems t od i s t i n g u i s h t h i s fr om t h e l o v e he a n d a f ew o t h e r s f e l t f o r Lucy. Butnow t h a t Lucy i s dead, sh e can no l o n g e r b e l o v ed ; s h e can o n l y b e p r a i s e d .This poem was g i v e n t h e t i t l e o f "Song" i n t h e 1 80 0 e d i t i o n o f L y r i c a lBa l l a ds , pe rh aps because i t i s a hymn o f p r a i s e to Lucy. Now t h a t she i sdead, th e spe ak er remembers Lucy as more th an t h e s im ple "Maid" he love d.H e w o r sh i p s h e r as

v i o l e t by a mossy s toneHalf hidden from the Eye

F a i r , as a s t a r when o nl y ones s h i n i n g i n t h e sky

These two images r ep res en t Lucy a s s imul ta neou s ly lowly and de l i ca te ,g l o r i o u s an d r em o t e . L uc y' s b e a ut y s p a n s t h e n e a r a n d t h e f a r an de x p r e s s e s t h e u n i t y of t h e u n i v e r s e : h e r b e a ut y e n co n pa ss e s t h e a n t i p o d e sof th e un ivdr se and shows them t o be mi r r o r images o f each o t he r . The


42/96

v i o l e t i s ha l f h idden by the s ton e ; the g lo ry of t he s i ng l e s t a r i sabou t to be obscured by cou n t l e ss o th e rs . The s t a r shows up aga in s t th edarkened sky ; the v io le t i s con t ra s te d aga ins t the mossy s tone . Buta l th o ug h th e s e ima ge s o f t h e v io l e t a nd th e s t a r seem in t e n d e d a s a t r i b u t et o Lucy, t h i s p ra i se1 ' has a ho l low r ing . I t i s undercu t by the ass oc i a t i onswi th muta b i l i ty t ha t bo th images evoke : t r y in g to r e c a p tu r e Luc y' s b e a u ty,h e r l o v e r c an o n ly e x p re s s i t i n terms t h a t s u g g e s t h e r d e a t h . v i o l e tb looms, and then sh or t ly af t erw ard s wi the rs away. The mossy s tone t h a th a l f h i d e s t h e v i o l e t s e r v e s to em ph as iz e t h e f r a i l t y o f t h e f l o we r , a n do f L ucy 's l i f e . L ike a s t a r , a s t o n e i s a r e l a t i v e l y per ma nen t o b j e c t , i nc o n t r a s t t o a v i o l e t . T h e moss t h a t grows on th e s to n e s u g g e s t s a c o o l ,mois t g reenness , such a s one migh t f i nd by a s p r i ng , bu t a s Gef f rey Durran tp o i n t s o u t , i t a l s o s u g g e s t s a g ra v e sto n e. The s p e c i a l b e a uty o f a s t a rwhen only one/ Is s h i n i n g i n t h e sky l a s t s o nl y a s h o r t time b e fo re

t h e r e a r e c o u n t l e s s o t h e r s . P l ac ed w i t h i n t h e c o n te x t o f t h e e t e r n a lv a s tn e s s o f t h e u n iv er s e , l i k e t h e v io l e t by t h e s to n e , t h e image o f t h es i n g l e s h in in g s t a r e mp ha si ze s t h e q ui c k p as s ag e o f Luc y' s l i f e .

The c i r c u i to u s n e s s o f t h e f i r s t s t a n z a o f t h e poem i s m ir ro re d int h e l a s t s t an za : i f Lucy l i v ' d unknown , how cou ld even a few knowwhen sh e ceas 'd t o be ? The e f f e c t o f t h e s e l i n e s i s t o s u g g e s t ar e l u c t a n c e on t h e s p e a k e r ' s p a r t t o s t a t e d i r e c t l y t h a t Lucy i s dead.The d e s c r ip t i o n o f Luc y' s d y ing a s h e r c e a s in g t o be a l s o e ch o es t h eq u i e t a non ym ity o f Luc y' s l i f e t h a t i s evoked i n t he f i r s t s t a n z a ; Lucydo es n o t d i e s o much a s s l i p o u t o f l i f e . Few co ul d know , pe rh ap s,because Lucy's d eat h i s such a q u i e t d i mi n is h in g o f l i f e . Byi t a l i c i z i n g l iv 'd l ' ( t h i s i s only done i n th e 1800 ver s i on of th e poem),he r l ove r s t re s se s t h a t Lucy wi l l no t remain unknown now th a t she i s dead:h i s poem o r s on g o f p r a i s e t o h e r i s to ensure th a t more than a few w i l l


43/96

know about Lucy.The o b l i qu e n e ss o f t h e s e l i n e s c o n t r a s t s s h a r p l y w i t h t h e f l a t

s ta tem ent th a t fo l lows : "But she i s i n h e r Gra ve . . . . The speaker.

seems t o s t e e l h im self t o adm it t h i s t e r r i b l e r e a l i t y . I n h i s gr i e f a t- - - - - - - - - .Lucy 's death , t h e s p e a k e r h a s se t h im s e l f a p a r t -- on ly a "very few"-__ -even no t i ce th a t Lucy has "ceas ' d to be". The lon e l in es s he f e e l s nowthat Lucy i s dead i s emphasized by t h i s and a l s o by t h e r e s t r a i n t ofth e f i n a l words of th e poem: "and, Oh / The d i f Eerence t o me. Leavings o much u n sa id i n t h e s e l i n e s h a s t h e p a r a d o xic a l e f f e c t o f c on ve ying th es p e a k e r ' s a n g ui s h a nd d e s o l a t i o n i n a very powerful and conv inci ng way.D e fi ni ng t h e e f f e c t o f L uc y's d e at h on h i s l i f e a s s im pl y t h e " d i f f e r en c e "i t has made t o him sugges ts a pen t-up emot ion o r g r ie f t h a t i s t o op ro fo un d o r t o o d e v a s t a t i n g t o b e d e s c ri b e d , a l th o u g h a s h av e t r i e d t odemonst ra t e , t h i s "d i f fer ence " af fe c t s th e s pea ker ' s memory of Lucy andi n t e r f e r e s w it h h i s e v oc a ti o n o f h e r i n t h i s e l e g y .

I n A s lu mb er d id my s p i r i t s e a l " t h e s p e a k e r l oo k s b ac k upon th eII sweet dream" of hee dl ess ne ss t o Lucy's mo rt al it y from which he wasf i r s t awoken by h i s p r em o ni t io n o f h e r d e a th i n " S tr a ng e f i t s o f p a s s io n. "The f i r s t s t a n z a of A s lu mb er d i d my s p i r i t s e a l " s u g g es t s t h e s p e a k er ' sr e p re s s io n o f h i s a wa ren e ss o f Lu c y' s m o r t a l i t y i n t h e o th e r poem. WhileLucy was a l iv e , he was ab l e t o ignore the e f f e c t s o f th e passage of t i m eo r to deny th a t Lucy cou ld fe e l "The touch o f e a r th ly yea rs . " I n As lu mb er d i d my s p i r i t s e a l " t h i s knowledge i s c a l l e d "human f ea rs , :


44/96

These f e a r s a r e o nl y a dm i t t ed a f t e r LUCY'S dea th by th e speake r ' sawakened " s p i r i t , " the fac u l t y t ha t makes him human o r d i s t i ng u i sh eshim from animals and from "things1' which do no t f e e l t ime o r change.Wordsworth a l s o makes t h i s d i s t i n c t i o n i n one of the "Matthew" poems,"The Fountain" (a ls o composed a t C osla r i n 1798-1799). In th i s poemMatthew co nt ra s t s men 's misery wit h the unchanging na tu re of a streama nd w it h t h e b i r d s ' b l i t h e i gn or an ce o f t h e e f f e c t o f time:

'No c he c k, no s t a y , t h i s S t re a m let f e a r s ;How m e r r i l y i t goes'Twill murmur on a thousand years,And flo w a s i t now flows.'And h e re , on t h i s d e l ig h t f u l d a y ,I cannot choose but th inkHow o f t , a vi go ro us man, I l a yB es id e t h i s f o u n t a i n ' s b r i n k'My eyes a r e dim wi th c h i ld i s h t ea rs ,y h e a r t i s i d l y s t i r r e d ,

For the same sound i s i n my e a r sWhich i n th ose days I heard .

'The b lackb i rd amid le a f y t r ee s ,The l a r k abo ve th e h i l l ,Le t l o o s e t h e i r c a ro l s when the y p l e a s e ,Are q ui e t when the y w i l l .'With Nature never do they wage

f o o l i s h s t r i f e ; th ey s eeA happy youth , and t h e i r o l d ageIs b e a u t i f u l a nd f r e e ;'But we a r e pres se d by heavy laws;And of te n gl ad no more,We wear a f ac e o f joy , becauseW have been glad of yore .

The s p e ak e r 's " s p i r i t " i n A s lumber d id my s p i r i t s e a l " m y bed e f in e d as h i s u n d er s t a nd in g o r h i s im ag ina t io n which , as Wordsworth t e l l sus i n The ~ f e l u d e , s most of t en "unsealed" by pai n and f ea r . A f t e r t h e"s to len boa t" ep isode I : 80-129, 1798-99) t h e po et con clu des :


45/96

Ah not i n va in ye Beings of the h i

lucy poems reading

Documents