She Dwelt Among The Untrodden Ways

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1800

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Symbols & Motifs

Springs From the River Dove

A key tenet of Wordsworth’s Romanticism held that it was necessary to write about ordinary life. Narratives centering on the common man and the beauty of nature were preferable to lofty subject matter. While the Lucy poems paint the undefined female character as mysterious and mythic, they are firmly grounded in a natural and realistic locale, “besides the springs of Dove” (Line 2). Three rivers called Dove exist in England (in Derbyshire, Westmorland, and Yorkshire), and several streams have this name as well. Thus, the location would have conjured the English countryside for Wordsworth’s reader; the blooming flower suggests that it is early spring.

The image of water bubbling up from an underground source metaphorically connects with Wordsworth’s famous idea that good poems must rely on the “spontaneous overflow of feeling” (See: Further Reading & Resources). This interred movement suggests that, despite Lucy being dead and “in her grave” (Line 11), her memory revives the environment and nourishes the natural surroundings. While Lucy is now physically gone, the imaginative echo of her memory springs up everywhere.

The Violet

Wordsworth’s speaker chooses the “violet” (Line 5) to describe Lucy, and its symbolism heightens various ideas contained within the poem. Traditionally this flower signifies innocence and modesty due to its shy appearance: low to the ground with its leaves often hiding the brightness of its bloom. Violets commonly grow in England, blooming only briefly in the spring. Violets are also often associated with water, as they grow near springs and rivers. All of these things are true of Lucy as well.

More figuratively, in floriography—the language of flowers—violets tend to mean thoughts of romance, or a love that was delicate and should be handled carefully. In Greek mythology, violets are associated with death and the Underworld, as Persephone was gathering them for her bouquet when she was abducted by Hades; this is why ancient Greeks often used violets in funerals. In another myth, a nymph is changed by Diana into a violet to protect her against rape by Apollo. Another tragic figure, Shakespeare’s Ophelia, is associated with violets, which her brother suggests spring from her pure body. All these connotations emphasize Lucy’s status as a commoner, her beauty, and her purity in the face of the pursuit.

The Single Star

Lucy is described as, “Fair as a star, when only one / Is shining in the sky” (Lines 7-8).

This may be an allusion to the planet Venus, named for the Roman goddess of love. Often the third brightest object in the sky after the sun and the moon, Venus is most easily visible during sunset or sunrise. This astronomical allusion may help to define the poem as one that explores the speaker’s romantic feelings for the character of Lucy.

Another possibility is that the star in the text alludes to Polaris, or the North Star. Polaris’s location does not move as the Earth rotates, so this star has been used as an anchor for navigation. This would show that Lucy is a guiding light for the speaker. She draws the speaker away from those who could not love a mere “Maid” (Line 3) toward a natural world where she always exists in spirit if not form.

Related Titles

By William Wordsworth

Study Guide

A Complaint

She Dwelt Among The Untrodden Ways

Symbols & Motifs

Springs From the River Dove

The Violet

The Single Star

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