WILLIAM AND DOROTHY: THE POET AND LUCY

A READING OF WILLIAM WORDSWORTH'S "LUCY" POEMS

Elizabeth Gowland
B.A. (Hons.), Simon Fraser University, 1975
THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF
THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF
MASTER OF ARTS
in the department
0 f
English
0
Elizabeth Gowland 1980
SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY
April, 1980
All rights reserved. This work may not be
reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy
or other means, without permission of the author.
APPROVAL
Name: E l i zabet h Anne GOWLAND
Degree: Master o f Ar t s
T i t l e o f Thesis: Wi l l i am and Dorothy: The Poet and Lucy
A Reading o f Wi l l i am Wordsworth's "Lucy" Poems
Exami n i ng Commi t t ee :
Chai rperson: Paul Del any
-
r - - * ..
r T 7 T -\
Jared Cur t i s ,
Seni or Supervi sor
Rob Dunham,
Associ ate Professor
Mason Har r i s ,
Associ ate Professor
June Sturrock, External Examiner
Dept. of Conti nui ng Studi es, S. F.U.
Date Approved: & 5'4.@0
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T i t l e o f Thesi s/ Pr oj ect / Ext ended Essay
MI LL/ 4~ w b b o R o 7 ~ q : 7 PET h ~ b LUCY
A R ~ e m i v b O+ ~ O R ~ W O R T ~ / S ' L u c y / POEMS
Aut hor : -
Y s :signature)
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ABSTRACT
Thi s t hes i s pr es ent s an exegesi s of each of Wordsworth's "Lucy" poems i n
t he cont ext of t he poet ' s frame of mind duri ng two of t he most pai nf ul peri ods
i n h i s l i f e . The f i r s t i s t he wi nt er he and h i s sister Dorothy spent i n
Germany i n 1798-1799, when he composed "Strange f i t s of passi on I have known,"
"She dwelt among t he untrodden ways," "A slumber di d my s p i r i t s eal " and
"Three years she grew i n sun and shower." The second i s t he unproductive
peri od t ha t began i n t he autumn of 1800 and l a s t e d u n t i l t he end of 1801,
when t he onl y new poem Wordsvorth is known t o have composed i s "I t r a ve l l ' d
among unknown men."
My di scussi on of t he poems' bi ographi cal background focuses upon t he
complex nat ur e and or i gi ns of Wordsworth's r el at i ons hi p with h i s s i s t e r .
During t he wi nt er of 1798-1 799 Wordsworth was i nt ens el y dependent upon
Dorothy; t he "Lucy" poems probably emerged out of a f ant asy about Dorothy' s
. . . . . . . . .
- / 6 , ' t I
, < / ' -
a' /
deat h. The same melancholy i nt r ospect i on t ha t produced Par t One of t he two-
pa r t Prelude of 1798-1799 a l s o produced t he "Lucy" poems. Si mi l a r i t i e s
between t he e a r l y par t of The Recluse, - Home a t Grasmere, which Wordsworth
began i n t he s pr i ng of 1800, and "I t r a ve l l ' d among unknown men'' suggest t ha t
t he l a t t e r was generat ed by Wordsworth's at t empt s t o proceed wi t h t he long
poem. "I t r a ve l l ' d among unknown men" expresses f eel i ngs t ha t Wordsworth
could not t ur n i nt o a di scourse on pas t or al l i f e i n t he s pr i ng of 1801.
wordsworth's r et ur n t o t he "Lucy" s e r i e s a t t h i s time suggest s t ha t h i s
r el at i ons hi p wi t h h i s s i s t e r was on h i s mind, a s it had been i n t he wi nt er of
1798-1799 and i n t he s pr i ng of 1800. "I t r a ve l l ' d among unknown men" is simul-
t aneousl y a l ove poem t o Dorothy and a decl ar at i on of independence.
The "Lucy" poems expl ore t he e f f e c t of t he deat h of a g i r l upon her
l over . The cent r al meaning of t he poems i s cont ai ned i n t he speaker' s response
t o Lucy' s deat h. The speaker ' s sorrow col our s h i s per cept i on of t he e xt e r na l
uni ver se. The joyous vi s i on of t he uni t y of t he uni ver se t h a t Wordsworth
cel ebr at ed i n "Lines wr i t t e n a few mi l es above Ti nt er n Abbey'' is obscured i n
t he "Lucy" poems by t he speaker ' s s el f - cent r ed g r i e f . Wordsworth' s concern
wi t h mut abi l i t y i n t he "Lucy" poems foreshadows t he i ncr eas i ng r el i ance upon
God and "t he f a i t h t h a t l ooks through deat h" t h a t he expressed i n poems such
a s t he "Ode: I nt i mat i ons of Immortality" and "Resol ut i on and Independence"
a f t e r 1802.
St range f i t s of passi on I have known,
And I w i l l dare t o t el l ,
But i n t he over's e a r al one,
, I If CP J .
What once t o me- be f e l .
When she I l ov' d wa s s t r ong and gay
And l i k e a r ose i n June,
I t o her cot t age bent my way,
Beneath an evening moon.
Upon t he moon I f i x' d my eye,
A l l over t he wide lea;
,-,
My horse t rudg' d on, an$ t~e; drew ni gh
Those pat hs s o dear t o me&
And now we reach' d t he orchard pl ot ,
And, a s we climb' d t he h i l l ,
Towards t he roof of Lucy's cot
The moon descended (st i l l .
- / -
l C
.-
r 1n one of t hose ~wee t dreams . I s l e p t , '
Kind Nature ' s gent l es t boon f
/
And, a l l t he whi l e my eyes I kept
On t he descending moon.
My horse mved on; hoof a f t e r hoof
He r a i s ' d and never st opp' d
When down behind t he cot t age roof
A t once t he pl anet dropp' d.
--
-." ------
-
What f ond, \ andwaywardt hought swi l l sl i de f >// ,.
I nt o a Lover' s head-- -
<- r, f / .
"0 mercy:" t o myself I cr i ed,
f / I ( n< ,, \ (,*,, ' f /
"If Lucy shoul d be dead!"
tq 3?f ; ( - - ( , ,
Song
She dwel t among t h' unt r odden ways
Beside t he s pr i ngs of Dove, --
A Maid whom t he r e were none t o p r a i s e '\ f l
And ver y few t o l ove.
A Vi ol e t by a mossy s t one
J
Half hi dden from t he Eye!
-
/
--Fair, a s a s t a r when onl y one ,
/
il-
Is s hi ni ng i n t he sky:
-
She l i v ' d unknown, and few coul d know
When Lucy ceas ' d t o be ;
But she i s i n he r Grave, and, oh!
The di f f e r e nc e t o me .
A slumber di d my s pi r i t s e a l , -
- / / /
I had no human f ears: -
She seern'd a t h i s that could not f e e l
The touch o f eart hl y years.
No motion has she now, no force
She nei t her hears nor sees
Rol l ed round i n eart h' s diurnal course
With rocks and st ones and t rees !
v i i i
Three years she grew i n sun and shower,
Then Nature s ai d, "A l ove l i e r flower
On e a r t h was never sown;
This Child I t o myself w i l l t ake,
She s h a l l be mine, and I w i l l make
A Lady of my own.
Myself w i l l t o my dar l i ng be
Both law and impulse, and with me
The G i r l i n rock and pl ai n,
I n ear t h and heaven, i n gl ade and bower, C r r I/ 1 1 / - - I
Shal l f e e l an ove r s e e i n1 power .
- , I / ' ( ' f '
To ki ndl e o r r est r axn;
1 1 I ' ) , '
She s h a l l be s por t i ve a s t he fawn
That wi l d wi t h gl ee across t he lawn
O r up t he mountain spr i ngs,
And her s s h a l l be t he br eat hi ng balm,
And her s t he s i l ence and t he calm
Of mute i nsensat e t hi ngs.
The f l oa t i ng cl ouds t h e i r s t a t e s ha l l l end
To her , f o r her t he willow bend,
Nor s h a l l she f a i l t o s ee
Even i n t he motions of t he st orm
A beauty t ha t s h a l l mould her form
By s i l e nt sympathy.
The stars of midnight s h a l l be dear
To her , and she s h a l l l ean her e a r
In many a s e c r e t pl ace
Where r i vul e t s dance t he i r wayward round,
And beauty born of murmuring sound
Shal l pass i nt o her face.
And v i t a l f eel i ngs of del i ght
Shal l rear her form t o s t a t e l y hei ght ,
Her vi r gi n bosom swel l ,
Such thoughts t o Lucy I w i l l gi ve
While she and I t oget her l i v e
Here i n t h i s happy de l l .
Thus Nature spake -- t he work was done --
How soon my Lucy's race was run l
She di ed and l e f t t o me
This heat h, t h i s calm, and qui et scene,
The memory of what has been,
And nevdr more w i l l be.
I t r a v e l l ' d among unknown Men,
I n Lands beyond t he Sea;
Nor England! di d I know t i l l t hen
What l ove I bore t o t hee.
' Ti s pa s t , t h a t melancholy dream!
Nor w i l l I q u i t t hy shor e
A second t i me; f or s t i l l I seem
To l ove t hee more and more.
Among thy mountains di d I f e e l
The j oy of my de s i r e ;
And she I cher i shed t ur n' d h e r wheel
Beside an Engl i sh f i r e .
'- 7
'13 umrnings shew' d -- t hy ni ght s conceal ' d
The bowers where Lucy pl ay' d
And-th.i~.-i-s_~ I_. _ . t oo, t he l a s t gr een f i e l d
Which Lucy' s eyes surveyed!
The t e x t s of Wordsworth' s "Lucy1' poems t h a t a r e i ncl uded her e a r e from
Lyr i c a l Bal l ads (1800) and Poems, i n Two Volumes (1807). Unless ot her wi se
not ed, a l l o t h e r poems quot ed i n t h i s es s ay are t aken from The Poe t i c a l
Works of Wi l l i am Wordsworth, e d. Er nest de Se l i nc our t , r evi s ed by Helen
Dar bi s hi r e, 5 vol s . (Oxford: Clarendon Pr es s , 1940-1949, vol . I & I1 r ev.
1952).
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Approval page
Abstract
Quo t at i ons
CHAPTER 1 : INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER 2: GERMANY, 1 7 9 8 - 1 7 9 9
1 I
Strange f i t s of passi on I have known"
"She dwelt among the untrodden
ways1'
"A slumber di d my s pi r i t s e al "
I I
Three years she grew i n sun
and shower"
CHAPTER 3: GRASMERE
"I t rave 11 ' d among unknown men"
CHAPTER 4: CONCLUDING REMARKS
NOTES
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Page
i i
i i i
v
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
----
'To s e e t he obj e c t as i n i t s e l f i t r e a l l y i s , ' h a s
been j u s t l y s a i d t o be t he aim of a l l t r ue c r i t i c i s m
what ever; 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 p
towards s e e i ng one' s obj e c t a s i t r e a l l y i s, i s t o know
one' s own i mpressi on a s i t r e a l l y i s, t o di s c r i mi na t e i t ,
t o r e a l i s e i t d i s t i n c t l y . . . What is t h i s song o r
pi c t ur e , t h i s engagi ng pe r s ona l i t y pr es ent ed i n l i f e o r
i n a book, t o me?
-
-- Wal t er Pa t e r , Pr ef ace t o St udi es
i n t he Hi st or y of t h e Renai ssance (1873)
Thi s t h e s i s pr e s e nt s a r eadi ng of t he "Lucy" poems i n t he cont ext of
Wordsworth' s frame of mind dur i ng two of t he most pa i nf ul pe r i ods i n h i s l i f e :
t he l onel y wi nt er t h a t he and h i s si st er Dorothy s pent i n Germany i n 1798-
1799, when he composed "St range f i t s of passi on I have known," "She dwel t
I
I
among t he untrodden ways , " "A slumber di d my s p i r i t s e a l " and "Three year s
she grew i n sun and shower," and t he unproduct i ve per i od from t he autumn of
1800 u n t i l t he end of 1801, when t he onl y new poem Wordsworth i s known t o
have composed is "I t r a v e l l ' d among unknown men.
11 1
I w i l l ar gue t h a t t he f i r s t f our "Lucy" poems are t he pr oduct of
I
Wordsworth' s deep dependence upon h i s sister and of h i s i n a b i l i t y dur i ng t he
wi nt er of 1798-1799 t o s u s t a i n t he joyous per cept i on of an or gani c uni ver se
which he had expr essed i n "Li nes written a few miles above Ti nt e r n Abbeyu
onl y s i x mn t h s e a r l i e r . * They probabl y emerge out of f a n t a s i e s about
Dorot hy' s deat h t h a t a r e r oot ed i n wordsworth' s c h i l d h ~ s d ~ r i e s - o f t he
-2_-
-- - -. - - - --
I
deat hs of h i s pa r e nt s . ~ o r d s wo r t h ' s vi s i on of a f adi ng away of t he s e l f
-
_ _
i n t o a "sense sublime" of "A motion and a s p i r i t , t h a t i mpel s / A l l t hi nki ng
t hi ngs , a l l obj e c t s of a l l t hought , / And r o l l s t hrough a l l t hi ngs" i n
"Ti nt er n ~ b b &y " i s overshadowed i n t he "Lucy" poems by t he s peaker ' s g r i e f .
These poems expl or e a conf r ont at i on wi t h deat h, t h e end of phys i c a l bei ng.
They expr ess t he dilemma of mut abi l i t y and suggest a need i n Wordsworth t h a t
was l a t e r met by a s t r ong Angl i can f a i t h . Thus t hey foreshadow Wordsworth' s
angui shed d e s i r e f o r t he assur ance of f e r e d by an or t hodox Ch r i s t i a n i t y of
3
"anot her . - - and a b e t t e r world" upon t he deat h of h i s br ot her John i n 1805.
-----
l ove r , t he "Lucy" poems may be s a i d ~ ! l f a l l o w t he f l uxe s and r e f l uxe s of t he
-.
4
mind when a g i t a t e d by t he gr e a t and si mpl e a f f e c t i o n s of our nat ur e. " d % e
poems echo and i l l umi na t e each ot he r and t h i s cumul at i ve e f f e c t is gnhanced
- ----
_______ _ -_._._I__--___ ---.---l_-___l --
--
by t h e i r arrangement a s a group. The f i r s t f our "Lucy" poems were o r i g i n a l l y
- -.
----- -
---_I___-- ---
publ i shed i n Volume I1 of t he 1800 e d i t i o n of Lyr i c a l Bal l ads, where "St range
f i t s of passi on, " "She dwel t among t he untrodden ways" and "A slumber di d my
s p i r i t s e a l " a r e pl aced t oget her , i n t h a t or de r . "Three she grew"
f ol l ows more t han e i ght y pages l a t e r , where i t is pl aced a f t e r "Ruth," t hr e e
of t he "Mathew" poems and "Nutting" ( t hes e poems were a l s o composed i n Germany).
The sequence of t hese poems c r e a t e s a mounting sense of l one l i ne s s amd l o s s ;
__ --_ _ _ -
set a ga i ns t t he backdrop of na t ur e , i n which "Three ye a r s s he g~e_w~~l._pilrticipa~t~.s.
- ---. ~~ - - I---
_
Thi s arrangement suggest s t h a t Wordsworth was aware of t he t hemat i c uni t y of
much of t he poet r y he composed dur i ng t h i s per i od, and pr e f i gur i ng t he group of
poems c l a s s e d a s "Moods of My Own ~ i n d " i n 1807 i n Poems, i n Two Volumes, a l s o
s ugges t s t h a t he was a l r e a dy begi nni ng t o t hi nk of h i s s hor t poems a s p a r t s of
5
a l a r g e r work. The 1800 arrangement of t he f i r s t f our "Lucy" poems f ol l ows
t h e i r pr obabl e or de r of composi t i on and i t wi l l , t he r e f or e , be t he or de r t h a t
is fol l owed i n t h i s exeges i s of t he poems.
I n Apr i l , 1801, Wordsworth i ncl uded a copy of "I t r a v e l l ' d among unknown
men" i n a l e t t e r t o Mary Hutchinson wi t h t he i ns t r uc t i on t h a t t h i s poem wa s t o
6
be read a f ter "She dwel t among t he untrodden ways." We may concl ude, t her e-
f or e , t h a t t h i s poem was composed two year s a f t e r t he o t h e r "Lucy" poems,
i n Grasmere. Such an assumption is suppor t ed by t he t e x t of "I t r a v e l l ' d
3
among unknown men": t he poem i s wr i t t en i n r et r os pect , seemingly r ecal l i ng
Wordsworth's s t a y i n Germany, and t he mood i n which he wrote t he ot her "Lucy"
poems, a s a "melancholy dream" t ha t is now pas t . I n t h i s poem Wordsworth
of f e r s a t r i but e t o h i s love f or Dorothy, t he source of much of h i s f eel i ng
f or t he English l andscape, but a t t he same t i me he decl ar es h i s independence
from her. A t home i n Grasmere, Wordsworth's need of Dorothy became l e s s
i nt ense than i t had been i n Germany. When t hey f i r s t ar r i ved i n Grasmere a t
t he end of 1799, Wordsworth was wholly coranited t o a l i f e shared with h i s
s i s t e r and he gave voi ce t o t h i s commitment i n t he e a r l y pa r t of The Recluse,
Home a t Grasmere which he began t o compose i n t he s pr i ng of 1800. But by 1801,
Wordsworth had begun t o t ur n away from Dorothy, and perhaps t o al r eady ent er -
t a i n t hought s of marrying Mary Hutchinson.
11
I t r avel l ' d among unknown men" was not publ i shed unt i l 1807 when i t
appeared i n Poems, i n Two Volumes t oget her wi t h anot her poem about Lucy,
"Amng a l l l ovel y t hi ngs my Love had been.
117 I ,
I t r avel 1 ' d among unknown men"
appeared wi t h t he ot her "Lucy" poems f or t he f i r s t time i n 1815 i n - 9 Poems
where i t followed "Strange f i t s of passion" and "She duel t among t he untrodden
ways" i n t he c l a s s cal l ed "Poems on t he Affect i ons. " This is t he pos i t i on i n
which Wordsworth suggest s t ha t t h i s poem be read i n h i s l e t t e r t o Mary
Hutchinson. "Three years she grew" and "A slumber di d my s p i r i t s eal " appear
i n t ha t or der , i n "Poems of t he Imagination" i n Poems. I w i l l di scuss "I
t r a ve l l ' d among unknown men" i n a separ at e chapt er from t he ot her "Lucy" poems,
i n t he cont ext of wordsworth's l i f e i n Grasmere.
I have taken a bi ogr aphi cal approach t o t he "Lucy" poems because of t he
emotional chord t ha t they s t r i k e i n me. The poems seem t o be deeply personal
and a s my i n t ~ r e s t i n them grew I found t ha t my i nt e r e s t i n t he man behind
them al s o grew: I wanted t o know more about t he voi ce I heard speaking t o me
4
through t hes e poems. The "Lucy" poem a r e , f o r me , as s oci at ed wi t h a very
powerful and di s t ur bi ng dream I r ecent l y had i n which I w a s wrappiig my
mother i n he r shroud. My mother, who was st i l l consci ous, was hel pi ng me by
t e l l i n g me what t o do as I wrapped t he mat er i al around her . Most vi vi d were
my f e e l i ngs of angui sh and dr ead as I got c l o s e r t o t he moment a t which I
would have t o cover he r f ace, when she would no l onger be a bl e t o speak t o me
and t o comfort me. I per cei ve s i mi l a r be r e f t and anxi ous f e e l i ngs i n Words-
wort h' s "Lucy" poems. Although I have t r i e d t o document any a s s e r t i ons I
make about Wordsworth' s f e e l i ngs o r per s onal i t y, I have had t o r ead between
l i n e s and my argument f i n a l l y r e s t s upon i nt e r pr e t a t i on. Because t he poems
mean c e r t a i n t hi ngs t o me, I have perhaps tended t o l ook f o r correspondi ng
meanings i n Wordsworth' s l i f e . It 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 ~ r eveal s
more about me t han i t t r u l y i l l umi nat es Wordsworth' s l i f e and poet r y.
I n - Li t e r a r y Bi ographl Leon Edel poi nt s out t h a t "a bi ogr apher can s e t
f or t h t he dat a he has gat hered and s t udi ed onl y i n t he l i g h t of h i s own
underst andi ng. . . . He had t aken i n t o h i s consci ousness a g r e a t many docu-
ments about anot her ' s l i f e . And t he book t h a t w i l l emerge w i l l be - h i s vi s i on,
h i s arrangement, his pi ct ur e. "8 In refa acing my t h e s i s wi t h t hes e obser vat i ons
-
I have been i nf l uenced by David Bl ei ch' s warning i n h i s book Subj ect i ve C r i t i -
cism t h a t "No mat t er how f u l l . . . a p o r t r a i t may seem. . . and no mat t er how
-
c e r t a i n one i s of t he suppor t i ng a r t i f a c t s , t her e i s no f i n a l way t o deci de
t h a t a p a r t i c u l a r bi ogr aphi cal formul at i on of an aut hor ' s l i f e o r per s onal i t y
is obj ect i vel y true. "() The Wordsworth I now f e e l I know may o r may not bear
a profound resemblance t o t he h i s t o r i c a l Wordsworth. However, my appr eci at i on
of t he "Lucy" poems has been markedly enhanced by f a mi l i a r i t y wi t h t he circum-
s t ances i n wt i ch t hey were wr i t t en. My underst andi ng of t he poems and of my
own responses t o them have been c l a r i f i e d by l ear ni ng about t he poe t ' s l i f e .
Because I agr ee wi t h David Bl ei ch' s s t a nc e t h a t a l l expl anat i ons of
1
1. i t er ar y works a r e i n t e r p r e t a t i v e and s ubj e c t i ve , I do not deny t he v a l i d i t y
of o t h e r c r i t i c a l approaches t o t he "Lucyu poems. I ns t ead, I would obser ve
t ha t each c r i t i c f i nds and br i ngs out i n h i s r eadi ngs t h a t which is most
i mpor t ant t o him o r t o her . For example, Geoffrey Durrant f i nds i t s i g n i f i c a n t
t h a t "Strange f i t s of passi on" shoul d be s e n t "by a mathematician-poet t o a
phi l osopher - poet , i n t he hope t h a t it might ' amuse' him." I n h i s a r t i c l e
" ~ e n o ' s Arrow: Time and Motion i n Two of wordsworth' s Lucy Poems," Durrant
di s cus s es "St range f i t s of passi on" and "A slumber di d my s p i r i t s e a l " i n a
phi l os ophi cal and h i s t o r i c a l cont ext and he s t r e s s e s t he i nf l uence of Newtonian
physi cs on Wordsworth which he per cei ves i n bot h of t hes e poems. lo 1n
Wordsworth' s Poet r y 1787-1814 - - - Geoffrey Hartman f i nds t h a t "St range f i t s of
passi on" is concerned wi t h t he growth of t he Wordsworthian i magi nat i on, which
Hartman de f i ne s a s "consci ousness of s e l f r a i s e d t o an apocal ypt i c pi t c h. 1 1 1 1
I n h i s di s cus s i on of t he poem Hartman i d e n t i f i e s Lucy wi t h t he moon -- f o r
him, t h i s is t h e c e nt r e of t he poem: "Lucy, by t he very f a c t of bei ng l oved,
i s something more t han h e r s e l f , becomes a l andscape even. . . and may not
appear a s onl y a per son. The unconscious ye t n a t u r a l t r a n s f e r from Lucy t o
t he moon. . . denot es t he power of l ove t o draw t he s e l f o u t of i t s e l f . . . .
I 1 12
I n my exeges i s of t h i s poem, on t he ot he r hand, I suggest t h a t t he moon r epr e-
s e nt s t he power of na t ur e over man. Throughout my di s cus s i on of t he "Lucy"
poems I emphasize t he s peaker ' s per cept i on of t he e xt e r na l worl d, which i s
col oured by h i s response t o t he deat h of Lucy. I f e e l t h a t t hes e poems a r e
-
about l o s s and g r i e f : f o r me, t h e i r meaning is cont ai ned i n t he s peaker ' s
f e e l i ngs about Lucy' s deat h.
Hartman Pe gi ns h i s di s cus s i on of Wordsworth' s i magi nat i on by r e f e r r i n g t o
t he Pr ef ace t o t he 1800 e d i t i o n of Lyr i c a l Bal l ads i n which Wordsworth
emphasizes t h a t i t was h i s i nt e nt i on t h a t i n t hes e poems t he f e e l i n g shoul d
6
"gi ve i mport ance t o t he a c t i on and t he s i t u a t i o n and not t he a c t i on and t he
s i t u a t i o n t o t he f e e l i ng. "I 3 Hartman goes on t o suggest t h a t we, consi der t he
Romantic l y r i c "as a development of t he surmi se which t ur ned a l l terms
de s c r i pt i ve of md e i n t o terms de s c r i pt i ve of mood."14 Feel i ng and mood a r e
words t h a t I use of t e n i n t h i s t h e s i s . For me as w e l l as for Hartman, t he
"Lucy" poems a r e about f e e l i ng. My i n c l i n a t i o n has been t o look f o r t he
sour ce of t h a t f e e l i n g by t ur ni ng t o t he per s onal d e t a i l s of t he poe t ' s l i f e .
CHAPTER 2: GERMANY, 1798-1799
Wordsworth composed t he f i r s t t hr e e "Lucy" poems -- "St range f i t s of
passi on, " "She dwel t among t he untrodden ways" and "A slumber di d my s p i r i t
4eal " -- dur i ng h i s s t a y i n Gosl ar , Germany, from Oct ober 6, 1798, u n t i l
February 23, 1799.15 Ear l y ver s i ons of "St range f i t s of passi on" and "She
dwel t among t he untrodden ways," t oge t he r wi t h a d r a f t of "Nutting" and two
fragment s t h a t were l a t e r i nt e gr a t e d i n t o The Pr el ude, t he epi sodes about
t he s t o l e n boat and "s kai t i ng" (I: 81-129 and 150-185, 1798-1799 t e x t ) , were
i ncl uded i n a l et t er s e n t t o Col er i dge from Gosl ar by Wi l l i am and Dorothy
Wordsworth i n e i t h e r December 1798 o r Januar y 1799. l6 Although no l et t er
s ur vi ves , anot her wa s presumably s e nt t o Col er i dge around t he same time
cont ai ni ng "A slumber di d my s p i r i t seal." A l e t t e r from Col er i dge t o Thomas
Poole dat ed Apr i l 6, 1799, i ncl uded t he t e x t of t h i s poem which Col er i dge
descr i bed as "a most subl i me epi t aph" r ecei ved from Wordsworth "some months
ago. "17 The image of " e a r t h' s di ur na l course" i n "A sl umber di d my s p i r i t
seal" is r emi ni scent of Wordsworth' s r e c ol l e c t i on of t he c l i f f s cont i nui ng t o
wheel by h i s boyhood s e l f a f t e r he comes t o a sudden s t op i n t he "skai t i ng"
fragment. Wordsworth a l s o r e f e r s t o t he e a r t h ' s "di ur nal round" i n t h a t
fragment. These similarities suggest t h a t t he two pi e c e s of poet r y were
composed concur r ent l y and t he r e f or e al l ow a more d e f i n i t e da t i ng of "A
slumber di d my s p i r i t seal" t han coul d ot her wi se be made from Col er i dge' s
vague r ef er ence .
According t o a not e which Wordsworth d i c t a t e d t o I s a b e l l a Fenwick i n
1842-1843,18 "Three year s she grew" was composed i n t h e s pr i ng of 1799, a f t e r
he and Dorothy had l e f t Gosl ar on a wal ki ng t our of t he Hart z For es t , around
February 23-27, 1799.19 The l a vi s h imagery of t h i s poem, i n c ont r a s t t o t h e
spar eness of t he f i r s t t hr ee "Lucyu poems, does i ndeed evoke t he r e l i e f t he
Wordsworths f e l t at t he end of t he b i t t e r l y col d wi nt er t hey had experi enced
at Gosl ar: Dorothy wrote t o Col eri dge about t h e i r wal ki ng t our , " We observed
t h a t t he b r i l l i a n t green of t he earth-moss under t he t r e e s made our eyes ache
a f t e r bei ng s o l ong accustomed t o t he snow. @120 However, t he melancholy mood
i n which Wordsworth wrote t he ot he r poems st i l l dominates "Three year s she
grew." Thi s poem emphasized man's powerl essness a ga i ns t t he f or ces of
I1
Nature . "
The Gosl ar experi ence had been an unhappy one: a s w e l l a s s uf f er i ng
from t he i nt ens e col d, t he Wordsworths f e l t i s ol a t e d from t h e i r f r i e nds and
fami l y and i ncr eas i ngl y a l i e na t e d from t h e i r German nei ghbours. Dorothy
descri bed 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 he r br ot her Chr i st opher s e nt a t t he
begi nni ng of February 1799 :
For more than two months pas t we have i nt ended q u i t t i n g
Gosl ar i n t he course of each week, but we have been s o
f r i ght ened by t he col d season, t he dr eadf ul roads, and t he
uncovered c a r t s t h a t we needed no ot he r motives. . . t o
i nduce us t o l i n g e r her e. W e have had a successi on of
excessi vel y sever e weat her. . . and t he col d of Chri st mas
day has not been equal l ed even i n t h i s cl i mat e duri ng t he
l ast cent ury. It was so excessi ve t h a t when we l e f t t he
room where we si t we were obl i ged t o wrap out s el ves up i n
gr e a t coat s e t c . i n or der not t o s u f f e r much pai n from t he
t r a ns i t i on, though we onl y went i n t o t he next room o r down-
s t a i r s f o r a few minutes. . . Gosl ar is not a pl ace where i t
is pos s i bl e t o s ee anyt hi ng of t he manners of t he more
c ul t i va t e d Germans, o r of t he hi gher c l a s s e s . Its i nhabi t ant s
a r e a l l pe t t y t radespeopl e: i n gener al a low and s e l f i s h r ace;
i n t e n t upon gai n, and per pet ual l y of course di sappoi nt ed.
They cannot f i n d i t i n t h e i r h e a r t s t o ask of a s t r a nge r a
f a i r p r i c e f o r t h e i r goods. . . Be very p a r t i c u l a r i n your
account s of what you a r e , and have been doing. Every t hi ng
i s i n t e r e s t i n g a t t h i s di s t ance. 2 1
wordsworth' s assessment of h i s s t a y abroad as a "melancholy dream" i n
"I t r a v e l l ' d among unknown men" echoes a des cr i pt i on of h i s phys i cal and
.
emot i onal condi t i on s ent t o Col eri dge from Gosl ar wi t h t he copi es of "Strange
f i t s of passion' ' and "She dwel t among t he untrodden ways":
A s I have had no books I have been obl i ged t o wr i t e
i n sel f - def ense. I shoul d have wr i t t e n f i v e t i mes as much
a s I have done but t h a t I am pr event ed by an uneasi ness a t
my stomach and s i d e , wi t h a d u l l pai n about my he a r t . I
have used t he word pai n, but uneasi ness and he a t are words
which more a c c ur a t e l y des cr i be my f e e l i n g -- a t a l l e ve nt s
i t r ender s wr i t i ng unpl easant . Reading is now become a
ki nd of l uxur y t o me. When I do n o t r ead I a m a bs ol ut e l y
consumed by t hi nki ng and f e e l i ng and bodi l y e xe r t i ons of
voi ce o r of l i mbs, t he consequence of t hose f e e l i ngs .
Wordsworth' s de s c r i pt i on o f h i s condi t i on and i t s r e l a t i o n t o h i s work i n t h i s
l et t er s ugges t s t h a t he endeavoured t o f i nd a r e l e a s e f o r t he t hought s and
f e e l i ngs t h a t consumed him dur i ng t h i s time by t ur ni ng them i n t o poet r y.
Sever al year s l a t e r , Wordsworth descr i bed t he cal mi ng e f f e c t of h i s poet r y
on h i s f e e l i ngs i n t h e "Ode: I nt i mat i ons of I mmor t al i t y from Recol l ect i ons
of Ear l y Childhood" (composed 1802-1804):
To me al one t her e came a thought of g r i e f r
A t i mel y ut t e r a nc e gave t h a t t hought r e l i e f ,
And I agai n am s t r ong.
Si mi l ar l y, i n 1798 Wordsworth' s wr i t i ng seems t o have a c t e d as a c a t h a r s i s ,
al t hough he s ays t h a t he was o f t e n s o overcome by "uneasi ness" and pai n t h a t
he wa s unabl e t o work. Never t hel ess, t h i s was a ver y pr oduct i ve time f o r
Wordsworth. During t he wi nt er and s pr i ng of 1798-1799 he composed numerous
s hor t poems i ncl udi ng "Lucy Gray , I 8 "Ruth ," "A Poe t ' s Epi t aph, " "The Fount ai n, "
"The Two Apr i l Mornings," "Matthew," "To a Sexton, " "Nut t i ng, " "There wa s a
Boy," "Wri t t en i n Germany on one of t he c ol de s t days of t he cent ur y, " and t he
f our "Lucy" poems. He a l s o composed Pa r t One of t he two p a r t Pr el ude of
The i s o l a t i o n a t Gosl ar seems t o have f l ooded Wordsworth' s mind wi t h
memories: i ns t e a d of cont i nui ng wi t h The Recl use, t he gr e a t work he and
Col er i dge had mapped out e a r l i e r i n 1798 a t ~ l f o x d e n , ~ ~ Wordsworth began t o
compose a pr ef ace t o i t , The Pr el ude, i n which he used t hes e memories t o
t r a c e "t he growth of ment al power / And l ove of Nat ur e' s work" (I: 257-258,
1798-99). St ephen Pa r r i s h views t he i s o l a t i o n a t Gosl ar a s v i t a l t o t he com-
pos i t i on of The Pr el ude - i n h i s i nt r oduct i on t o t he 1798-1799 t e x t . 23 However,
t he "wondering and t hankf ul t ones" Pa r r i s h per cei ves i n t he poem seem t o me t o
be imposed upon memories t h a t a r e di s t ur bi ng and t e r r i b l e . A t t h e concl usi on
of Pa r t One, Wordsworth a s ks
need I dr ead from t hee
Harsh judgements i f I am s o l o t h t o q u i t
Those r e c ol l e c t e d hour s t h a t have t he charm
Of vi s i ona r y t hi ngs , and l ovel y forms
And sweet s e ns a t i ons t h a t throw back our l i f e
And make our i nf ancy a v i s i b l e scene
On which t he sun i s s hi ni ng? (I: 448-464)
But t h i s sumd.ng up seems a t odds wi t h t he memories t h a t have a c t u a l l y s ur f aced
i n t he cour se of t he poem.
A t t he cl i max of Pa r t One, t he "spot s of time" passage (I: 258-374),
9
Wordsworth r e c a l l s t hr e e chi l dhood exper i ences t h a t had profound and l a s t i n g
e f f e c t s upon him. I n t he f i r s t epi sode an atmosphere of f or ebodi ng o r of
"br eat hl es s s t i l l n e s s " is broken by t he sudden appearance of t he drowned man
from beneat h t he s ur f a c e of Est hwai t e Lake. I n t he epi sode of t h e mouldered
gi bbet t he young Wordsworth i s pa r t e d from h i s a d u l t companion and h i s f e a r
seems t o l e a d him t o t he gi bbet mast and "a l ong gr een r i dge of t u r f . . . /
t
Whose shape was l i k e a grave" (312-313). Turning t o l eave t h i s s pot , he sees
I
a g i r l s t r uggl i ng a ga i ns t t he wind t o reach t he "naked pool t h a t l a y beneat h
1
t he h i l l s . " The poet comments,
It wa s i n t r u t h
An or di nar y s i g h t but I shoul d need
Colours and words t h a t a r e unknown t o man
To pa i nt t he vi s i onar y dr e a r i ne s s
Which, whi l e I looked a l l round f or my l o s t gui de,
Did, a t t h a t t i m e , i nve s t t he naked pool ,
The beacon on t he l onel y eminence,
The woman and he r garments vexed and t os s ed
By f h e s t r ong wind. (312-327)
In t he t h i r d scene Wordsworth r e c a l l s watching f o r t he hor s es t ha t were t o
t ake him and h i s br ot her s home from school f o r t he Chri st mas hol i days:
Thi t her I r epai r ed
Up t o t he hi ghes t sum mi^, ' t was a day
Stormy and rough, and wi l d, and on t he gr a s s
I s a t e , hal f - s hel t er ed by a naked wal l ;
Upon my r i ght hand was a s i ngl e sheep,
A whi s t l i ng hawthorn on my l e f t , and t he r e ,
Those two companions a t my s i de , I watched
With eyes i nt ens el y s t r a i n i n g a s t he m i s t
Gave i nt e r mi t t e nt pr os pect s of t he wood
And pl a i n beneath ( 340- 349)
During t he hol i days Wordsworth' s f a t he r di ed, and i n h i s g r i e f and bewi l der-
ment t he boy concluded t ha t h i s f a t h e r ' s deat h was a "chast i sement " f o r h i s
s e l f i s h a nt i c i pa t i on of t he hol i days:
when I c a l l e d t o mind
That day s o l a t e l y passed when from t he cr ag
I looked i n such anxi et y of hope,
With t r i t e r e f l e c t i ons of moral i t y
Y e t wi t h t he deepest passi on I bowed low
To God, who t hus cor r ect ed my des i r es . . . .
( 355-3601
Each of t hes e gloomy epi sodes is concerned wi t h t he e f f e c t of an en-
count er wi t h deat h upon Wordsworth' s chi l dhood s e l f . They a r e f i l l e d wi t h
t e r r o r , l onel i nes s and g u i l t . The epi sodes bui l d i n f or ce a s t he n a r r a t o r ' s
involvement i ncr eas es : t he t h i r d and most powerful memory combines t he
atmosphere of forebodi ng and t he l onel y "vi si onary dr ear i nes s " of t he ot her
scenes t o gi ve t hes e f e e l i ngs a d i r e c t , per sonal meaning. The na r r a t or i s no
l onger an onl ooker; i ns t ead of a s t r anger , i t is h i s f a t h e r who i s dead. The
memory of "t he wind and s l e e t y r ai n. . . t he bl eak music of t h a t ol d s t one
wal l , " Wordsworth t e l l s us, was one t ha t he of t en r et ur ned t o , t o "dri nk / A s
a t a fount ai n" o r t o r ef r es h h i s sense of g u i l t about h i s f a t h e r ' s deat h.
Thi s memory, he bel i eves , has cont i nued t o r ever ber at e i n h i s subconsci ous
0
mind and has deep connect i ons wi t h t he growth of h i s mental o r i magi nat i ve
power :
I do not doubt
That i n t h i s l a t e r t i me when s t or m and r a i n
Beat on my roof a t mi dni ght , o r by day
When I am i n t he woods, unknown t o me
The worki ngs of my s p i r i t t hence a r e br ought .
(370-374)
Wordsworth' s a ppa r e nt l y i d y l l i c e a r l y chi l dhood wa s t r a g i c a l l y di s r upt e d
by t h e deat h of h i s mother i n 1778, when he was less t han e i g h t ye a r s ol d.
The young Wordsworth f ami l y was subsequent l y broken up when Dorothy was s e n t
t o l i v e wi t h h e r mot her ' s cous i n and h e r b r o t h e r s were pl aced under t h e r i g i d ,
unsympat het i c c a r e of t h e i r mat er nal gr andpar ent s , onl y r e t ur ni ng t o t h e i r
f a t h e r ' s home f o r hol i da ys . Wordsworth' s f a t h e r , John Wordsworth, had been a
busy man who does not seem t o have had much t i me t o spend wi t h h i s c hi l dr e n.
I n h e r bi ogr aphy of Wordsworth,Mary Moorman s ugge s t s t h a t when John Wordsworth
di e d f i v e ye a r s l at er , i n 1783, "The r e a l l o s s s us t a i ne d by t h e Wordsworth
c hi l dr e n. . . was per haps l e s s t h a t of a bel oved per s on t han of a happy
home. . . . During t h e two o r t hr e e f ol l owi ng ye a r s t h e c o n t r a s t between
l i f e a t Cockermouth and l i f e wi t h t h e i r unl oved gr andpar ent s a t Pe nr i t h wa s
b i t t e r . . . . "24 The g u i l t f e e l i n g s Wordsworth de s c r i be s i n The Pr el ude
per haps de r i ve d from a s e ns e of r esent ment t owar ds a f a t h e r who seemed t o have
abandoned him.
Dorothy and h e r br ot he r s were r e uni t e d i n t h e summer of 1787 when s he t oo
came t o l i v e wi t h t h e i r gr andpar ent s . A t t h i s t i m e s he and Wi l l i am r edi s cover ed
t he l ovi ng a f f i n i t y t hey had s har ed a s s mal l c hi l dr e n. A poem from t h i s
pe r i od, "The Val e of Est hwai t e, " c e l e b r a t e s Wordsworth' s renewed l ove f o r h i s
sister i n a passage which begi ns wi t h a r e c o l l e c t i o n of h i s f a t h e r ' s deat h
t h a t seems a n e a r l y ve r s i on of t h e " s pot s of t i m e " passage from t he 1798-1799
~ r e l u d e . ' ~ The poet t hen moves t o r omant i c s pe c ul a t i ons about h i s own deat h.
Imagi ni ng hi mkel f upon h i s deat hbed wi t hout t h e comf or t of "a mot her ' s arm,"
he t u r n s t o h i s sister:
For I must never s ha r e
A t ender pa r e nt ' s guar di an c a r e ;
Sur e, from t he wor l d' s unkind al ar m,
Ret ur ni ng t o a mot her ' s arm,
Mist-eyes awhi l e upr ai s e t he head
El se- si nki ng t o Deat h' s j oyl e s s bed,
And when by pai n, by Death depr essed
Ah! s ur e i t g e n t l e r s i nks t o r e s t .
A s when a Ba l l , h i s da r l i ng t oy,
Tossed upward by some wat chf ul boy
Meets i n i t s qui ck de c l i ni ng cour se
The well-known hand t h a t gave i t f or c e ,
Spr i ngs up agai n wi t h f e e bl e bound
Then s o f t e r f a l l s upon t he ground.
Si s t e r , f o r whom I f e e l a l ove
What warms a Br ot her f a r above,
On you, a s s a d she marks t he scene,
Why does my h e a r t s o fondl y l ean?
Why but because i n you i s gi ven
A l l , a l l my s oul would wish from Heaven?
Why but because I f ondl y view
A l l , a l l t h a t Heaven ha s cl ai med, i n you?
I have s t r ong r e s e r va t i ons about F.W. Bat eson' s hypot hes i s of an i nces-
t uous l ove between Wi l l i am and Dorothy Wordsworth. H i s argument t h a t t hey
were w e l l aware of t he dangerous na t ur e of t h e i r r e l a t i ons hi p does not con-
vi nce me , but some of h i s poi nt s a r e wel l -t aken: t he i n t e n s i t y of t he f e e l i ngs
t he Wordsworths had f o r each ot he r is r e a di l y appar ent from Wi l l i a m ' s poet r y
and from Dorot hy' s j our nal s .
2 6
However, t h e i r l ove f o r each o t h e r is, I f e e l ,
expr essed wi t h an innocence t h a t is perhaps no l onger pos s i bl e i n t h i s post -
Freudi an age. There may very w e l l have been a s exual el ement i n t h e i r r e l a -
t i ons hi p -- a f t e r bei ng pa r t e d i n chi l dhood, t hey met agai n a s a d u l t s and
al most as s t r a nge r s -- l i k e t he l egend of t he hermaphrodi t e i n Pl a t o ' s
Symposium, two hal ves t o make t he pe r f e c t whole. But I do not t hi nk t h a t such
an a t t r a c t i o n between them was e ve r admi t t ed o r even t h a t t hey were consci ousl y
aware of i t . Wordsworth' s marri age t o Mary Hutchinson i n 1802 seems a repudi a-
t i o n of t he r e l a t i ons hi p he had wi t h h i s s i s t e r , f o r Dorothy and William
Wordsworth' s e l a t i o n s h i p was i n many ways l i k e a marri age: t he sense of
cl os enes s and companionship t hey shar ed, t h e i r commitment t o a l i f e t oge t he r
and t o Wi l l i am' s poet r y suggest Shakespear e' s "marriage of t r u e minds."
But
i n c ont r a s t t o h i s a f f a i r wi t h Annet t e Vallon and t he anxi et y and f r u s t r a t i o n
Wordsworth must have f e l t a t bei ng pr event ed, os t e ns i bl y by ci r cumst ances,
from t aki ng any r e s pons i bi l i t y f o r t h e i r c hi l d, 27 h i s r e l a t i ons hi p wi t h
Dorothy al l owed Wordsworth t o r ecover something of t he b l i s s f u l s e c u r i t y of
h i s e a r l y chi l dhood. The i n t e n s i t y of h i s l ove f o r h i s si st er probabl y had
i t s sour ce i n Wordsworth' s g r i e f a t t he deat hs of h i s pa r e nt s whi l e he was a
c hi l d: t he voi d t ha t t h e i r deat hs l e f t , e s pe c i a l l y h i s mot her ' s, was now
f i l l e d by Dorothy.
I n t he l et t er t o Thomas Pool e i n which Col er i dge encl os ed a copy of "A
slumber di d my s p i r i t s e a l , " Col er i dge commented t h a t t h e poem l i k e l y or i gi n-
a t e d i n a f ant as y about t he deat h of Dorothy Wordsworth:
Oh! t h i s s t r a nge , s t r a nge scene-;hi f ter ,
Death! t h a t gi ddi e s one wi t h i ns e c ur i t y, and s o
uns ubs t a nt i a t e s t he l i v i n g Things t h a t one ha s
gr asped and handled! / Some months ago Wordsworth
t r ans mi t t ed t o me a most subl i me Epi t aph / whet her
i t had any r e a l i t y , I cannot say.-- Most pr obabl y,
i n some gl oomi er moment he had f anci ed t he moment
i n which h i s sister might di e. 28
Many c r i t i c s a r e i nc l i ne d t o di scount t h i s remark, ar gui ng t h a t t o i n s i s t upon
a real i d e n t i t y f o r Lucy a s Dorothy -- o r a s Annet t e Val l on o r a chi l dhood
sweet hear t -- is t o be r educt i ve and i r r e l e ~ a n t . ~ ' But gi ven Col er i dge' s
c l os e f r i ends hi p wi t h t he Wordsworths and h i s awareness of t h e i r s i t u a t i o n i n
Gosl ar , h i s remark does seem t o me t o pr ovi de a val uabl e i n s i g h t i n t o t he mood
i n which Wordsworth might have begun t he "Lucy" series. I n Wordsworth' s
depr essed s t a t e dur i ng t h a t t e r r i b l e wi nt er , ni ght mar es about t he deat h of
I
1 .
t he sister whose companionship he r e l i e d upon s o he a vi l y might very we l l have
I
pr eyed upon h i s mind: wi t hout Dorot hy' s savi ng pr esence, Wordsworth would
have been al one is a c ol d, h o s t i l e world. H i s l i f e would be l i k e t h a t of t he
des ol at e Fl y whose e xi s t e nc e he des cr i bes i n "wr i t t en i n Germany on one of
t he col dest days of t he century":
H i s spi ndl es s i nk under him, f oot , l eg, and thigh!
H i s eyesi ght and heari ng a r e l o s t ;
Between l i f e and death h i s blood f r eezes and thaws;
And h i s two pr e t t y pi ni ons of bl ue dusky gauze
Are glued t o h i s s i des by t he f r os t .
No br ot her , no mate has he near him -- whi l e I
Can draw warmth from t he cheek of my l ove;
A s bl e s t and a s gl ad, i n t h i s des ol at e gloom,
A s i f green sumner gr ass were t he f l oor of my room,
And woodbines were hanging above.
In support of h i s i de nt i f i c a t i on of Lucy wi t h Dorothy, F.W. Bateson
c i t e s a fragment of "Nutting" which addresses Lucy:
Ah! what a cr ash was t hat ! wi t h gent l e hand
Touch t hese f a i r hazel s -- My beloved ~ r i e n d !
Though ' t i s a s i ght i nvi s i bl e t o t hee
From such rude i nt er cour s e t he woods a l l shr i nk
A s a t t he blowing of Astolpho' s horn.
Thou, Lucy, a r t a maiden ' i nl and bred'
t
And thou has t known 'some nur t ur e' ; but i n t r ut h
I f I had me t t hee here wi t h t hat keen look
Half c r ue l i n i t s eagerness, t hose cheeks
Thus [word i l l e gi bl e ] fl ushed wi t h a tempestuous bloom,
I might have almost deem'd t hat I had pass' d
A housel ess bei ng i n a human shape,
An enemy of nat ur e, hi t he r s ent
From regi ons f a r beyond t he Indian h i l l s . . . .
30
A versi on of "Nutting" was a l s o included i n t he l e t t e r t o Coleridge from
Gosler t ha t cont ai ned "Strange f i t s of passion," "She dwelt among t he
untrodden ways" and t he Prelude fragments. Like t he publ i shed t e xt , and
unl i ke t he fragment quoted above, t h i s versi on of "Nutting" does not address
Lucy. But t her e i s a s t r ong echo of "She dwelt among t he untrodden ways"
i n t hese l i ne s :
The vi ol e t s of f i ve seasons re-appear
And fade, unseen by any human eye. . . .
The concluding admonition t o a "dearest Maiden" i n "Nutting" i s reminiscent
of WordswortQ1s address t o h i s s i s t e r a t t he end of "Ti nt ern Abbey."
As i n
"Ti nt ern Abbey," Wordsworth draws on t he pas t i n "Nutting" t o i l l uni na t e t he
pr es ent f o r h i s companion. Wordsworth had i nt ended " ~ u t t i n g " a s p a r t of
31 The
The Pr el ude, but subsequent l y &ci ded not t o use i t i n t h a t poem. -
Pr el ude is addr essed t o Col er i dge. Perhaps we may r easonabl y suppose t h a t
t he Maiden addr essed i n "Nut t i ngf' -- who i s c a l l e d Lucy i n t he fragment
quot ed above -- is Wordsworth' s ot he r "beloved ~ r i e n d " and conf i dant e,
Dorothy.
' 1
Fur t her evi dence f o r an i d e n t i f i c a t i o n of Lucy wi t h Dorothy i s provi ded
,"
by "Among al l l ovel y t hi ngs my Love had been." Wordsworth composed t h i s
poem i n 1802 about an i nc i de nt t h a t "took w lace," he t o l d Col er i dge, "about
seven year s ago between Dorothy and me. "32 I n 1802 he c a l l e d t he g i r l i n
I I
t he poem " ~ mma , a pseudonym he f r equent l y used f o r Dorothy. When he
publ i shed t he poem i n 1807, "~mma" wa s khanged t o " ~u c y " and t he poem was
pl aced besi de "I t r a v e l l ' d among unknown men." A t l e a s t i n r e t r os pe c t , t he r e
wa s an a s s oc i a t i on i n Wordsworth' s mind between t he "Lucy" poems and h i s
f e e l i ngs f o r Dorothy.
I n t he pr ecedi ng pages I have suggest ed t h a t t he "Lucy" poems emerged
out of a t e r r i b l e and perhaps r ecur r ent f a nt a s y about Dorot hy' s deat h, and
out of t he complex nat ur e and or i gi ns of Wordsworth' s l ove f o r her .
By
expl or i ng t he e f f e c t of Lucy' s deat h upon he r l ove r , Wordsworth spoke h i s
own f e e l i ngs and f e a r s . However, s i nc e , unl i ke The Pr el ude, t he "Lucy" poems
are not e x p l i c i t l y aut i obi ogr aphi cal , I w i l l r e f e r t o t he "I" of t hese poems
a s t he speaker i ns t e a d of as Wordsworth.
A pa t t e r n of f f bl i ndness' f t o Lucy' s mor t a l i t y, fol l owed by a t r a g i c
awareness emerges i n t he f i r s t t hr e e "Lucy" poems. Each sets p r i o r heedl ess-
nes s and subsequent knowledge i n opposi t i on, but by means of t h i s r e p e t i t i v e
s t r u c t u r e Wo~;dsworth demonst r at es a "growth of ment al power . ' I I n "st r ange
f i t s of passi on I have known" t he speaker apprehends t he p o s s i b i l i t y (and by
i mpl i cat i on, t he i n e v i t a b i l i t y ) of Lucy' s deat h, but backs away from t he
knowledge t ha t over t akes him. I n "She dwel t among t he unt rodden
ways" he tries t o expr es s t he "di f f er ence" Lucy' s deat h ha s meant
t o him: now t h a t s he i s dead t he speaker t r i es t o evoke h e r
l i v i n g pr esence, but he can onl y r e- capt ur e an e l u s i v e i mpr essi on
of he r . "A slumber di d my s p i r i t s eal " pl a c e s t he s peaker ' s
pa i nf ul per s onal f e e l i ngs about Lucy' s deat h i n t h e cont ext of
man's pl a c e i n na t ur e ' s uni ver se. The l i v i n g Lucy was p a r t of a
uni ver se governed by t i m e ; i t i s onl y a f t e r s he is dead t h a t Lucy
need not s u f f e r change, because she has become p a r t of an i nani mat e
and unf eel i ng real m of "t hi ngs ."
The p a t t e r n of epiphany i s less e x p l i c i t i n " ~ h r e e year s s he
grew," but t he r e i s st i l l a s t r ong sense of "bef or e and a f t e r " i n
t he s peaker ' s evocat i on of t he pa s t time of Lucy' s l i f e , which i s
s e t a ga i ns t t he pr es ent moment from which s he i s absent i n t he l a s t
s t anza:
Thus Nat ur e spake -- t he work was done --
How soon my Lucy' s r ace was run!
She di ed, and l e f t t o me
Thi s heat h, t h i s calm, and qui e t scene;
Thi s memory of what has been,
And never more w i l l be.
I n "Three year s s he grew" Lucy' s l i f e is r e c a l l e d i n t he cont ext of
he r r e l a t i ons hi p wi t h "Nature." The wider f ocus of t h i s poem and
of "A slumber di d my s p i r i t s eal " perhaps e xpl a i ns Wordswo r t h' s
pl a c i ng them i n "Poems of t he Imagination" i n 1815 whi l e a s s i gni ng
t he ot he r "Lucy" poems t o "Poems of t he Af f ect i ons".
"STRANGE -- - - - - FITS OF - PASSI ON . . - 1 HAVE KNOWN"
- - - - - -- -
Of a l l t he "l.ucy" poems, onl y "St r ange f i t s of i s
r ecogni zeabl y o l y r i c a l - b a l l a d . Although unl i ke most t r a d i t i o n a l
b a l l a d s not hi ng a c t u a l l y hi ~ppens , t he at mospher e 01 t h e poem
/ ----- 3
a r ous e s an e x p e c t a t i o n of t r a ge d The s peaker i nt r oduc e s h i s t a l e
-
by d e s c r i b i n g h i s e xpe r i e nc e as "St r ange f i t s of pa s s i on I have
known. . . .": us i ng t he word " s t r angeu evokes t h e t r a d i t i o n a l
b a l l a d wor l d o f t h e s u p e r n a t u r a l o r t he mys t er i ous . Th i s e f f e c t i s
hei ght ened as he goes on t o c onf i de t h a t he " w i l l da r e t o t el l / But
--
i n t h e Lover ' s ear a l o n e , / What once t o me b e f e l l . " These l i n e s
i n t i ma t e t h a t i t is danger ous t o speak of t h i s e xpe r i e nc e . Per haps
9
t h e n a r r a t o r f e a r s t h a t by s peaki ng of h i s pr emoni t i on o f Lucy' s
de a t h he wil.1 make i t happen. I n t he e a r l y ve r s i on s e n t t o Col er i dge
from Gos l ar , t h e poem ha s a f i n a l s t a n z a i n which w e a r e t o l d t h a t
t he n a r r a t o r ' s f e a r s have come t o pas s :
Once, when my l ove was s t r o n g and gay,
And l i k e a r os e i n J une,
I t o h e r c o t t a g e bent my way,
Beneat h t he eveni ng ?loon.
Upon t he moon I f i x e d my eye
A l l o v e r the wide l e a :
My hor s e t r u d g ' s on, and we drew ni gh
Those pa t hs s o d e a r [ t o ] me.
3
And now I ' v e r eached t he or char d- pl ot ,
And as we cl i mbed t h e h i l l ,
Toward' s t h e r oof of Lucy' s c o t
The moon descended s t i l l .
I n one o f t hos e sweet dreams I s l e p t ,
Kind n a t u r e ' s g e n t l e s t boon,
&d a l l t h e whi l e my e ye s I ke pt
On t he descendi ng moon.
My hor se moved on; hoof a f t e r hoof
He r a i s e d and never st opped,
When down behi nd t he c ot t a ge roof
At once t he pl anet dropp' d.
St r ange a r e t he f anci es t ha t w i l l s l i d e
I nt o a l ove r ' s head,
"0 mercy" t o myself I c r i e d
I f Lucy shoul d be dead!"
I t o l d he r t h i s : he r l aught er l i g h t
Is r i ngi ng i n my e a r s ;
And when I t hi nk upon t h a t ni ght
My eyes a r e dim wi t h t e a r s .
A " f i t
-
i n a moment
The speaker
he has f e l t
of passi on" is gener al l y used t o des cr i be an act_ committed
of abandon o r dur i ng a momentary l o s s of s e l f c ont r ol .
t e l l s us he has had " f i t s " of pas s i on, which s ugges t s t ha t
t h i s way more t han once, al t hough he goes on t o des cr i be a
s i ngl e occasi on.
The second word of t he openi ng phr ase, " f i t s , " pos s es s es a
number of connot at i ons which bear upon t he meaning of t he poem. A
" f i t " commonly denot es a t r a ns i t or y af f l e c t i o n o r paroxysm of h y s t e r i a
--
o r l unacy. The major e f f e c t of " f i t s " , t he r e f or e , i s t o reduce t he
i nt e ns e emot i onal exper i ence suggest ed by t he use of "passi on" (which
"Strange f i t s " modi f i es) t o a momentary a t t a c k of madness o r a l o s s of
s e l f - c ont r ol t h a t has s i nc e been thrown o f f , o r s o t he speaker
endeavours t o persuade us. A " f i t " may a l s o de s c r i be a bodi l y state
o r a f f l i c t i o n t ha t pr esages deat h, al t hough t h i s use of t he word is,
34
and was i n Wordsworth' s time, a r c ha i c : as he goes on wi t h h i s s t or y,
t he s peaker ' s " f i t s " a r e r eveal ed t o be a mental c r i s i s t h a t i s
grounded i n o r foreshadows t he physi cal f a c t of deat h. Thi s a r c ha i c
C
20
usage s ugges t s t he language of t he o l d t r a d i t i o n a l ba l l a ds . A " f i t "
i s a l s o a p a r t of a poem o r a song -- a s t a nz a o r a cant o. Thi s
meaning s ugges t s t he s pe a ke r ' s e f f o r t t o r egai n c ont r ol over h i s
f e e l i ngs ; he admi t s h i s "passi on" t o us 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". If h i s t e l l i n g of h i s "passi on" i s
s t r uc t ur e d, perhaps i t may be c ont r ol l e d.
"Passion" is used by t he speaker t o def i ne a di s t ur bi ng premoni t i on
of h i s s weet hear t ' s deat h, and is t hus set a ga i ns t h i s l ove f o r Lucy:
deat h, not Lucy, f i l l s h e r l ove r wi t h "passion". Although we commonly
use "passion" t o imply sexual l ove, and t he c l os e pr oxi mi t y of "passi on"
and "Lover" i n t h i s s t a nz a t ends t o br i ng t h i s usage t o mind, t he word
has i t s o r i g i n s i n "s uf f er i ng, " e s pe c i a l l y t he s uf f e r i ng of Chr i s t on
t he cr os s , and is c l os e l y t i e d , t he r e f or e , t o l i f e and deat h, and t o
l i f e a f t e r deat h o r redemption. But i n t he cour se of t he " ~u c y " poems,
Lucy' s deat h r e ve a l s he r t o be a c r e a t ur e of a phys i c a l uni ver se. The
l ove r ' s "passion" is i ndeed an a nt i c i pa t i on of e t e r n i t y , but i t is t he
c y c l i c a l realm of e a r t h ' s "di ur nal course" ("A slumber di d my s p i r i t
s eal ") t h a t he i s ul t i ma t e l y conf r ont ed wi t h, r a t he r t han t h e s p i r i t u a l
realm of God.
"Passion" i s c l os e l y l i nke d wi t h pa s s i vi t y: one s u f f e r s passi on,
o r i s act ed upon by i t . Thus, t he speaker i nt r oduces h i s s t o r y i n t he
passi ve voi ce o r t el l s us what "once t o me bef el l ". Lucy' s l ove r
endeavours t o r epr es s h i s "passi on, " but i t becomes c l e a r i n t h i s poem
and i n t he ot he r s t h a t t h i s is a "passi on" t h a t cannot be overcome o r
i gnor ed -- man must be passi ve i n t he f ace of deat h, i n t he end he can
35
]be not hi ng 5lse
I n t he openi ng l i n e s of t he second s t a nz a t he speaker recalls
how Lucy seemed t o him a s he set out f o r he r c ot t a ge : "When she I
l ov' d was s t r ong and gay/ and l i k e a r ose i n June. . . ." The use of
t he pa s t t ense her e ("When she I l ov' d was. . . .") i mpl i es t h a t Lucy
is no l onger "st r ong and gay:"
Thi s suggest i on t h a t Lucy' s yout h, i f
not he r l i f e , is now over is st r engt hened by h e r equat i on wi t h "a r ose
i n June". The a s s oc i a t i on of t r ans i ence and decay wi t h r os es i s (and
was i n 1798) a comam poet i ci sm. Wordsworth' s opi ni ons about "poet i c
36
di ct i on" expr essed i n t he 1800 Pr ef ace suggest t h a t he a nt i c i pa t e d a
p a r t i c u l a r r esponse from h i s r eader by usi ng such a phr ase: t he use
of such ready o r uni nspi r ed (and hence "unpassi onat e") words t o
des cr i be Lucy r e i nf or c e s my i mpr essi on t h a t i n t e l l i n g h i s s t o r y t he
n a r r a t o r i s at t empt i ng t o di mi ni sh t he e f f e c t of h i s exper i ence. But
when t he a s s oc i a t i on of r os es and June wi t h t r a ns i e nc e i s coupl ed wi t h
t he i mpl i cat i ons of t he pa s t t ens e, t h i s appar ent complacency i s
undercut . The l o v e r ' s t r a n q u i l i t y is exposed a s f a l s e . He i na dve r t e nt l y
7
r e ve a l s t he t r u t h of h i s "fond and wayward t hought s": i f Lucy i s not
I
dead now, she i s a t l e a s t changed from what she wa s , and a t some time i n
t he f ut ur e she w i l l di e .
Because I have argued t h a t t he "LUCY" poems expr es s Wordsworth' s
own f e e l i ngs o r f e a r s , some comment about t he poe t ' s consci ous i n t e n t
ver sus h i s empathic involvenrent wi t h h i s n a r r a t o r seems c a l l e d f o r her e.
Wordsworth' s i d e n t i f i c a t i o n of poet r y wi t h passi on i n t he Pr ef ace t o t he
1800 e d i t i o n of Lyr i c a l Bal l ads suggest s t h a t each of h i s poems expr es s es
a pr oj e c t i on of h i s own r esponses i f he were t o be pl aced i n a p a r t i c u l a r
3 7
s i t u a t i o n of ci r cumst ance. A t l e a s t a t t he moment of wr i t i ng, Wordsworth
seem t o cl ai m i n t he Pr ef ace, t he f e e l i ngs expr essed i n a l l of h i s poems
a r e h i s own. On t he o t h e r hand, Wordsworth' s not e t o "The Thorn" i n t he
2 2
t he 1800 e d i t i o n of Lyr i c a l Bal l ads about h i s use of a f i r s t per son
n a r r a t i v e " t o show t he manner i n which men cl eave t o t he same i de a ; and
t o f ol l ow t he t ur ns of pas s i on, always d i f f e r e n t ye t not pal pabl y
d i f f e r e n t , by which t h e i r conver sat i on i s swayed1', s ugges t s a pr ecedent
f o r di s t i ngui s hi ng between poet and na r r a t or i n t he "Lucy" poems. A s
w e l l , t hese poems have been ver y c a r e f ul l y c r a f t e d. Wordsworth' s
penchant f o r r e vi s i on i s appar ent from Dorot hy' s j our na l s i n which s he
f r equent l y remarks upon t he pai n Wordsworth s uf f e r e d a s a consequence
38
of r e vi s i ng h i s poems. As we l l , Col er i dge complained i n h i s notebook
i n 1803 t h a t Wordsworth' s "cor r ect i ons , coming of ne c e s s i t y s o of t e n,
a t t he end of ever y 14 o r 20 l i n e s -- o r what ever t he poem might chance
39
t o be -- wore him out . . . . I 1 Separ at i ng Wordsworth' s consci ous i n t e n t
and empathic involvement i n t he "Lucy" poems, which ( i n c ont r a s t t o
I1
The Thorn") a r e much more " l yr i c a l " t han t hey a r e "bal l ads", seems
n e i t h e r e n t i r e l y pos s i bl e nor de s i r a bl e . However, I w i l l assume t h a t
t he f i ni s he d o r publ i shed poem may be di s t i ngui s he d from t he i n i t i a l
spont aneous out pour i ng and t h a t Wordsworth was w e l l aware of t he
i mpl i cat i ons of usi ng a phr ase such a s " l i ke a r ose i n June" t o des cr i be
Lucy.
The f or ebodi ng equat i on of Lucy wi t h t he b r i e f f l ower i ng of r os es
is echoed i n he r l ove r ' s r i de t o he r cot t age "beneat h an eveni ng moon,"
40
o r beneat h a moon t h a t i s s e t t i n g . The moon i s one of t he major images
man has of t he cycl es of nat ur e: b i r t h , deat h and renewal. The moon
waxes and wanes, and t hen waxes agai n. The moon, however, remains
unchanged t hroughout i t s cycl e: t he change occur s i n our per cept i on
of t he moon, r a t he r t han i n t he moon i t s e l f . But once Lucy i s dead, l i k e
t he r ose she w i l l be gone f or ever as a p a r t i c u l a r o r i ndi vi dua l e n t i t y .
O r a s Ben Jonson wr ot e,
Suns t h a t s e t , may r i s e agai n:
But i f once we l os e t h i s l i g h t
' Ti s wi t h us per pet ual ni ght .
4 1
The use of "bent my wayn t o des cr i be t he r i d e r ' s s e t t i n g of f towards
LUCY' S c ot t a ge suggest s t h a t h i s j ourney i s goi ng t o be a d i f f i c u l t one
and t h a t he w i l l have t o s t r uggl e t o reach t he c ot t a ge . The r i d e r seems
t o bear t he gr e a t weight of t he moon upon h i s back, j u s t a s he l a t e r be a r s
t he burden of h i s anxi et y about Lucy' s deat h. Juxt aposi ng t he r i d e r ' s
movement wi t h t h a t of t he moon's each of t he f our middle s t a nz a s slows
down o r impedes t he r i d e r ' s pr ogr ess. The moon moves always ahead of t he
r i d e r ; he i s unable t o cat ch up. Looking back upon h i s j our ney, i t seems
t o t he speaker t h a t i f onl y he coul d have reached Lucy' s c ot t a ge bef or e
\
t he moon dropped behi nd i t , he might have escaped t he shocked awareness
of Lucy' s mor t a l i t y t h a t t he moon's mvement t r i gge r e d - and t hus,
per haps, saved Lucy. But a s he r e l i v e s h i s j our ney, he knows he coul d
not move qui ckl y enough, j u s t a s he is now unable t o evade h i s f e a r . He
r i de s towards Lucy a s though he were moving i n a dream:
I n one of t hose sweet dreams I s l e p t ,
Kind Nature ' s ge nt l e s t boon!
The e f f e c t of endl es s movement, a s i f i n a dream o r a t r ance, is
i ncr eas ed by t he r e p i t i t i o n of t he word "and" a s t he n a r r a t o r de s c r i be s
h i s j our ney, t oget her wi t h t he r epeat ed r ef er ences t o t he moon's
"descending" and such phr ases a s "my hor se t r udged on", "my hor se moved
on'' and "hoof a f t e r hoof/ He r a i s ' d and never st opp' d. . . ." The
running-on qf a t hought from one l i n e t o
t he next , a devi ce used
2 4
t hroughout t he poem ( f o r example, "And a l l t he whi l e my eyes I kept / On
t he descendi ng moon") a l s o sl ows down t he poem's rhythm i n sympathy wi t h
t he r i d e r ' s slow pr ogr ess.
The l i n e s "I t o he r cot t age bent my way/ Beneath an eveni ng moon"
a l s o suggest t ha t t he r i d e r bows down t o t he moon. Thi s i mpressi on becomes
s t r onge r two s t a nz a s l a t e r , when t he speaker r e f e r s t o "Kind Nat ur e' s
ge nt l e s t boon" (my i t a l i c s ) : "Nat ure' s" power t o gr ant "boons" i mpl i es
t h a t man is h e r va s s a l . The "boon" Nature gr a nt s is t he "sweet dream1' of
heedl essl wss. The r i d e r is j o l t e d out of t h i s dream by a sudden f e a r f o r
Lucy' s l i f e when t he moon, Nat ur e' s r e pr e s e nt a t i ve , dr ops behi nd Lucy' s
cot t age. He i s made suddenl y and pa i nf ul l y aware of deat h, t he power t h a t
Nature hol ds over man.
The man and t he moon converge upon Lucy' s c ot t a ge bnd t hey a l s o seem
--- I
t o rnerge i n t o one anot her i n t he d i s t o r t e d s ynt ax of "Upon t he moon I
f i x ' d my eye, / A l l over t he wide l ea" i n s t anza t hr e e . Does " A l l over
t 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 peaker ' s eye? Although
t he s peaker ' s premoni t i on of Lucy' s deat h seems t o be t r i gge r e d by an
out s i de agency, t he moon, h i s f e a r f or Lucy a c t ua l l y emerges o u t of t he
dept hs of h i s own subconsci ous, t o change h i s "sweet dreams" i n t o ni ght mare
and t o t her eby shock him awake. The r i d e r does not r ace a ga i ns t t he moon
but a ga i ns t h i s own mind. H i s <nabi l i t y t o r each Lucy' s c ot t a ge bef or e t he
moon dr ops behi nd i t s ugges t s t h a t he is no l onger a bl e t o c ont r ol or
r e pr e s s h i s f e a r .
The word "f i x' d" i n t he f i r s t l i n e of s t a nz a t hr e e ("Upon t he moon I
f i x ' d my eye:') s ugges t s a mesmerized concent r at i on upon t he moon: Lucy' s
l over r i d e s towards he r c ot t a ge s t a r i n g "f i xedl y1' at t he f or ebodi ng
moon. But i n s p i t e of t he 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' s
r e l e n t l e s s movement t owar ds I, ucyls c ot t a ge , i t ne ve r t he l e s s seems t o
I 1
drop suddenl y, o r at once" behi nd t he c ot t a ge r oof . The pr os pect of
Lucy' s deat h seems sudden and unexpect ed because a 1 though t he s peaker
ha s presumably bestowed t h e c l o s e a t t e n t i o n of a l o v e r upon Lucy -- o r
per haps --- because he ha s s o l ovi ngl y dot ed upon h e r -- he ha s bl i nde d
hi msel f t o t he e f f e c t o f t he passage 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 our ney
comes t o a n a br upt s t o p a s t he moon dr ops behi nd Lucy' s c ot t a ge :
My hor s e moved on; hoof a f t e r hoof
He r a i s ' d and never s t opp' d
When down behi nd t he c ot t a ge roof
At once t he pl a ne t dr oppl d.
The r i d e r is j o l t e d o u t of h i s "sweet dreams ." Yet i n t he l i n e s t h a t
i mmedi at el y f ol l ow, h i s sudden epi phany is l a b e l l e d "fond and wayward
t hought 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 o
r e t ur n t o h i s former dream-like s t a t e , t he s peaker seems t o deny h i s
rude awakening. Hence, t he sl ow, ge nt l e rhythm o f t he rest of t he poem
i s ke pt up i n t he f i n a l s t a nz a :
What f ond and wayward t hought s w i l l s l i d e
I n t o a Lover ' s head --
I1
0 mercy!" t o myself I c r i e d ,
"If Lucy s houl d be dead!"
The s pe a ke r ' s r e f e r e nc e t o hi msel f i n t he t h i r d per son i n t h e second
l i n e of t h i s s t a nz a ( " I nt o a Lover ' s head"), i n c o n t r a s t t o h i s use o f t h e
f i r s t per son t hr oughout t he rest o f t he poem, s ugge s t s t h a t he is t r y i n g
t o di s t a nc e hi ms el f from t h i s exper i ence o r t o r e pr e s s t he s e "fond and
wayward t hought s . I 1 With h i s r a t h e r mechani cal r esponse o f "0 mercy!'' t h e
s peaker s e e k t o at t empt t o c ont a i n h i s exper i ence by e xpr e s s i ng h i s
response t o i t i n f a mi l i a r and t he r e f or e "saf e" terms. A t t he same
time, however, "0 mercyI" evokes an a s s oc i a t i on wi t h pr ayer , s ugges t i ng
t he s e r i ous na t ur e of t hes e t hought s. Thi s a s s oc i a t i on wi t h pr ayer
suggest s i n r e t r os pe c t t h a t "t he I nver " t o whom t he speaker s ays t h a t
he w i l l "dar e t o t el l " h i s "passion" i n s t a nz a one is Chr i s t , who al one
w i l l l i s t e n t o and underst and t he s peaker ' s s uf f e r i ng. Si mi l a r l y, t he
speaker ' s de s c r i pt i on of h i s "fond and wayward t hought s" o r h i s "St range
f i t s of passi on" evoke an a s s oc i a t i on wi t h Henry Vaughan' s vi s i on of
heaven i n "They a r e a l l gone i n t o t he world of l i ght ":
And ye t , a s angel s i n some b r i g h t e r dreams
C a l l t o t he s oul when man dot h s l e e p,
So some s t r a nge t hought s t r anscend our wonted themes,
And i n t o gl or y peep. 42
But God's pr esence is not f e l t i n t he uni ver se of t he "Lucy" poems.
Nature i s t he c ont r ol l i ng f or ce her e: "boons" a r e gr ant ed o r r ef used a t
he r pl easur e. I f t he s peaker ' s cr y i s r ead a s a pr ayer t o God, i t seems
doomed t o remain unanswered. I f i t i s a pr ayer t o Nat ur e, i t seems
doomed t o r ebuf f , f o r deat h is an undeni abl e and unavoi dabl e f a c t of l i f e
i n Nat ur e' s uni ver se. "0 mercy!' t o myself I cr i ed" may be r ead a s a
pl ea t o a gr e a t e r power, soundl essl y exp esed, but i t a l s o i mpl i es t h a t
i
t he speaker asks f o r mercy from hi msel f , o r from h i s i magi nat i on -- t he
4 3
sour ce, f o r Wordsworth, of "deep f eel i ngs " such a s t hese. But t he poem
ends wi t h t he unr emi t t i ng l i n e " ' I f Lucy shoul d be dead! '" These words,
towards which t he poem has been always moving, overshadow a l l t h a t has
been s a i d bef or e.
"SHE DWELT AMONG THE UNTRODDEN WAYS"
.---- - -------
The use of f l ower imagery t o evoke one' s bel oved is a t r a d i t i o n a l
t echni que of Engl i sh l ove poet r y which Wordsworth makes use of i n "St range
f i t s of passi on. " He a l s o uses i t i n "She dwel t among t he untrodden ways,"
comparing Lucy t o "A v i o l e t by a mossy st one. " Frances Ferguson s ugges t s
t h a t by avoi di ng "t he s p e c i f i c s of cheeks and , r oses1' and l i ke ni ng Lucy t o
44
an e n t i r e f l ower , Wordsworth i ncr eas es Lucy' s anonymity. These "s peci f i cs "
were, i n f a c t , used by Wordsworth t o des cr i be Lucy i n t he e a r l y ver s i on of
"She dwel t among t he untrodden ways" s e nt t o Col er i dge from Gosl ar :
Ny hope was one, from c i t i e s f a r
Nursed on a lonesome heat h:
Her l i p s were red as r oses a r e ,
r-
1
Her h a i r a woodbine wreath.
.--.
She lived- among t he untrodden ways
Beside t he s pr i ngs of Dove,
A maid whom t her e were none t o pr a i s e
And ver y few t o l ove;
A v i o l e t by a mossy s t one
Half-hidden from t he eye:
Fa i r as a star when onl y one
Is s hi ni ng i n t he sky!
7
\
And s he was gr a c e f ul a s t he broom
I
I
That f l ower s by Car r on' s s i d e ;
/
But slow di st emper checked he r bloom,
\- And on t he Heath she di ed.
Long time bef or e he r head l ay low
Dead t o t he world was she:
But now s h e ' s i n h e r gr ave, and Oh!
The di f f e r e nc e t o me !
Wordsworth subsequent l y removed some s i g n i f i c a n t d e t a i l s from t h i s
ver s i on of "She dwel t among t he untrodden ways" : t he publ i shed poem no
l onger t el l s us t h a t Lucy s uf f e r e d from "di st emper" . - o r t h a t s he was a
--
l ong time dfiing.
What a r e l e f t a r e t he bar e bones. Lucy l i ve d, and s he
di ed. Beside t he t e r r i b l e f a c t t h a t Lucy is dead, t he ci r cumst ances
sur r oundi ng he r deat h seem u n i q o r t a n t . The r e s u l t of removing t hese
d e t a i l s from t he poem i s i ncr eased poignancy: Lucy' s absence i s much
more f e l t . The comparisons o f Lucy t o a v i o l e t and t o a s t a r a r e now
set a t t he c e nt r e of t he poem; r a t h e r t han bei ng p a r t of a cat al ogue of
he r beaut y, t hey now seem t o expr es s h e r essence. The image of Lucy i s
a t once less s u p e r f i c i a l t han t he "s peci f i cs " of he r l i p s and h a i r and
har der t o gr asp. Now t h a t s he is dead, Lucy' s l ove r tries t o "pr ai se"
h e r l i v i n g pr esence, but he can onl y evoke an e l us i ve i mpr essi on of
what she once was.
I n t he f i r s t s t a nz a Lucy' s way of l i f e is evoked wi t h images of
q u i e t and t r a n q u i l l i t y , but t hes e r e c ol l e c t i ons of Lucy a r e col our ed by
he r deat h. The e f f e c t of usi ng "dwelt" ( i ns t e a d of "l i ved", f o r
example) i s t o emphasize he r impermanenc -- Lucy r es i ded o r l i nger ed
\ -
f o r a t i m e among "Th' untrodden ways ." Thi s l at t er phr ase conj ur es up
images of a r u r a l remoteness o r of a s o l i t a r y , unhur r i ed way of l i f e .
We a r e a l s o t o l d t h a t Lucy dwelt "Beside t he s pr i ngs of Dove. . . .
1 I
Because t he Dove is a symbol of t he Holy S p i r i t , Lucy' s dwel l i ng besi de
"t he s pr i ngs of Dove" s ugges t s t h a t she, t oo, was pur e and vi r t uous .
---.- --
-
The phr ase s ugges t s t h a t Lucy dwelt near God, t he sour ce o r t he "spri ngs"
of t he Holy S p i r i t and t h a t Lucy' s qui e t , r u r a l l i f e was t he r e f or e pur er
- - - -
and h o l i e r t han it coul d have been i f she had l i v e d among t he wel l -t rodden
ways of town. Lucy' s dwel l i ng besi de t he "spr i ngs" o r t he begi nni ngs of
--
t he Ri ver Dove a l s o s ugges t s he r yout h. Lucy' s i nnocence, s i mpl i c i t y and
v i r t u e , as wel l a s h e r youth, a r e a l s o i mpl i ed by t he one r ef er ence t o h e r
a s a "Maid" i n t he t h i r d l i n e of t h i s s t anza. Thi s i mpr essi on of Lucy' s
v i r t u e o r godl i ne s s c onj ur e s up t he o l d maxim, s he di e d young because s he
was t oo good f o r t h i s worl d -- us ua l l y used i n r e t r o s p e c t , a f t e r t he deat h
o f a c h i l d o r a young per son. Because of h e r yout h, Lucy' s deat h i s
_C_- -- .
unexpect ed and a l l t he more s h a t t e r i n g f o r h e r l ove r : t he promi se cont ai ned
- - - - __ _- . - -
-+ - -
i n " t he s p r i n g s o f Dove" o f a cal ml y f l owi ng r i v e r is n o t mi r r or ed i n Lucy' s
l i f e , which ends j u s t as i t is begi nni ng.
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 t he r e were none t o p r a i s e /
And ver y few 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 us
t h a t Lucy l i v e d i n i s o l a t i o n , wi t h a smal l c i r c l e o f i nt i ma t e s who l oved
he r . More s i g n i f i c a n t l y , t he s e l i n e s imply a d i s t i n c t i o n between t he
f e e l i n g s t h e s peaker had f o r Lucy when s he was a l i v e and t he f e e l i n g s he
is l e f t wi t h now t h a t s he i s dead: when Lucy was a l i v e , h e r f ami l y and
f r i e n d s d i d not "pr ai se" he r , t hey l oved he r . " Pr ai s e" s ugge s t s worshi p
o r t h e o f f e r i n g of hynms t o a remote d i v i n i t y and t he s pe a ke r seems t o
di s t i ngui s h t h i s from t he l ove he and a few o t h e r s f e l t f o r Lucy. But
now t h a t Lucy is dead, s he can no l onger be l oved; s he can onl y be pr a i s e d.
Thi s poem was gi ven t he t i t l e of "Song" i n t he 1800 e d i t i o n of Lyr i c a l
Bal l ads , per haps because i t is a hymn o f p r a i s e t o Lucy. Now t h a t s he i s
dead, t he s pe a ke r remembers Lucy as more t han t he si mpl e "Maid" he l oved.
He wor shi ps h e r as
A v i o l e t by a mossy s t one
Half hi dden from t he Eye!
-- Fa i r , as a star when onl y one
Is s h i n i n g i n t h e sky!
These two images r e pr e s e nt Lucy a s s i mul t aneous l y l owl y and d e l i c a t e ,
gl or i ous and remot e. Lucy' s beaut y s pans t he n e a r and t h e f a r and
e xpr e s s e s t he uni t y of t he uni ver s e: h e r beaut y enconpasses t h e a nt i pode s
4 5
of t he uni vdr s e and shows them t o be mi r r or images of each o t h e r . The
vi ol e t is ha l f hi dden by t he s t one ; t he gl or y of t he s i n g l e s t a r is
about t o be obscured by c ount l e s s ot he r s . The s t a r shows up a ga i ns t t he
darkened sky; t he v i o l e t i s c ont r a s t e d a ga i ns t t he mossy s t one. But
al t hough t hese images of t he v i o l e t and t he s t a r seem i nt ended a s a t r i b u t e
t o Lucy, t h i s "pr ai se1' has a hol l ow r i ng. It is undercut by t he a s s oc i a t i ons
wi t h mut abi l i t y t h a t bot h images evoke: t r yi ng t o r ecapt ur e Lucy' s beaut y,
he r l over can onl y expr es s i t i n terms t h a t suggest he r deat h. A v i o l e t
blooms, and t hen s h o r t l y af t er war ds wi t her s away. The "mossy st one" t h a t
ha l f hi de s t he v i o l e t s e r ve s t o emphasize t he f r a i l t y of t he f l ower , and
of Lucy' s l i f e . Like a s t a r , a s t one is a r e l a t i v e l y permanent obj e c t , i n
- -
c ont r a s t t o a v i o l e t . The moss t ha t grows on t he s t one s ugges t s a cool ,
moi st gr eenness, such a s one might f i nd by a s pr i ng, but a s Gef f r ey Durrant
4 6
poi nt s out , i t a l s o s ugges t s a gr avest one. The s pe c i a l beaut y of a s t a r
"when onl y one/ Is s hi ni ng i n t he sky" l a s t s onl y a s hor t time, bef or e
t he r e a r e count l es s ot he r s . Pl aced wi t hi n t he cont ext of t he e t e r n a l
' vast ness of t he uni ver se, l i k e t he v i o l e t by t he s t one, t he image of t he
s i n g l e s hi ni ng s t a r emphasizes t he qui ck passage of Lucy' s l i f e .
The c i r c ui t ous ne s s of t he f i r s t s t anza of t he poem is mi r r or ed i n
t he l a s t s t anza: i f Lucy " l i v' d unknown", how coul d even a "few" know
when she "ceas' d t o be"? The e f f e c t of t hes e l i n e s is t o suggest a
r el uct ance on t he s peaker ' 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 de s c r i pt i on of Lucy' s dyi ng a s he r ceas i ng t o be a l s o echoes t he
qui e t anonymity of Lucy' s l i f e t h a t i s evoked i n t he f i r s t s t a nz a ; Lucy
does not di e s o much a s s l i p o u t of l i f e . "Few coul d know", per haps,
because Lucy' s deat h is such a qui e t di mi ni shi ng of l i f e .
By
i t a l i c i z i n g "l i v' dl ' ( t h i s is onl y done i n t he 1800 ver s i on of t he poem),
he r l ove r s t r e s s e s t h a t Lucy wi l l not remain unknown now t h a t s he i s dead:
h i s poem o r song of "pr ai se" t o h e r is t o ensur e t h a t more t han a few w i l l
know about Lucy.
The obl i queness of t hes e l i n e s c ont r a s t s s har pl y wi t h t he f l a t
st at ement t ha t f ol l ows: "But she is i n he r Grave. . . ." The speaker
- - - - -.- --
seems t o s t e e l hi msel f t o admi t 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 deat h, t he speaker has set hi msel f a p a r t -- onl y a "very few"
-__ -
even not i c e t ha t Lucy has "ceas' d t o be". The l one l i ne s s he f e e l s now
t h a t Lucy is dead is emphasized by t h i s and a l s o by t he r e s t r a i n t of
t he f i n a l words of t he poem: "and, Oh!/ The d i f Eerence t o me. " Leaving
s o much unsai d i n t hes e l i n e s has t he par adoxi cal e f f e c t of conveying t he
s peaker ' s angui sh and des ol at i on i n a very powerful and convi nci ng way.
Defi ni ng t he e f f e c t of Lucy' s deat h on h i s l i f e a s si mpl y t he "di f f er ence"
i t has made t o him s ugges t s a pent-up emotion o r g r i e f t h a t i s t oo
profound o r t oo de va s t a t i ng t o be descr i bed, al t hough a s I have t r i e d t o
demonst r a t e , t h i s "di f f er ence" a f f e c t s t he s peaker ' s memory of Lucy and
i n t e r f e r e s wi t h h i s evocat i on of he r i n t h i s el egy.
I n "A slumber di d my s p i r i t s e a l " t he speaker l ooks back upon t he
I I
sweet dream" of heedl essness t o Lucy' s mor t a l i t y from which he was
f i r s t awoken by h i s premoni t i on of he r deat h i n "St range f i t s of passi on. "
The f i r s t s t anza of "A sl umber di d my s p i r i t s e a l " s ugges t s t he s peaker ' s
r epr es s i on of h i s awareness of Lucy' s mor t a l i t y i n t he ot he r poem. While
Lucy was a l i v e , he was a bl e t o i gnor e t he e f f e c t s of t he passage of t i me
o r t o deny t h a t Lucy coul d f e e l "The touch of e a r t h l y year s. " I n "A
slumber di 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 ear s , : "
These f e a r s a r e onl y admi t t ed a f t e r LUCY' S deat h by t he s peaker ' s
awakened " s p i r i t , " t he f a c ul t y t ha t makes him human o r di s t i ngui s he s
him from ani mal s and from "t hi ngs1' which do not f e e l time 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 t he "Matthew" poems,
"The Fountain" ( a l s o composed a t Cosl ar i n 1798-1799). I n t h i s poem
Matthew c ont r a s t s men's mi sery wi t h t he unchanging na t ur e of a stream
and wi t h t he bi r ds ' b l i t h e i gnorance of t he e f f e c t of time:
'No check, no s t a y , t h i s St r eaml et f e a r s ;
How mer r i l y i t goes!
' Twi l l murmur on a thousand year s ,
And flow a s i t now fl ows.
'And her e, on t h i s de l i ght f ul day,
I cannot choose but t hi nk
How o f t , a vi gor ous man, I l ay
Beside t h i s f ount ai n' s br i nk
'My eyes a r e dim wi t h c hi l di s h t e a r s ,
Ny h e a r t i s i d l y s t i r r e d ,
For t he same sound i s i n my e a r s
Which i n t hose days I hear d.
'The bl ackbi r d amid l e a f y t r e e s ,
The l a r k above t he h i l l ,
Let l oose t h e i r c a r ol s when t hey pl eas e,
Are qui e t when t hey w i l l .
' With Nat ure never do t hey wage
A f ool i s h s t r i f e ; t hey s ee
A happy yout h, and t h e i r o l d age
Is be a ut i f ul and f r e e ;
' But we a r e pr es s ed by heavy l aws;
And of t e n gl ad no more,
We wear a f a c e of j oy, because
We have been gl ad of yor e.
The speaker ' s " s p i r i t " i n "A slumber di d my s p i r i t s e a l " may be
def i ned as h i s under st andi ng o r h i s i magi nat i on which, as Wordsworth t el l s
us i n The ~ f e l u d e , is most o f t e n "unsealed" by pa i n and f e a r .
Af t e r t he
"s t ol en boat " epi sode (I: 80-129, 1798-99) t he poet concl udes:
Ah! not i n vai n ye Beings of t he h i l l s !
And ye t h a t walk t he woods and open heat hs
By moon o r s t a r - l i g h t , t hus from my f i r s t dawn
Of chi l dhood di d ye l ove t o i nt er t wi ne
The passi ons t h a t bui l d up our human s oul ,
Not with t he mean and vul gar works of man,
But wi t h hi gh obj ect s , wi t h e t e r n a l t hi ngs ,
With l i f e and nat ur e, pur i f yi ng t hus
The el ement s of f e e l i ng and of t hought ,
And s anct i f yi ng by such di s c i pl i ne
Both pai n and f e a r , u n t i l we recogni ze
A grandeur i n t he beat i ngs of t he he a r t .
(I: 130-142)
Si mi l ar l y, t he gl or i ous vi s i on descri bed i n "Ti nt ern Abbey" onl y fol l ows
t he poet ' s apprehensi on of "The st i l l , sad music of humanity":
For I have l ear ned
To look on nat ur e, not a s i n t he hour
Of t hought l ess yout h; but hear i ng of t ent i mes
The st i l l , sad music of humanity,
Nor har sh nor gr at i ng, though of ample power
To chast en and subdue. And I have f e l t
A presence t h a t di s t ur bs me wi t h t he j oy
Of el evat ed t hought s; A sense sublime
Of something f a r more deepl y i nt er f us ed,
Whose dwel l i ng is t he l i g h t of s e t t i n g suns,
And t he round ocean and t he l i v i n g a i r ,
And t he bl ue sky, and i n t he mind of man:
A motion and a s p i r i t , t h a t i mpel s
A l l t hi nki ng t hi ngs, a l l obj ect s of a l l t hought ,
And r o l l s through a l l t hi ngs.
The l a s t t hr ee l i n e s of t h i s excer pt from "Ti nt er n Abbey" a r e echoed
i n "A slumber di d my s p i r i t seal.:'! However, i n "Ti nt er n Abbey" t he l andscape
is a l i v e wi t h a "presence" o r wi t h "A motion and a s p i r i t , t h a t i mpel s. . .
-- - -
and r o l l s through a l l t hi ngs" whereas i n "A slumber di d my s p i r i t s e a l , "
because Lucy is dead, t he l andscape a l s o seems t o be dead: t he "t hi ngs"
t h a t t h i s l andscape cont ai ns a r e i nani mat e and i n e r t . They are "Rolled
around i n e a r t h ' s di ur nal course, ' : but no motion o r s p i r i t r o l l s through
them. I n " f i nt e r n Abbey" t he poet def i nes hi msel f a s a "t hi nki ng t hi ng"
and f e e l s a cl os e harmony betwen hi msel f and a l l o t h e r t hi ngs . I ns t ead of
t h i s "sense sublime" of t he uni t y of men's minds wi t h t he i nani mat e
uni ver se, t he speaker of "A slumber di d my s p i r i t s e a l " f i nds hi msel f s hut
out from t he uni ver se of t hi ngs wi t h which Lucy has merged. Because Lucy
is remote, t he l andscape a l s o seems remote. H i s l onel y s p i r i t awakens i n
a seemingly empty uni ver se.
The s peaker ' s i magi nat i on i s "unsealed" o r r el eas ed by h i s g r i e f , but
LUCY' S s p i r i t , on t he o t h e r hand, has been s e a l e d by t he e ndl e s s slumber of
deat h. There is no suggest i on i n t he poem t h a t Lucy' s s oul l i v e s on a f t e r
t he deat h of her body: Lucy "seem'd a t hi ng" when she was a l i v e ; now t h a t
she i s dead she is a t hi ng. There is no t r a c e of t he di vi ne i n t he uni ver se
of "A slumber di d my s p i r i t s e a l ." I ns t ead of ascendi ng t o a s p i r i t u a l
pl ane of bei ng a f t e r deat h, Lucy has descended down t h e chai n of bei ng, t o
t he l e ve l of veget abl e and mi ner al s o r of "rocks and s t one s and trees."
Because t he e f f e c t of Lucy' s deat h upon he r l ove r i s a t e r r i b l e l o s s , h i s
vi s i on of deat h' s consequences f or Lucy is a l s o a bl eak one. The r epeat ed
negat i ves of t he f i r s t two l i n e s of s t anza two emphasize t h a t dyi ng
r epr es ent s a l o s s f o r Lucy a s w e l l a s f o r h e r l over : "No motion has she
now, no f or ce/ She n e i t h e r hear s nor sees. . . ." Like t he "rocks and
s t ones and trees," Lucy no l onger walks o r runs now t h a t s he is dead; nor
does she br eat he o r speak o r l augh. Lucy has no "f or ce" anymore: she i s
wi t hout v i t a l i t y o r "s pi r i t . ' , ' She no l onger he a r s o r sees o r f e e l s .
Lucy no l onger has nmtion o r f or ce because s he i s no l onger a f f e c t e d
o r "touched" by " e a r t hl y year s. "
Lucy' s cor pse is "Rolled round i n e a r t h ' s
di ur na l course" but t h i s motion no l onger i mpel s Lucy. The e a r t h st i l l
t ur ns , but Lucy is st i l l . The image of t he e a r t h ' s r e gul a r movement
cont r as t s with and enphasi zes t he s t i l l n e s s o r permanence of t he
inanimate obj ect s i t c a r r i e s al ong wi t h i t . Now t h a t Lucy is dead, t he
speaker is compelled t o recogni ze t ha t she i s a l s o p a r t of t h i s e t e r n a l
r e p ~ t i t i on.
The correspondence between t he "t hi ng" Lucy seemed t o be i n l i f e ,
descri bed i n t he f i r s t s t anza, and t he t hi ng she a c t u a l l y is now t h a t she
is dead, descri bed i n t he second s t anza, i s emphasized by t he p a r a l l e l
s t r uct ur e of t he two st anzas. Each s t anza begi ns wi t h two s hor t st at ement s,
and each st anza bui l ds towards t he t h i r d and f our t h l i n e s , which a r e
enjambed. The correspondi ng obser vat i ons about Lucy t h a t t he t h i r d and
f our t h l i ne s cont ai n a r e given added weight because of t h e i r l engt h, i n
cont r as t t o t he b r i e f st at ement s t h a t come bef or e. Aided by t he r e gul a r i t y
of t he poem's rhyme scheme, t he r e pe t i t i ve s t r u c t u r e of t he two s t anzas
i mpart s a sense of an i nexorabl e proceedi ng towards t he f i n a l l onel y vi s i on
of Lucy' s ki nshi p wi t h "rocks and s t ones and t r ees . "
Using "di urnal " r a t he r t han t he si mpl er word "dai l y" t o descr i be t he
e a r t h ' s course c r e a t e s an impression of maj est y and power which c ont r a s t s
wi t h t he gent l e image i n s t anza one of "The touch of e a r t hl y year s ."
Because t he e f f e c t of time was s o i mpercept i bl e o r gent l e, t he speaker wa s
abl e t o i gnore i t . By i gnor i ng time t he speaker seems t o p i t t he puny
powers of h i s wishes agai ns t i t o r t o t r y t o h a l t t he " ear t h' s di ur nal
course. " The f ool i s hnes s of h i s former s t a t e of mind i s t her ef or e
emphasized by t h i s f i n a l image of t he e a r t h ' s r egul ar and r e l e n t l e s s
revol ut i ons.
Counting time i n year s i n s t anza one and i n days i n s t anza
t w3 suggest bot h t he s peaker ' s i ncr eased awareness of t i me' s passage and
h i s unhappihess and l onel i nes s now t ha t Lucy i s dead. Time hangs more
heavi l y on h i s hands now. When Lucy was a l i c e , t he year s passed qui ckl y
and i mpercept i bl y; now t h a t she i s dead, he i s aware o f t he passage of
each day.
The s t a t e l y maj est y suggest ed by " ear t h' s di ur na l course" i s
echoed i n t he rhythm of t h i s l i ne . The l ong vowel sounds, t he di pt hong
i n "round", t he s epar at i on o r pause between t he "i" and t he "u" i n
"di urnal 1' , t he r e p i t i t i o n of "r", "1" and "sf' sounds and t he pause one
t ends t o make between "ear t h' s" and "di urnal " a l l slow t he r eader down and
add f or ce t o t he image t h a t t h i s l i n e cont ai ns . The dominant sounds of t h i s
line -- I 1 " 11 "
r , s and "nl' -- a r e repeat ed i n t he poem's l a s t l i n e . Thi s
r e p i t i t i o n of sound uni f i e s t he l a s t two l i n e s and t her ef or e i ncr eas es t he
f or ce of t he image of Lucy' s uni t y wi t h t he uni verse of "t hi ngs. " For t he
Poe t i c a l Works of 1832 Wordsworth i ns er t ed commas i n t o t h i s l i n e -- " rocks,
and s t ones , and t r e e s ." These pauses gi ve t he l i n e a weighted emphasis
which i mpart s a t e r r i b l e f i n a l i t y t o t h i s image.
Lucy' s havi ng t aken he r pl ace wi t h t he "rocks and s t ones and t r ees "
reminds us t h a t she is now i n t he ground -- i n he r grave. The l e x i c a l
r e pe t i t i on of "rocks and st ones" emphasizes t h a t Lucy' s corpse i s an
I I
i nani mat e "t hi ng. But unl i ke a rock o r a s t one, Lucy' s cor pse w i l l not
remain v i r t u a l l y unchanged by time: i t w i l l decay and t ur n t o dus t , t o
become p a r t of t he e a r t h from which t r e e s can grow. Extending t he phrase
"rocks and st ones" t o i ncl ude "t r ees" has t he e f f e c t of l es s eni ng t he
bl eakness of t h i s image s i nce al t hough t hey do not " f eel , " trees a r e
never t hel es s l i v i n g t hi ngs . They grow and change. Trees a l s o "die"
ever y wi nt er , t o be reborn i n t he spr i ng. They bel ong t o t he seasonal
cycl es of nat ur e, which a r e a s permanent i n t h e i r r e p e t i t i o n as a r e rocks
and s t ones .
Lucy' s deat h awakens her l over ' s i magi nat i on o r " s p i r i t " by
f or ci ng him t o recogni ze t h a t Lucy is pa r t of t h i s endl es s cycl e, but t h i s
3 7
under st andi ng is overshadowed by t he knowledge t h a t s he is l o s t t o him.
"THREE YEARS SHE GREW I N SUN AND SHOWER"
While t he f ocus of "Three year s she grew i n sun and shower" is
os t e ns i bl y upon t he r e l a t i ons hi p of Lucy and "Nature," t he d e t a i l s of t h i s
- - _
- - _ __ _ - - ------
1- -- --- - . .
r e l a t i ons hi p a r e pr esent ed by he r l over , from h i s poi nt of view. Like t he
------I-..-- ----
C ___-__--_ ----_______/- -------
f i r s t t hr e e Lucy poems, t h i s poem i s concerned wi t h t he s pe a ke r ' s f e e l i ngs
about Lucy' s deat h: t he b i t t e r n e s s of h i s g r i e f i s r eveal ed by h i s
c ha r a c t e r i z a t i on of Nature a s a domineering and powerful bei ng. I n t he
Pr ef ace t o Lyr i cal Ball* (1800) Wordsworth s i n g l e s o u t pe r s oni f i c a t i on
a s a pa r t i c ul a r l y depl or abl e l i t e r a r y devi ce:
I n t hese Poems I propose t o myself t o i mi t a t e and, a s f a r
a s i t i s pos s i bl e , t o adopt t he very l anguage of men, and
I do not f i nd t h a t such pe r s oni f i c a t i ons make any r e gul a r
o r na t ur a l p a r t of t h a t language. I wish t o keep my
r eader i n t he company of f l e s h and blood.
47
By per s oni f yi ng Nature i n "Three year s she grew, " t he r e f or e , Wordsworth
seems t o have gone a ga i ns t h i s own cr eed. However, l i k e t he n a r r a t o r ' s
r a t he r mechanical comparison of Lucy t o a "r ose i n June" i n "st r ange f i t s
of passi on, " t he speaker ' s use of "poet i c di c t i on" i n t h i s poem r e ve a l s
much about h i s s t a t e of mind.
The l ovel y images of Lucy' s l i f e wi t h Nat ure a r e si mul t aneousl y used
t o demonst rat e Nat ur e' s i mperi ousness:
"The f l o a t i n g cl ouds t h e i r state
s h a l l l end/ To he r , f o r h e r t he wi l l ow bend"; "The stars of midnight s h a l l
be dear / To+her . . . ."
Nat ure commands and i t i s so. Thi s i s a power
t h a t cannot be deni ed:
Three year s she grew i n sun and shower,
Then Nat ure s a i d, "A l o v e l i e r fl ower
On e a r t h was never sown;
Thi s Chi l d I t o myself w i l l t ake,
She s h a l l be mine, and I w i l l make
A Lady of my own.
Nat ur e' s possessi veness is emphasized i n t hese l i n e s by t he f i r s t person
pronouns Nature uses whi l e cl ai mi ng Lucy. The greedy, demanding power
of Nature ove r r i de s t he f u t i l e cl ai m t h a t t he speaker makes t o Lucy i n t he
last s t a nz a of t he poem:
Thus Nat ure spake -- t he work was done --
How soon my I.ucyls r ace was run!
These l i n e s from t he l a s t s t anza are r emi ni scent of Genesi s: "And
God s a i d, l e t t he r e be l i g h t : and t he r e was l i ght . " ( I : 3) They suggest
t h a t Nat ur e' s power is a s gr e a t a s God' s, o r t h a t i n t he uni ver se of t hes e
poems Nature i s t he governi ng f or ce. And Nature i s everywhere: "I n e a r t h
and heaven, i n gl ade and bower. . . ." I nst ead of God' s, Nat ur e' s w i l l i s
t o "be done i n e a r t h , as i t i s i n heaven" (Matthew VI:10).
The openi ng l i n e s of "Three ye a r s she grew i n sun and shower" t e l l us
t h a t Lucy had been nur t ur ed by t he na t ur a l world from h e r b i r t h o r =the
___---- A -
...
t hr e e year s bef or e Nature not i c e d and des i r ed he r : "Then Nat ure s a i d , ' A
-A _ _ - - - - - - - -
l o v e l i e r f l ower / On e a r t h was never sown. . . .I' Lucy becomes Nat ur e' s
"Lady": she is r ai s ed i n s t a t i o n , from one f l ower among many t o Nat ur e' s
consor t . Lucy i s s i ngl e d out by Nature f or p a r t i c u l a r a t t e n t i o n :
Myself w i l l t o my da r l i ng be
Both law and i mpul se, and wi t h me
The G i r l i n rock and pl a i n,
I n e a r t h and heaven, i n gl ade and bower,
Sha l l f e e l an over s eei ng power
To ki ndl e o r r e s t r a i n .
*
J 39
A l l Lucy' s de s i r e s o r "impulses" w i l l o r i g i n a t e wi t h o r be"ki ndl edW
by Nat ur e' s "overseei ng power.'' Her a b i l i t y t o govern o r t o " r e s t r a i n"
them w i l l a l s o come from Nat ure. Lucy w i l l be wholly i nf l uenced by
Nature and Nat ure w i l l bestow h i s kingdom upon he r , t o s e r ve he r : "The
f l o a t i n g cl ouds t h e i r s t a t e s h a l l l end/ To he r , f o r h e r t he wi l l ow bend
I I
. . . . Nat ur e' s promises a r e r emi ni scent of pa s t or a l l ove poet r y such
as Marlow's "The Passi onat e Shepherd t o H i s Love," i n which t he shepherd
o f f e r s h i s sweet hear t " a l l t he pl eas ur es . . ./ That va l l e ys , gr oves, h i l l s ,
48
and f i e l d s , / Woods o r s t eepy mountain yi el ds . ' ' A l l t he beaut y of t he
na t ur a l world is gi ven t o Lucy because Lucy bel ongs wholly t o Nat ure, and
he r own beaut y de r i ve s e n t i r e l y from sensor y exper i ence:
Nor s h a l l s he f a i l t o see
. -
Even i n t he motions of t he st or m
A beaut y t h a t s h a l l mould he r form
By s i l e n t sympathy. . . .
And beaut y born of murmuring sound
Sha l l pas s i n t o he r f ace.
And v i t a l f e e l i ngs of de l i ght
Sha l l r e a r he r form t o s t a t e l y he i ght ,
Her v i r g i n bosom s wel l . . . .
(my i t a l i c s )
Lucy' s deat h f or ces he r l over t o an under st andi ng of h e r phys i cal
nat ur e o r t o a r e a l i z a t i o n t h a t Lucy belonged t o Nat ur e, who w i l l not
s har e h e r wi t h he r human l over . A s he l ooks back upon Lucy' s l i f e , i t
seems t o t he speaker t h a t he l o s t Lucy t o Nat ure: t he poem i s not unl i ke
a l ove r ' s complaint wi t h Nat ure r epr es at ed as a more powerful and t he r e f or e
vi c t or i ous r i v a l who has t aken Lucy from t he speaker . _-But &possessi ng -.
--.__
-.-
Luw, &i ~. l l r q- . @~t r oy~ -. her . A t t he same time t h a t s he i s endowed wi t h t he
.. _.,'
beaut y of t he na t ur a l worl d, Lucy a l s o r ecei ves h e r doom: t he end- r esul t
of Nat ur e' s l ove f o r Lucy seems t o be t h a t Lucy' s "race" is t he sooner run.
Although everyone bel ongs t o Nat ure -- everyone d i e s e ve nt ua l l y -- deat h
seems t o have come sooner f o r Lucy because he r r e l a t i ons hi p wi t h Nature
was e s pe c i a l l y cl os e. I f Lucy had been less l ovel y, t he speaker i mpl i es ,
she might have escaped Nat ur e' s not i c e and st i l l be a l i v e .
Nat ur e' s r ef er ence t o Lucy as a f l ower i n s t a nz a one r e c a l l s t he
1
<omparisons t h a r ose i n "Strange f i t s of passi on" and wi t h a
v i o l e t i n "She dwel t among t he untrodden ways. 7 As i n t he o t h e r poems,
- .+>- /--.
t he co n a s s oc i t i o n t y
_--kc?y- L, , ' y./-
of Lucy' s l i f e -- i n "Three year s she grew." Li ke t he beaut y of f l ower s, t he
-
- - - .-
__--
-
----''_,- \ ' - L' (., ,'/
beaut y bestowed on Lucy wa s f l e e t i ng. La t e r i n t he poem, t he ominous l i n e s
_--- - --
---
"While she and I t oget her l i v e / Here i n t h i s happy de l l " ( s t anza s i x ) a l s o
suggest t he t r a ns i e nc e of Lucy' s l i f e , a s w e l l a s pr ovi di ng a b i t t e r c ont r a s t
wi t h t he f i n a l image of t he speaker al one on t he heat h. Many of t he images
of Lucy' s l i f e wi t h Nat ure a r e images of motion: t he s e images cul mi nat e i n
11
t he s peaker ' s r ef er ence t o Lucy' s l i f e a s a race" i n t he l ast s t a nz a and
t hey emphasize, t he r e f or e , t h a t even whi l e Lucy wa s s o vi br a nt l y a l i v e , h e r
l i f e was qui ckl y passi ng:
She s h a l l be s por t i ve a s t he fawn
That wi l d wi t h gl ee acr os s t he lawn
O r up t he mountain s pr i ngs . . . .
The f l o a t i n g cl ouds t h e i r s t a t e s h a l l l end
To he r , f o r h e r t he wi l l ow bend,
Nor s h a l l s he f a i l t o see
-
Even i n t he motions of t he st or m
A beaut y t h a t s h a l l mould he r form
By s i l e n t sympathy.
. . . and she s h a l l l ean he r e a r
To many a s e c r e t pl a c e
Where r i v u l e t s dance t h e i r wayward round,
And beaut y born of murmuring sound
Sha l l pass i nt o he r f ace.
Lucy' s t i r e l e s s motion a l s o s ugges t s he r yout hf ul ness and echoes t he
de s c r i pt i on of t he poe t ' s boyhood i n "Ti nt er n Abbey":
When l i k e a r oe
I bounded o ' e r t he mountains, by t he s i d e s
Of t he deep r i ve r s , and t he l onel y streams,
Where ever nat ur e l ed. . . .
Unlike most of t he ot he r images of Lucy, s he is a l s o descr i bed i n
s t anza t hr e e as possessi ng "t he br eat hi ng balm, / . . . t h e s i l e n c e and t he
calm/ Of mute i ns ens at e t hi ngs. " These l i n e s c ont r a s t wi t h t h e image of
Lucy a s "s por t i ve as t he fawn" i n t he same s t a nz a and t he r e f or e suggest a
range of l ove l i ne s s t h a t i s r emi ni scent of t he images of t he v i o l e t and t he
s t a r i n "she dwel t among t he untrodden ways." The image of Lucy' s
possessi ng "t he s i l e nc e and t he calm/ Of mute i ns e ns a t e t hi ngs" a l s o
foreshadows h e r deat h and t he "calm, and qui e t scene" she bequeat hs t o h e r
l over . The de s c r i pt i on of Lucy a s "t he br eat hi ng balm& . . . Of mute
i ns ens at e t hi ngs" suggest s t h a t she was t he l i v i n g embodiment of t h e i r
soot hi ng q u a l i t i e s . Like t he mountains o r trees o r cl ouds, Lucy' s pr esence
coul d calm and qui et en he r l ove r ' s s p i r i t . But a f t e r he r deat h, Lucy i s
no l onger "t he br e a t hi ng balm. . ./ Of mute i ns e ns a t e t hi ngs" (my i t a l i c s )
-- she has become one of them. To t he speaker , "This heat h, t h i s calm, and
qui e t scene" seems a s ad reminder "of what has been, / And never more wi l l be. "
I n c ont r a s t t o t he images of movement and of sensor y l i f e t h a t f i l l t he
rest of t he poem, we a r e f i n a l l y t o l d t h a t Lucy' s "race wa s run":
Lucy has
st opped runni ng, she i s dead, and, because Lucy i s s t i l l , t he l andscape
a l s o seems st i l l , a "calm and qui e t scene." Like t he f i r s t l i n e of t he
l a s t s t anza, "Thus Nat ure spake -- t he work was done --, I1 t he image of
LUCY' S "race" being"runt' has a b i b l i c a l t one. I t is r emi ni scent of t h i s
famous passage from Ec c l e s i a s t e s :
I r et ur ned, and saw under t he sun t h a t t he r ace i s
not t o t he s wi f t , nor t he b a t t l e t o t he s t r ong,
n e i t h e r ye t br ead t o t he w i s e , nor y e t r i c he s t o
men of underst andi ng, nor yet f avour t o men of s k i l l ;
but t i m e and chance happeneth t o them a l l . (1X:ll)
The t r a nqui l accept ance of t he bounds of time t h a t I sense i n t h i s
passage i s not achi eved by t he speaker of "Three year s s he grew," however.
Although t he r ef er ence t o t he "calm and qui e t scene" t h a t Lucy l eaves he r
l over suggest s t h a t t he s pe a ke r ' s a t t i t u d e t o he r deat h i s one of accept ance
and r epose, a s does h i s si mpl e s t r ai ght f or war d s t at ement , "She di ed, " t h i s
i mpressi on is undercut by t he nos t a l gi c l a s t l i n e s of t he poem. Lucy
l eaves t he speaker al one on t he heat h wi t h "The mewr y of what has been/
And never more w i l l be. "
I have argued t h a t because Lucy is dead, t he l andscape of "A slumber
di d my s p i r i t s eal " a l s o seems dead: i t i s unf eel i ng, unresponsi ve and
--
i nani mat e. I n "Three year s she grew" t he speaker des cr i bes t he world i n
. -
which Lucy l i ve d and, l i k e t he l andscape of "Ti nt er n Abbey," t h a t world i s
f i l l e d wi t h motion and s p i r i t . The kingdom t ha t Nat ure bestows upon Lucy
is f u l l of movement and de l i ght . Perhaps t he c ont r a s t between t he land-
scapes of t hese two "Lucy" poems may be a t t r i b u t e d t o t he changing
ci rcumst ances i n which Wordsworth composed t he poems:
"A slumber di d my
s p i r i t s eal " was composed dur i ng t he b i t t e r l y col d wi nt er a t Gosl ar ;
"Three year e she grew" was composed i n t he s pr i ng, a f t e r t he Wordsworths
4 3
had l e f t Gosl ar. However, i n s p i t e of t he warm promise of s pr i ng and
t he knowledge t ha t he was on h i s way home t o England, Wordsworth' s mood
does not seem t o have appr eci abl y l i ght ened. The f i gur e of Nat ure i n
"Three year s she grew" is domineering and pos s es s i ve, and al t hough t h i s
poem does not end on s o de s ol a t e a not e as "A sl umber di d my s p i r i t seal,'.'
t he t one of t he l a s t s t a nz a i s not di s s i mi l a r .
CHAPTER 3: GRASMERE
-- ----
I t
I t r a v e l l ' d among unknown men" was probabl y composed i n Apr i l , 1801:
Wordsworth i ncl uded t h i s poem i n a l e t t e r he wrote t o Mary Hutchinson on
Apr i l 29, 1801, wi t h t he i ns t r uc t i ons t h a t i t shoul d be read a f t e r "She
dwelt among t he untrodden ways." Like "She dwelt among t he untrodden ways",
"I t r a v e l l ' d among unknown men" emphasizes t he i mport ance of pl ace : t he
speaker ' s de s c r i pt i on of where Lucy dwelt i n both poems col our s h i s
evocat i on of Lucy. Reading t he poems i n t h i s sequence, t he l ove f or
England t h a t t he speaker expr esses i n "I t r a v e l l Id among unkown men" grows
out of t he r e l a t i ons hi p between Lucy and t he l andscape t h a t i s suggest ed i n
I I
She dwelt among t he untrodden ways". "I t r a v e l l ' d among unknown men" was
f i r s t publ i shed i n 1807 when i t appeared wi t h anot her poem about Lucy,
"Among a l l l ovel y t hi ngs my Love had been," i n Poems, i n Two Volumes,
al t hough t he r e is evi dence t ha t Wordsworth had i nt ended t o publ i s h i t i n t he
1802 e d i t i o n of Lyr i c a l Bal l ads a f t e r "A slumber di d my s p i r i t s e a l " and
4 9
t hen changed h i s mind. "I t r a v e l l ' d among unknown men" event ual l y
appeared wi t h t he o t h e r "Lucyt' poems i n t he -- Poems of 1815 i n t he pos i t i on
Wordsworth had desi gnat ed i n 1801, a f t e r "She dwel t among t he untrodden
ways. I'
I n "I t r a v e l l ' d among unknown men" Wordsworth seems t o l ook back
upon t he t e r r i b l e wi nt er he and Dorothy s pent i n i s o l a t i o n i n Germany and
t o c ont r a s t t h a t melancholy time wi t h a pr es ent t h a t i s happy and ser ene.
"I t r a v e l l ' d among unknown men" expr es s es a conf i dence t h a t i s s i mi l a r
t o t he optimism wi t h which Wordsworth concluded "Ti nt er n Abbey" i n
J ul y, 1798. The theme of t he c ont i nui t y of t he l andscape o r of pl ace
a s a br i dge between pa s t and pr es ent i n "I t r a v e l l ' d among unknown men"
is r emi ni scent of Wordsworth' s admonition t o h i s si st er a t t he end of
t he earlier poem:
Nor, perchance --
I f I shoul d be where I no more can hear
Thy voi ce, nor cat ch from t hy wi l d eyes t hes e gleams
Of pa s t e xi s t e nc e -- w i l t t hou t hen f or ge t
That on t he banks of t h i s d e l i g h t f u l st r eam
We s t ood t oget her ; and t h a t I , s o l ong
A worshi pper of Nat ur e, h i t h e r came
Unwearied i n t h a t s e r vi c e . . . .
Nor w i l t t hou t hen f or ge t ,
That a f t e r many wanderi ngs, many year s
Of absence, t hes e s t e e p woods and l o f t y c l i f f s ,
And t h i s green p a s t o r a l l andscape, were t o me
More dear , bot h f o r themselves and f o r thy sake!
However, "I t r a v e l l ' d among unknown men" a l s o l ooks back on a t i m e
of c r e a t i ve s ucces s from one f i l l e d wi t h f r u s t r a t i o n . The wi nt er of 1798-
1799 was a hi ghl y pr oduct i ve time f o r Wordsworth; "I t r a v e l l ' d among
unknown men" i s t he onl y new poem he i s known t o have completed dur i ng a
l ong s i l e nc e t h a t began i n t he summer of 1800 and l a s t e d u n t i l November,
50
1801. By comparing h i s pr es ent s i t u a t i o n wi t h t he pa s t , Wordsworth seems,
t he r e f or e , t o seek t o r eas s ur e hi msel f about h i s l i f e i n Grasmere and t o
t hus overcome t he mal ai se t h a t gr i pped him i n t he s pr i ng of 1801.
I have suggest ed t h a t t he f i r s t f our "Lucy" poems were an expr essi on
of Wordsworth' s i nt e ns e l ove f o r Dorothy and r e f l e c t t h e i r s i t u a t i o n dur i ng
t he wi nt er of 1798-1799. These poems seem t o me t o emerge out of t he same
i nt r os pe c t i pn t h a t produced Pa r t One of t he two p a r t Pr el ude. Si mi l a r i t i e s
between t he begi nni ng of t he f i r s t p a r t of The Recl use, Home a t Grasmere,
-
5 1
which was wr i t t e n i n t he s pr i ng of 1800, and "I t r a v e l l ' d among unknown
men" suggest t o me t h a t t h i s l y r i c was gener at ed by ~ o r d s wo r t h ' s at t empt s
t o proceed wi t h Home a t Grasmere i n t he s pr i ng of 1801. I n a book about
Wordsworth' s poet r y of 1800 John Dings descr i bed Home a t Grasmere as"a
di vi ded poem." He s ugges t s t h a t two i mpul ses l ay behi nd Wordsworth' s
composi t i on of t he poem: t o write about hi msel f and t o des cr i be t he
5 2
pa s t or a l l i f e . A number of s hor t pa s t or a l poems such as "Michael" and
"The w rot hers" seem t o have grown out of Wordsworth' s i nt e nt i on, s t a t e d
a t t he end of t he e a r l y s e c t i on of Home a t Grasmere, t o "look f o r man"
but t he l i n e s wr i t t e n i n t he s pr i ng of 1800 a r e c h i e f l y a l y r i c a l
over f l owi ng of powerful and i nt i mat e f e e l i ng. Wordsworth begi ns h i s
I1
gr e a t argument" of t he harmony between t he Mind of Man and t he e xt e r na l
53
World wi t h a c e l e br a t i on of h i s l ove f o r Grasmere and f o r Dorothy. The
impulse t o w r i t e about hi msel f i n Home a t Grasmere seems t o have been
54
s t r onge r t han t he i mpul se t o "gi ve pi c t ur e s of Nat ure, Man and Soci et y. ' !
Wordsworth a l s o gave way t o t he urge t o wr i t e about hi msel f i n "I
t r a v e l l ' d among unknown men": t h i s poem seems t o gi ve expr essi on t o
f e e l i ngs t h a t Wordsworth coul d not t ur n i n t o phi l osophy i n t he s pr i ng of
1801, Wordsworth' s r e t ur n t o t he "Lucy" s e r i e s a t t h i s t i me suggest s t h a t
h i s r e l a t i ons hi p wi t h h i s sister was on h i s mind, a s i t had been i n t h e
wi nt er of 1798-1799 and i n t he s pr i ng of 1800.
L But t h a t r e l a t i ons hi p was not t he same a s i t had once been. I n
r
Germany and dur i ng t he e a r l y months a t Grasmere, Dorothy had been t he
I
c e nt r e of ~o r d s wo r t h ' s l i f e . I n t he s pr i ng of 1801 Wordsworth was at
home i n Grasmere and i n c l os e cont act wi t h f r i e nds such as Col er i dge and
4 7
t he Hutchinson s i s t e r s and he wa s less dependent upon h i s s i s t e r ' s l ove
and support . Wordsworth di d not formal i ze h i s engagement t o Mary
Hutchinson u n t i l Apr i l , 1802, but t h a t r e l a t i ons hi p had probabl y begun
t o e s t a b l i s h i t s e l f i n t he s pr i ng of 1801. When he marri ed Mary i n
Oct ober, 1802, Wordsworth grew up: he st epped out of t he chi l dhood world
he had regai ned i n h i s r el at i ons hi p wi t h h i s s i s t e r and assumed t he r ol e
of an a dul t . I n "I t r a v e l l ' d m n g unknown men" Wordsworth seems t o o f f e r
si mul t aneousl y a l ove poem t o Dorothy, t he source of s o much of h i s f e e l i ng
f o r t he Engl i sh l andscape, and a decl ar at i on of h i s independence.
During t he i d y l l i c months fol l owi ng W i l l i a m and Dorothy Wordsworth's
a r r i v a l i n Grasmere a t t he end of 1799, Wordsworth composed numerous s hor t
poems and a l s o made a j ubi l a nt s t a r t upon Home at Grasmere. But dur i ng t he
summer of 1800 Wordsworth found hi msel f i ncr eas i ngl y f r u s t r a t e d i n h i s
at t empt s t o compose poet ry. I n J ul y he wrote t o J os i ah Wedgewood t h a t
"ill heal t h has f o r some time rendered l i t e r a r y l abour not advi seabl e f o r
55
me." I n September.Dorothy descr i bed Wordsworth's poor heal t h and i t s
r e l a t i o n t o h i s work i n a l e t t e r t o a f r i end:
Wi l l i am' s heal t h is by no means s t r ong, and he
has wr i t t e n a gr eat deal s i nce we f i r s t went t o
Al foxden, namely duri ng t he year precedi ng our going
i n t o Germany, whi l e we were t her e, and s i nce our
a r r i v a l i n England, and he wr i t es wi t h s o much f e e l i ng
and a g i t a t i o n t h a t i t br i ngs on a sense of pai n and
i n t e r n a l veakness about h i s l e f t s i de and stomack which
now of t e n makes i t i mpossi bl e fo[r]hi m t o [writelwhen
he is i n mind and f eel i ngs i n such a s t a t e t h a t he
coul d do i t wi t hout d i f f i c u l t y .
56
During t he summer and autumn of 1800, Wordsworth busi ed hi msel f
pr epar i ng t he second e di t i on of Lyr i cal Bal l ads f o r publ i cat i on.
He
wrote t he Pt ef ace t o t he second e d i t i o n a t t h i s time. Wordsworth' s
b.
de f i ni t i on of "good poet ry" a s "t he overfl ow of powerful f eel i ngs " i n
t he Pr ef ace suggest s t h a t he bel i eved t h a t t he source of h i s poet r y l a y
i n t he di st urbances of "f eel i ng and agi t at i ont t t h a t Dorothy descr i bed i n
he r l e t t e r , but by cour t i ng such a s t a t e of mind Wordsworth t r od a r azor ' s
edge. Overwhelmed by pai n and weakness, wordsworth is nonet hel ess s a i d t o
be "i n mind and f eel i ngs i n such a s t a t e t ha t he coul d [ wr i t e] wi t hout
d i f f i c ~ l t y . , ~ ~ I r oni cal l y, t he s t a t e of mind t h a t wa s supposedl y most
conducive t o composing poet ry could a l s o make composition i mpossi bl e.
111 heal t h continued t o oppress Wordsworth t hroughout t he autumn
of 1800. References i n Dorothy' s j our nal t o Wordsworth' s at t empt s t o
m r k a r e i nt er s per s ed wi t h r ef er ences t o h i s not f e e l i ng wel l :
(October 19) Wm worked a l l morning a t t he sheepf ol d,
but i n vai n. He l a y down i n t he af t er noon t i l l 7 o' cl ock,
but could not s l eep. I s l e p t , my head b e t t e r -- he
unable t o work.
(October 21) Wm had been unsuccessful i n t he morning
a t t he sheepfol d.
(October 23) Wm was not s ucces s f ul i n composition i n
t he evening.
(October 27) Wm could not compose much, f at i gued
himself wi t h a l t e r i ng.
(October 31) Wm very s i ck and very ill.
(November 1) Wmbet t er.
(November 4) Wm sadl y t i r e d.
(November 7) Wm st i l l unwell.
(November 23) Wm not wel l .
(November 26) Wm very wel l and hi ghl y poe t i c a l
(December 6) Wm was not wel l , had l aboured unsuccessful l y. .
Wm t i r e d and not w e l l . 57
No r egul ar record of t he event s of 1801 survi ves. Dorothy' s j our nal breaks
of f on December 22, 1800, and does not resume u n t i l October 10, 1801.
However, t her e a r e r ef er ences i n fami l y l e t t e r s t o Wor dswr t h' s problems
wi t h h i s heal t h and h i s work which suggest t ha t t he pa t t e r n of f r u s t r a t i o n
and depressi on recorded by Dorothy i n her j ournal cont i nued.
In a l e t t e r
t o Anne Tayl or dat ed Apr i l 9, 1801, Wordsworth wr ot e, "I have t aken a
house i n t he Vale of Grasmere, . . . and I l i v e wi t h my sister, meaning,
5 8
i f my he a l t h w i l l permi t me , t o devote my l i f e t o l i t e r a t u r e ." A t t he
end of Apr i l , i n t he same l e t t e r i n which Wordsworth s e nt Mary Hutchinson
a copy of "I t r a v e l l ' d among unknown men," Dorothy wrot e [William] i s
always ver y ill when he t r i e s t o a l t e r an o l d poem, but new composi t i on
does not h u r t him s o much. I hope he w i l l soon be a b l e t o work wi t hout
hur t i ng hi msel f. " However, t he next month Dorothy wrot e t o Col er i dge:
"Poor Wi l l i a m! We have put a s i de a l l t he manuscri pt poems, and i t i s
agr eed between us t h a t I am not t o gi ve them up t o him even i f he asks f o r
59
them. "
Dorot hy' s l e t t e r s t e l l us t h a t Wordsworth was preoccupi ed wi t h
r e vi s i on i n t he s pr i ng of 1801. We know from a l et t er s e nt i n Apr i l , 1801,
60
t o Thomas Poole t ha t Wordsworth had added so& l i n e s t o " ~i c ha e l ' . ' ' A
series of letters from John Wordsworth t o Dorothy s ugges t s t h a t Wordsworth
was a l s o working on The Recluse - and - The Pr el ude. A t t he end of March John
6 1
wrot e t h a t he was "gl ad t o hear t ha t Wm [was] goi ng on wi t h t he r ecl use. "
A month l a t e r he thanked Dorothy f or sendi ng him copi es of Wordsworth' s
62
poems, e s pe c i a l l y "t he c or r e c t i ons i n t he . . . poem t o Col eri dge. "
Cr i t i c a l opi ni on i s di vi ded as t o whether by "t he r ecl use" John
Wordsworth a c t ua l l y meant The Prel ude s i nc e h i s r ef er ence i n t he second
l et t er t o t he "poem t o Col er i dgel ' probably r e f e r s t o The Pr el ude. The
e d i t o r of John Wordsworth' s l e t t e r s , Car l Ketcham, ar gues t h a t "WW, DW,
and Col er i dge t hought of The Pr el ude a s p a r t of The Recl use, though not
63
t he main pa r t . " Ketcham' s opi ni on i s suppor t ed by a l e t t e r s e nt from
r
Col er i dge t o Wordsworth i n Oct ober , 1799, i n which Col er i dge confused
The Recl use and The Pr el ude:
I l ong t o see what you have been doi ng. 0 l et i t be
t he t a i l - pi e c e of 'The Recluse!' f o r of not hi ng but 'The
Recl use' can I hear pa t i e nt l y. That i t i s t o be addr essed
t o me makes me more des i r ous t h a t i t shoul d not be a poem
of i t s e l f . To be addr essed, as a bel oved man, by a t hi nker ,
a t t he cl os e of such a poem a s 'The Recl use' . . . i s t he
onl y event I be l i e ve , capabl e of i n c i t i n g i n me an hour ' s
vani t y. d4
Col er i dge seems t o be r e f e r r i n g her e t o Pa r t Two of The Pr el ude of
1798-1799, which Wordsworth completed i n t he autumn of 1799. A t t he end
of Pa r t Two Wordsworth addr esses Col er i dge a s " ~ y ~ r i e n d " and "MY br ot her
. . . i n t h i s my deep devot i on" (496, 508-9).
However, i n Oct ober 1979 Wordsworth had not ye t begun Home a t Grasmere:
The Pr el ude o r t he pr ef ace t o The Recluse was a l l t h a t he had s o f a r
produced. The two poems were less l i k e l y t o be con used a f t e r Wordsworth
had s t a r t e d The Recluse pr oper , Home a t Grasrnere, i n t he s pr i ng of 1800.
Mark Reed ar gues, t he r e f or e , t ha t i f John Wordsworth' s remark about ' t he
r ecl us e' was a r ef er ence t o - The Pr el ude, i t "r epr es ent s a conf usi on of t he
' r ecl us e' and t he poem on Wordsworth' s own l i f e unc ha r a c t e r i s t i c of t he
6 5
f ami l y' s usual terms f o r di s cus s i on of t he works ." Reed s ugges t s t h a t
Wordsworth probabl y worked on The Recluse and on The Pr el ude i n t he s pr i ng
of 1801, and he uses a t h i r d l e t t e r from John t o Dorothy, i n whic%.ohn
s a i d t h a t he l i k e d "t he a ddi t i ons and c or r e c t i ons i n t he l ong [poem] ," t o
6 7
s pecul at e t h a t The Pr el ude I, 55-271 (1805) may have been wr i t t e n at t h i s
6 8
time. Jonat han Wordsworth and Stephen G i l l a l s o f e e l t h a t John Wordsworth
would not have confused The Recluse and The Pr el ude and ar gue t h a t
Wordsworth was pr obabl y "at t empt i ng t o ge t [on] wi t h Home at Grasmere but
al l owed h i d e l f t o be s i det r acked i n t o r e vi s i on of - 1799 [The Pr el ude, 69
1798-17991, p a r t of which Sar a Hutchinson was engaged i n wr i t i ng out . "
5 1
Support f o r be l i e vi ng t h a t Wordsworth was at work on Home at Grasmere,
a p a r t of The Recl use, i n t he s pr i ng of 1801 seems t o me t o be pr ovi ded by
a comparison of Home a t Grasmere wi t h t he one poem Wordsworth is known t o
have wr i t t e n i n t he s pr i ng of 1801, "I t r a v e l l ' d among unknown men". I n an
a na l ys i s of t he r e l a t i ons hi p of Wor dswr t h' s s h o r t poems t o h i s l ong poem,
J a r e d Cur t i s suggest s t h a t f r equent l y f o r Wordsworth "t he s hor t poems
became a remedy, a r e l e a s e , a r ef r es hi ng and pl easur e- gi vi ng employment
a r i s i n g al most i n recompense f o r t he poet ' s di scouragement and i r r e s o l u t i o n
over t he 'work of l e ngt h and l abour . "' Cur t i s goes on t o poi nt out t h a t t he
t ypi c a l s hor t oem de a l s wi t h "t he very same concerns t h a t had gener at ed t he
7 8
l a r g e r work." Thi s is t r u e of t he r e l a t i ons hi p between Pa r t One of t he two-
p a r t Prel ude and many of t he s hor t poems wr i t t e n a t Gosl er . Much t he same
r e l a t i ons hi p e x i s t s between t hose pa r t s of Home a t Grasmere wr i t t e n i n t he
s pr i ng of 1800 and t he s hor t poems wr i t t e n a t t h a t t i me, and a l s o between t he
e a r l y Home a t Grasmere and "I t r a v e l l ' d among unknown men."
I n t he l i n e s of Home a t Grasmere t ha t were composed i n 1800 Wordsworth' s
l ove f o r Grasmere i s i nt er t wi ned wi t h h i s l ove f o r Dorothy. The j oy he f e e l s
i n Grasmere r e f l e c t s h i s l ove f o r Dorothy and h i s commitment t o t he l i f e t hey
w i l l s har e t her e.
Home at Grasmere opens wi t h t he p o e t ' s s o l i t a r y
r e f l e c t i ons upon h i s boyhood di scover y of t he Vale of Grasmere but h i s
de s c r i pt i on of h i s pr es ent happi ness t he r e emphasizes t h a t i t is a shar ed
happi ness.
H i s t r i b u t e t o Grasmere s t a r t s wi t h a t r i b u t e t o " ~mma " ( t he
name he gi ves t o Dorothy i n t he poem):
Mine eyes di d ne' er
Rest on a l ovel y obj e c t , nor my mind
Take pl eas ur e i n t he mi dst of happy t hought ,
But e i t h e r She whom now I have, who now
Di vi des wi t h me t h i s l oved abode, wa s t her e
O r not f a r o f f . Where' er my f oot s t eps t ur ned,
Her voi ce wa s l i k e a hidden Bird t ha t sang;
The thought o f h e r was l i k e a f l a s h of l i g h t
O r an unseen companionship, a br eat h
O r f r agr ance independent of t he wind :
I n a l l my goi ngs, i n t he new and o l d
Of a l l my medi t at i ons. . . . (85-115)
Wordsworth t hen compares Grasmere t o Edan and i n v i t e s us, t her ef or e, t o
i de nt i f y him and h i s s i s t e r wi t h Adam and Eve (117-128). Lat er , he
des cr i bes hi msel f and Emma as bi r ds , echoi ng t he comparison of Emma' s
voi ce t o a "hidden Bi rd t h a t sang" i n t he l i n e s quot ed above. They a r e
"Two of a s c a t t e r e d brood t ha t coul d not bear / To l i v e i n l onel i nes s . "
and he r e c a l l s how "Remembering much and hoping more, [ t hey] found means/
To walk abr eas t , though i n a narrow pat h, / With undi vi ded s t eps " (177-179).
Af t er descr i bi ng t h e i r j ourney t oget her t o Grasmere and Dove Cot t age, "a
home wi t hi n a home. . , our l ove wi t hi n a love, ' ' t he poet uses a p a i r of
swans a s an emblem of h i s r el at i ons hi p wi t h h i s sister and of t h e i r l ove f o r
each ot her :
-- two, a l onel y p a i r
Of milk-white Swans. Ah, why a r e t hey not her e?
To s har e i n t h i s day' s pl easur e? From a f a r
They came, l i k e Emma and myself, t o l i v e
Together her e i n peace and s ol i t ude,
Choosing t h i s Val l ey, they who had t he choi ce
Of t he whole world. . .
but t o us
They were more dear than may be wel l bel i eved,
Not onl y f o r t h e i r beaut y and t h e i r st i l l
And pl aci d way of l i f e and f a i t h f u l l ove
I nsepar abl e, not f o r t hese al one,
But t ha t t h e i r s t a t e s o much resembled our s;
They a l s o havi ng chosen t h i s abode;
They s t r anger s , and we s t r anger s ; t hey a p a i r ,
And we a s o l i t a r y pai r l i ke them. (322-341)
An ominous not e cr eeps i n t o t he poem her e, f o r t he swans a r e mi ssi ng.
Wordsworth f anci es t h a t a shepherd may have s hot one of them and he uses
t h i s p o s s i b i l i t y t o emphasize t he dept h of h i s l ove f o r h i s s i s t e r and
t h e i r commitment t o each ot her : "haply bot h a r e One deat h, and
t ha t were mercy gi ven t o both" (356-357).
Dorothy' s Grasmere j our nal provi des us wi t h a vi vi d and i nt i mat e
sense of he r r e l a t i ons hi p wi t h he r br ot her and of t he emot i onal cl oseness
i n which t hey l i ve d. Her dependence upon him and t he i n t e n s i t y of her
l ove f o r him is r eveal ed by h e r depressi on when Wordsworth was away from
home i n t he s pr i ng of 1800:
(May 4)
My he a r t was s o f u l l t h a t I coul d har dl y speak
To W. when I gave him a f ar ewel l k i s s . I s a t e a l ong time upon a
st one a t t he margin of t he l ake, and a f t e r a f l ood of t e a r s my
h e a r t was e a s i e r . The l ake looked t o me , I knew not why, d u l l and
melancholy, and t he wel t er i ng on t he shor es seemed a heavy sound.
(June 4) I l i nger ed out of doors i n t he hope of hear i ng my
Br ot her ' s t r ead.
(June 5 ) I would not go f a r from home, expect i ng my Brot hers.
(June 6 ) No William! I sl ackened my pace as I came near home,
f ear i ng t o hear t ha t he was not come. I l i s t e n e d till a f t e r one
o' cl ock t o ever y bar ki ng dog, cock-fi ght i ng and o t h e r s por t s : i t
wa s Mr . Rowrick' s opening.
(June 7) I di d not l eave home, i n t he expect at i on of Wm. and
John, and s i t t i n g a t work till a f t e r 11 o' cl ock I heard a f oot go
t o t he f r o n t of t he house, t ur n round and open t he gat e. It was
Wi l l i a m! 71
F.W. Bateson s pecul at es t h a t "some s o r t of underst andi ngm had probabl y
been reached be tween Wordsworth and Mary Hutchinson dur i ng t he Wordsworth's
s t a y a t t he Hutchinson fami l y farm between May and December, 1799,
7 2
"presumably wi t h Dorothy1 s consent . " However, Wordsworth' s des cr i pt i on
of h i s r el at i ons hi p wi t h Dorothy i n Home at Grasmere,
e s pe c i a l l y h i s
comparison bf them t o a p a i r of swans, suggest s t h a t h i s deepest commitment
a t t ha t time was t o Dorothy and t her ef or e t ha t marri age t o Mary
Hutchinson cannot have been anyt hi ng m r e t han a very vague p o s s i b i l i t y .
In t he onl y ot he r s ect i on of Home at Grasmere t h a t can be conf i dent l y dat ed
t he s pr i ng of 1800, Wordsworth des cr i bes John Wordsworth, Col eri dge, and
Mary and Sara Hutchinson a s t he br ot her s and s i s t e r s of "our hear t s "
(859-874). These words would seem oddly chosen i f t hey descr i bed
Wordsworth' s f e e l i ngs f o r h i s f ut ur e wi fe. I n 1805 Wordsworth r ecal l ed
7 3
t ha t he had "no t hought s of marrying" i n t he s pr i ng of 1800.
Mary Hutchinson v i s i t e d Dove Cot t age i n March, 1800. John Wordsworth
was a l s o t her e at t h a t time and he seems t o have formed an at t achment t o
her . It seems unl i kel y t h a t he would have been kept i n i gnorance of any
spoken arrangement between Mary and h i s br ot her . Recal l i ng t ha t s pr i ng
visit a f t e r John' s deat h i n 1805, Mary wrote t o Cat heri ne Clarkson "John
74
wa s t he f i r s t who l e d me t o ever yt hi ng t ha t I l ove i n t h i s neighbourhood."
Dorothy r ecal l ed "John used t o walk wi t h [Mary ] every where and t hey were
exceedi ngl y at t ached t o each ot her . " Dorothy a l s o remembered Mary's
75
"t ender l ove of John and. . . i nt i mat e knowledge of h i s vi r t ues . " Even
W i l l i a m wrote t o h i s br ot her Richard "Mary. . . l oved John wi t h h e r whole
76
soul . " John Wordsworth l e f t Grasmere on a s ea voyage i n January, 1801.
He wrote f r equent l y t o Mary u n t i l he recei ved a l et t er from he r i n
September, 1802, presumably t e l l i n g him of he r engagement t o h i s br ot her
Wi l l i a m . Although John' s l e t t e r s t o Mary were very of t e n about h i s
br ot her ' s poet r y, which s ugges t s t h a t t he bond between them may have been
t h e i r mutual i n t e r e s t i n William, t he t one of h i s letters was deeply
af f ect i onat e. John d i d not wr i t e so warmly even t o h i s s i s t e r Dorothy.
L
I n h i s i nt r oduct i on t o The Le t t e r s of John Wordsworth Carl Ketcham observes
7 7
t h a t onl y Mary wa s "thou" t o John. I n February 1801 John wrot e, "my dear
5 5
Mary t her e i s not hi ng t hat thou canst wr i t e but what w i l l gi ve
me pl easure and t o be wi t h t hee I read they l e t t e r s over a dozen times
78
-
1'
i n a day. . . I n John' s l a s t sur vi vi ng l e t t e r t o Mary Hutchinson,
dat ed September 12, 1802, he used l i ne s from hi s br ot her ' s poem
"Michael" t o express h i s f eel i ngs:
I have been readi ng your Let t er over and over agai n
My dear est Mary till t ear s have come i nt o my eyes and I know
not how t o express my s e l f thou a r ' t ki nd and dear
cr eat ur e But what ever f a r e Befal me I s h a l l l ove t hee t o
t he last and bear thy memory wi t h me t o t he grave. 79
Although an understanding may have been reached duri ng Mary's
v i s i t t o Grasmere i n November and December, 1801, a sequence of e nt r i e s
i n Dorothy' s j our nal suggest t ha t wordsworth's deci si on t o marry Mary
was not f i na l l y resol ved unt i l March, 1802. These e n t r i e s a r e al s o
r el evant her e f o r t he i ns i ght they of f e r i nt o t he Wordsworths'
r el at i ons hi p and Dorothy' s f eel i ngs:
(March 17) I went and s a t e wi t h W. and walked
backwards and forwards i n t he or char till di nner t i me . He
read me h i s poem. . . Af t er di nner we made a pi l l ow of my
shoul der -- I read t o him and my Beloved s l e pt .
(March 21) William was very unwell t h i s evening. We
had a sweet and t ender conversat i on. I wrote t o Mary and Sara.
(March 22) We t al ked a good deal about C. and ot her
i nt e r e s t i ng t hi ngs. We resolved t o s ee Annette, and t ha t Wm
should go t o Mary. 80
William l e f t t o go t o Mary on Apri l 7. On Apr i l 12 Dorothy recei ved
a j oi nt l e t t e r from Wordsworth and Mary Hutchinson, presumably
t e l l i n g her t ha t they were o f f i c i a l l y engaged:
(Apri l 12) Walked t o T. Wilkinson' s and sent f o r
l e t t e r s . The woman brought me one from W i l l i a m and Mary. It
was a sharp, windy ni ght . Thomas Wilkinson came with me t o
Barton, and questioned me l i k e a cat echi zer a l l t he way. Every
quest i on was l i k e t he snapping of a l i t t l e t hread about my
hear t - I was so f u l l of thought of my hal f-read l et t er and
ot her t hi ngs. I was gl ad when he l e f t me. Then I had time t o
look a t t he moon whi l e I was t hi nki ng over my own t hought s . . .
A t t h i s time Wi l l i a m , as I found t he next day, was r i di ng by
hi msel f between Mi al eham and Barnard Cas t l e, havi ng par t ed
from Mary. I read over my l e t t e r when I got t o t he house.
81
While Wordsworth was r i di ng between Middleham and Barnard Cas t l e
he composed a poem about Dorothy, "Among a l l l ovel y t hi ngs my Love had
been." Upon h i s r et ur n t o Dove Cot t age, Wordsworth s e nt t h i s poem i n
a l e t t e r t o Col eri dge, addi ng t ha t "The i nci dent of t h i s poem took
pl ace about seven year s ago between Dorothy and me. " Af t er he l e f t
Mary Hutchinson, Wordsworth' s mind had been on h i s s i s t e r :
Among a l l l ovel y t hi ngs my Love had been,
Had not ed wel l t he s t a r s , a l l f l ow' r s t h a t grew
About he r home, but She had never seen
A Glow-worm, never once -- and t h i s I knew.
While I was r i di ng on a stormy ni ght ,
Not f a r from her abode, I chanced t o spy
A s i ngl e Glow-worm once; and at t he s i g h t
Down from my Horse I l eapt -- gr e a t j oy had I.
I l a i d t he Glow-worm gent l y on a l e a f ,
And bore i t wi t h me through t he stormy ni ght
I n my l e f t hand -- wi t hout dismay o r g r i e f
Shi ni ng, a l b e i t wi t h a f a i n t e r l i g h t .
When t o t he Dwelling of my Love I came,
I went i n t o t he Orchard qui et l y,
And l e f t t he Glow-worm, bl es s i ng i t by name,
Lai d s a f e l y by i t s e l f , beneath a t r ee.
The whole next day I hop' d and hop' d wi t h f ear :
A t ni ght t he Glow-worm shone beneat h t he tree;
I l ed my Emma t o t he pl ace, -- 'Look heg3' ! --
0 j oy i t wa s f o r her , and j oy f o r me!
Given t he ci rcumst ances i n which i t was composed,
"Among a l l
l o wl y t hi ngs" seems i nt ended t o o f f e r Wordsworth's assur ance of h i s
cont i nued l ove t o Dorothy a f t e r h i s marriage.
The poem is not a very
-,
good one: It has a pl oddi ng qua l i t y t ha t reduces t he experi ence t h a t
L
is descri bed t o unintended self-parody. The bes t l i n e s a r e t he f i r s t
and t he l a s t , which have a nos t al gi c tone suggest i ng t ha t t he speaker
r e c a l l s a bi t t er s weet memory of a l ove now l o s t . Wordsworth publ i shed
t h i s poem only once, i n 1807 i n Poems, i n Two Volumes, where he pl aced
i t besi de "I t r a ve l l ' d among unknown men," having changed "Emma" t o
"Lucy". The nos t al gi c e f f e c t of "Among a l l l ovel y things1' is heightened
by i t s associ at i on with Lucy.
"Among a l l l ovel y things1' and "I t r a ve l l ' d among unknown men" frame
t he peri od duri ng which Wordsworth probably made up h i s mind t o marry
Mary Hutchinson. It i s unl i kel y t ha t t h i s deci si on was a sudden one.
Although Wordsworth i ncl uded Sara Hutchinson i n almost everyt hi ng he s a i d
t o Mary i n t he l et t er of Apr i l 29, 1801, t he af f ect i onat e tone of t he
l e t t e r suggest s t ha t t h e i r f r i endshi p was deepening:
We a r e very happy t o have such good news of your heal t h
mind you t ake car e of yoursel f and cont r i ve t o grow f a t not a s
Dorothy does f a t one day and l ean anot her, but f a t and j ol l y
f or hal f a year t oget her. Dorothy and I s a t two hours i n John' s
f i r gr ove t h i s morning, ' twas a burning hot day but t her e we had
a del i ci ous cool breeze. How we wished f or our dear f r i ends , you
and Sara! You w i l l r ecol l ect t ha t t her e is a gat e j us t across
t he road, di r e c t l y opposi t e t he f i r gr ove; t h i s gat e was always a
f avour i t e s t a t i on of our s; we love i t f a r more now on Sar a' s
account. You know t ha t i t commands a beaut i f ul prospect ; Sara
carved he r cypher upon one of i t s bar s, and we c a l l i t her gat e.
We w i l l f i nd out anot her pl ace f or your cypher, but you must
come and f i x upon t he pl ace your sel f . How we l ong t o s ee you my
dear Mary.
Dorothy's assurance t o Mary i n t he same l e t t e r t ha t Mary di d not i nt r ude
i nt o t h e i r l i f e a l s o suggest s t ha t Mary's r el at i ons hi p with Wordsworth
was growing cl os er : "Do not f ear dear Mary," Dorothy t ol d her , "That you
83
ever wr i t e t oo of t en; o r can wr i t e too oft en. " Wordsworth's marriage
was bound t o a f f e c t h i s cl ose r el at i onshi p with h i s sister.
~ o r o t h y ' s
remark t o Mary s ugges t s t h a t t hey were a l r e a dy aware of t h i s and were
endeavouri ng t o overcome any c ons t r a i nt s t h a t t hey might have f e l t .
Although Dorothy accompanied William and Mary on t h e i r honeymoon and
af t er war ds l i ve d wi t h them i n Dove Cot t age, he r de s c r i pt i on of t he
wedding day i mpl i es t h a t she per cei ved he r br ot he r ' s marri age a s a
s e pa r a t i on f o r them. Dorot hy' s account of he r own di s t r a ught behavi our
r eveal s t h a t s he was deepl y upset by t he marri age:
On Monday, 4t h Oct ober, 1802, my br ot he r Wi l l i am was
marri ed t o Mary Hutchinson. I s l e p t a good de a l of t he ni ght and
r ose f r e s h and w e l l i n t he mr ni ng. A t a l i t t l e a f t e r 8 o' cl ock
I saw them go down t he avenue towards t he church. W i l l i a m had
par t ed from me ups t a i r s . When t hey were absent my dear l i t t l e
Sar a pr epar ed t he br eakf as t . I kept myself as qui e t a s I coul d,
but when I saw t he two men runni ng up t he walk, coming t o t el l
us t h a t i t was over , I coul d s t a nd i t no l onger , and threw myself
on t he bed, where I l a y i n s t i l l n e s s , n e i t h e r hear i ng o r s eei ng
anyt hi ng t i l l Sar a came u p s t a i r s t o me, and s a i d, 'They a r e
coming' . Thi s f or ced me from t he bed where I l a y, and I moved, I
knew not how, s t r a i g h t forward, f a s t e r t han my s t r e ngt h coul d 84
c a r r y me , till I m e t my bel oved William, and f e l l upon h i s bosom.
Pl aced i n t h i s cont ext , t he conf i dent t one of "I t r a v e l l ' d among
unknown men," i n c ont r a s t t o t he des ol at i on of t he e a r l i e r "Lucy" poems,
suggest s t h a t Wordsworth had al r eady begun t o t ur n away from h i s i nt ens e
r e l a t i ons hi p wi t h Dorothy i n t he s pr i ng of 1801. It seems t o me i r o n i c a l
t h a t Wordsworth shoul d send t h i s poem t o h i s f ut ur e wi f e. By marryi ng
Mary Hutchinson Wordsworth "snapped t he t hr eads" t h a t bound Dorot hy' s
he a r t t o h i s , but Dorot hy' s pl a c e was not t aken by Mary. "I t r a v e l l ' d
among unknown men" seems t o me t o be a t r i b u t e t o Dorothy i n which
Wordsworth de c l a r e s t h a t h i s l ove f o r Dorothy i s t he sour ce of much of h i s
f e e l i ng f o r t he l andscape, and a t t he same time a de c l a r a t i on of s e l f -
r e l i a nc e . I n Home a t Grasmere t he poet states t h a t i f one of t he swans
t h a t emblemize hi msel f and "Ennual' is dead, t hen "haply bot h a r e gone, /
59
One deat h and t ha t were mercy t o them both" (356-357). The speaker of
"I t r a v e l l ' d among unknown men" l ooks forward conf i dent l y t o a f u t u r e
wi t hout Lucy, i n which he w i l l l ove England "more and more .!I As he had
once committed hi msel f t o Lucy, s o he now commits hi msel f t o t he Engl i sh
l ands cape.
As i n Home a t Grasmere, l ove f o r a woman and l ove f o r a pl ace a r e
i nt er t wi ned i n "I t r a v e l l ' d a mn g unknown men." The s peaker ' s l ove f o r
England grows from h i s l ove f o r Lucy; Love of Lucy forms a bond between
him and England. The s o l i t a r y speaker is not l onel y among Engl and' s
mountains and green f i e l d s because t he l andscape o f f e r s a l i n k wi t h t he
pas t . The j oy he had f e l t wi t h Lucy has been t ransformed i n t o j oy i n
t he pl ace where Lucy dwel t . Love of pl ace has r epl aced h i s l ove f o r
Lucy.
"I TRAVELL'D AMONG UNKNOWN MEN"
I n a r ever s al of t he f i r s t f our "Lucy" poems i n which t he speaker
l ooks back upon an i d y l l i c pas t when he was undi st urbed by "human f ear s "
f o r Lucy, "I t r a v e l l ' d among unknown men" opens wi t h t he s peaker ' s
r ecol l ect i on of h i s l onel y t r a v e l s abroad a f t e r Lucy' s deat h, which l e d
him t o r e a l i z e t he l ove he f e e l s f o r England. The image of t he s o l i t a r y
t r a v e l l e r among "unknown men" emphasizes t he speaker ' s sense of i s o l a t i o n
and anonymity whi l e he was away from England. Although he was among men,
t he speaker f e l t al one, f o r t hes e men were "unknown" t o him and l i kewi s e,
he was a s t r h g e r t o them. Af t er t r a ve l l i ng through t hes e unnamed "Lands
beyond t he Sea," t he speaker r et ur ns t o England, t he one pl ace t h a t i s home.
H i s l onel i nes s , he di scover s, can be eased by a pl ace r a t h e r t hen by
men ' s company.
These l i n e s emphasize t he importance of "knowing" o r of f a mi l i a r i t y:
t he unknown Men and Lands cause t he speaker t o r e a l i z e o r t o "know" t he
depth of h i s l ove f o r England. A s t r ong sense of homecoming i s cr eat ed i n
t h i s s t anze and t h i s becomes t he dominant mood of t he poem. In t he last
l i n e of s t anza one t he speaker r e f e r s t o h i s l ove f o r England a s t he l ove he
"bore to" England o r bot h f e l t and c a r r i e d wi t h him from beyond t he s ea.
The speaker r e t ur ns t o f a mi l i a r pl aces which remind him of Lucy and shoul d,
t her ef or e, a l s o remind him of h i s l os s . I ns t ead, t he l andscape o f f e r s
comfort; its cont i nui t y is a br i dge between t he pr es ent and t he pas t .
The speaker ' s des cr i pt i on of h i s wanderings abroad a s a "melancholy
dream" i n t he f i r s t l i n e of s t anza two echoes t he r ef er ences t o t he pas t
as aUsweet dream" and a s a"s1umber" i n "St range f i t s of passi on" and "A
slumber di d my s p i r i t s eal . " However, i n t he e a r l i e r poems t he speaker
wa s shocked out of a "slumbering" heedl essness by t he har sh r e a l i t y of
Lucy' s deat h. I n "I t r a v e l l ' d among unknown men" he r ecover s from t he
mood of l onel y gr i evi ng t ha t dominates t he e a r l i e r poems, a s i f i t had
been a dream. Now t h a t he has r et ur ned t o England, t he r ecent pa s t has
faded away l i k e a "melancholy dream." The l ove he f e l t f o r Lucy awakens
wi t hi n him, t ransformed i n t o l ove f o r Lucy' s home.
I n modern Engl i sh t he f a mi l i a r form, "t hee, " is us ual l y used i n
pr ayer s o r i n l ove poet r y. "I t r a v e l l ' d among unknown men" i s a l ove poem,
addressed i n a t one t h a t suggest s worship, t o a pl ace i ns t ead of a woman.
The speaker decl ar es t h a t h i s wandering, o r phi l ander i ng, among ot her
Lands has onl y caused him t o r e a l i z e t he depth of h i s l ove f o r England.
J u s t as he may once have pledged h i s l ove t o Lucy, now he pl edges i t t o
England. "Nor w i l l I q u i t t hy shore/ A second time," he vows, "f or
st i l l I seem/ To l ove t hee more and more . I1
The speaker ' s decl ar at i on of h i s l ove f o r England seems a va r i a t i on
of t he r el at i ons hi p between Nature and Lucy i n "Three year s she grew."
I ns t ead of a l ove t r i a ngl e cons i s t i ng of Lucy, t he speaker and h i s r i v a l ,
Nature, i n "I t r a v e l l ' d among unknown men" t he speaker r epl aces Lucy wi t h
England i n h i s af f ect i ons . The f i gur e of England i n "I t r a v e l l ' d among
. - -
unknown men" i s roughly p a r a l l e l t o t he powerful f i gur e of Nature i n
"Three year s she grew." The mountains and t he "green f i e l d ( s ) " belong
t o England; England di r e c t e d t he morning l i g h t t o r eveal and t he darkness
of ni ght t o conceal "t he bowers where Lucy pl ay' d. . . " Unlike Nat ure,
England was not " l a w and impulse" t o Lucy. I n t he e a r l i e r poem t he
speaker pr es ent s Nature a s a demanding, i mperi ous f i gur e who t akes Lucy
from h e r l over , l eavi ng him al one on an empty heat h wi t h "The memory of
what has been, ? And never more w i l l be." England, on t he ot he r hand, is
a pl ace, not a f or ce o r a power. I nst ead of as s oci at i ons wi t h time and
chance, England suggest s home and comfort. The image of Lucy spi nni ng
"Beside an Engl i sh f i r e " evokes a si mpl e, r u r a l exi s t ance and suggest s
warmth and cheer , i n cont r as t t o t he speaker ' s l onel y t r a v e l s abroad.
The speaker f i nds s ol ace f o r Lucy' s deat h i n h i s l ove f o r England,
Lucy' s home. Because he once f e l t "The j oy o f . . . des i r e" among
England' s mountains, he a s s oc i a t e s t h a t j oy wi t h t he mountains.
Because
he had once "cheri shed" Lucy by an Engl i sh f i r e s i d e , i t seems t o him
t h a t England must a l s o have cared f o r Lucy:
Lucy was s hel t er ed among
England' s mountains; Engl and' s mornings showed and England' s ni ght s
conceal ed o r pr ot ect ed Lucy' s bowers.
"I t r a ve l l ' d among unknown men" pr es ent s a much less e t he r e a l but
no l e s s ambiguous image of Lucy t han t he ot he r "Lucy" poems.
Thi s i s
pa r t l y t he r e s u l t of t he ambiguous s ynt a c t i c a l s t r u c t u r e of t he t h i r d
st anza. "The j oy of my des i r e" may r e f e r t o t he s peaker ' s f e e l i ngs f o r
Lucy, o r i t may r e f e r t o a more gener al i zed f e e l i ng of j oy t h a t he had
experi enced a s a s o l i t a r y wanderer among ~ n g l a n d ' s mountains. The
speaker seems t o t ur n from h i s r ecol l ect i on of "t he j oy of my des i r e" t o
r e c a l l h i s gent l er cher i s hi ng of Lucy. Lucy may have been t he o r i g i n a l
obj ect of t he speaker ' s des i r e, but t he passi on he r e c a l l s seems di f f us ed
o r unfocused and embraces t he l andscape as wel l a s Lucy. The cozy domestic
image of Lucy spi nni ng bes i de t he f i r e seems at var i ance wi t h t he wi l d
sensual f eel i ngs t h a t t he speaker experi enced among t he mountains.
A t t he same t i me, t he p o s s i b i l i t y of s exual f ul f i l l me nt i n t he
speaker ' s r el at i ons hi p wi t h Lucy i s hi nt ed a t by Lucy' s domest i ci t y and
by t he echo of t he marri age vow i n h i s use of "cheri shed" t o descr i be
85
h i s r e l a t i on t o Lucy. Si mi l ar l y, i n st anza f our t he r ef er ence t o t he
conceal i ng ni ght s has a s exual connot at i on, but t h i s i mpressi on i s
di s pel l ed i n t he next l i n e i n which we a r e t o l d t ha t Lucy used he r
bowers f o r pl ay. Like t he speaker ' s l ove, England' s conceal i ng ni ght s
were t o pr ot ect and t o nur t ur e Lucy and t hus t o "cheri sh" her .
The nat ur e of t he s peaker ' s r el at i ons hi p wi t h Lucy is, t her ef or e,
r a t he r ambiguous: t he sensuous s i de of h i s f eel i ngs seems s e t apar t
from Lucy, who seems an i nnocent chi l d-wi fe. I f t he poem emerged, a s I
have argued, out of Wordsworth' s f eel i ngs f o r h i s s i s t e r , t h i s ambiguity
perhaps der i ves from t he sexual t aboos of a s i s t er - br ot her r e l a t i ons hi p
which was, nonet hel es s , i n s o many ways l i k e a marri age. The r e s u l t
of t h i s ambiguous avocat i on of t he speaker ' s l ove f o r Lucy i n "I
63
t r a ve l l ' d amng unknown men" is t o suggest t h a t h i s r e l a t i ons hi p wi t h
Lucy was one of promise t h a t ended i n Lucy' s deat h r a t he r t han
f ul f i l l ment . Promise is suggest ed by t he s peaker ' s d e s i r e , by Lucy' s
innocence and by t he r ef er ence i n t he last s t anza t o t hel ' l as t green
f i e l d / Which Lucy' s eye surveyed. " Ret urni ng t o England, t he speaker
r et ur ns t o t he home he shar ed wi t h Lucy and al t hough Lucy i s dead, he
can f e e l hi msel f st i l l connect ed t o h e r by t he cont i nui ng successi on of
mr ni ngs and ni ght s and whenever he l ooks upon England' s green f i e l d s .
The cont i nui t y of t he l andscape provi des a l i n k wi t h t he pa s t , but t he
promise of s pr i ng t ha t is suggest ed by t he f i n a l image of t he green
f i e l d a l s o o f f e r s hope f o r t he f ut ur e. The promise t he s peaker ' s l ove
f o r Lucy once hel d i s now cont ai ned i n h i s l ove f o r t he count ry Lucy
knew.
CHAPTER 4: CONCLUDING REMARKS
By t he ear l y s pr i ng of 1802 Wordswurth had begun composing poet ry
agai n, a f t e r t he l ong s i l ence of 1800-1801. A t t h i s t i m e he wrote a
I t
number of s hor t nat ur e l y r i c s such a s "To a Cuckoo," "TO a Skyl ark,
t he cel andi ne and t he dai sy poems and t he two but t e r f l y poems. Like "1
t r a ve l l ' d among unknown men," most of t hese poems a r e concerned wi t h t he
cont i nui t y of pas t and pr esent and s ever al of them, i ncl udi ng "Among a l l
l ovel y t hi ngs my Love had been," a r e nos t al gi c t r i but e s t o Dorothy' s r ol e
i n t he poet ' s r el at i ons hi p with nat ur e. For example, i n one of t he
but t e r f l y poems, "Stay near me, " t he s i ght of t he but t e r f l y reminds
Wordsworth of t he pas t and br i ngs h i s memories of e a r l y childhood once
more t o l i f e :
Thou br i ng' s t , gay Creat ure a s thou a r t !
A solemn image t o my hear t ,
My Fat her ' s Family!
Oh! pl easant , pl easant were t he days,
The time, when i n our chi l di s h pl ays
My sister Emmeline and I
Together chased t he But t er f l y !
A very hunt er di d I rush
Upon t he prey: -- wi t h l eaps and spr i ngs
I follow' d on from brake t o bush;
But She, God l ove her! feared t o brush
The dust from of f i t s wings.
86
Two ot her poems t ha t Wordsworth began t o compose i n t he s pr i ng and
summer of 1802, t he "Ode: Int i mat i ons of Immortality" and "Resolution
!I
and Independence,. cas t doubt upon t he "answer" t ha t t he poet had found
i n "I t r a ve l l ' d among unknown men" t o t he f eel i ngs expressed i nt he Lucy
poems. I n cont r as t t o t he cl oseness o r intimacy wi t h t he landscape
t ha t i s suggested by t he speaker' s l over-l i ke address t o England i n "I
t r a v e l l f d among unknown men," i n t he "Ode" and i n "Resolution and
Independence" t he poet f e e l s al i enat ed from nat ur e, no l onger c e r t a i n of
t he imaginative power t hat had once allowed him t o "see i nt o t he l i f e of
things.!' It i s not my purpose t o e nt e r i nt o a f u l l di scussi on of t hese
two very complex poems. I w i l l use them i n t h i s chapt er t o suggest' t he
di r ect i on t hat Wordsworth's thoughts had now begun t o t ake.
According t o Dorothy' s j ournal , on t he evening of May 4, 1802, her
br ot her had been di st r aught and unable t o s l eep. She had soothed him by
8 7
r epeat i ng verses: "' This i s t he spot ' over and over agai n. " Wordsworth's
des i r e t o hear t h i s par t i cul ar poem suggest s t ha t he needed reassurance
from Dorothy about t h e i r love f or each ot her . Wordsworth's impending
marriage and i t s e f f e c t upon h i s r el at i ons hi p with h i s sister seems,
nat ur al l y enough, t o have been on h i s mind a t t h i s time. The confidence
expressed i n "I t r a v e l l f d among unknown men" was not undisturbed by doubts
and uncer t ai nt i es :
Thi s is t he s pot : - how mildly does t he Sun
Shine i n between t hese fadi ng l eaves! t he a i r
In t he habi t ual s i l ence of t h i s wood
Is more than s i l e n t : and t h i s bed of heat h
Where s h a l l we f i nd t o sweet a r es t i ng pl ace?
Come! -- l et me see t hee si nk i nt o a dream
Of qui et t hought s, -- pr ot r act ed till t hi ne eye
Be calm a s wat er, when t he winds ar e gone
And no one can t e l l whi t her - My sweet Friend!
We two have had such happy hours t oget her
That my hear t melts i n me t o t hi nk of it.
88
I n t h i s poem Wordsworth expresses a des i r e f o r t he peaceful sl eep of
deat h. Accyrding t o ~ o r o t h y ' s j our nal , he had expressed a s i mi l ar wish
___---
less t han a week e a r l i e r , on Apr i l 29:
William l ay, and I l ay, i n t he t rench under t he
fence -- he wi t h h i s eyes shut , and l i s t e ni ng t o t he
wat er f al l s and t he bi r ds . There was no wat er f al l above
anot her -- i t was a sound of wat ers i n t he a i r -- t he
mi c e of t he a i r . William heard me br eat hi ng snd
r us t l i ng now and t hen, but we both l a y st i l l , and unseen
by one anot her; he thought t ha t i t would be a s sweet
t hus t o l i e s o i n t he grave, t o hear t he peacef ul sounds
of t he t y t h , and j u s t t o know t ha t our dear f r i ends were
near.
A s i n "This is t he spot , " i n t h i s epi sode Wordsworth f i nds t he peace of
t he grave des i r abl e f or bot h himself and h i s sister, and from t he tone
of her recount i ng of t he occasi on, Dorothy /- a s wel l a s Wordsworth s e e 4
t o have found pl easure - - i n h i s cozy f ant asy of how i t would be t o l i e
s i de by s i de i n t h e i r graves. They would be t oget her i n deat h, and t he
cl oseness they now shared need never be di sr upt ed.
For whatever cause o r causes, a des i r e f or t he refuge of t he grave
seems t o have been f r equent l y on Wordsworth's mind i n t he s pr i ng of
1802. He a l s o expresses t hese f eel i ngs i n a po m composed i n l a t e Apri l :
)Z
These chai r s t hey have no words t o u t t e r
No f i r e i s i n t he gr at e t o st i r o r f l u t t e r
The c e i l i ng and f l oor a r e mute as a st one
My chamber is hush' d and s t i l l
And I am al one
Happy and al one
Oh! who would be a f r a i d of l i f e
The passi on t he sorrow and t he s t r i f e
When he may l i e
Shel t er ' d so e a s i l y
May l i e i n peace on hi s bed
Happy a s t hey who a r e dead
Half an hour a f t e wa r ds
I have thoughts t ha t a r e fed by t he sun
The t hi ngs which I s ee
Are welcome t o me
Welcome every one
I do not wish t o be
Dead, Dead
Dead without any comgany
Here al one on my bed
With thoughts t ha t a r e fed by t he sun
And hoped t ha t a r e welcome everyone
Happy am I.
0 l i f e t her e i s about t hee
A deep del i ci ous peace
I would not be without t hee
Stay oh s t a y
Yet be thou ever a s now
Sweetness and breat h with t he qui et of deat h
Paace, peace, peace 90
Although t he poet concludes i n t he course of t h i s poem t ha t he does not
r e a l l y wish t o give up l i f e and t he "thoughts t ha t a r e fed by t he sun",
nonet hel ess he cont i nues i n a r at her ambiguous fashi on t o wish f or "t he
qui et of death" o r f or "Peace, peace, peace": wishing t o r e t r e a t from
t he e mt i o n a l t unaoi l of l i f e which he al l udes t o i n st anza one, he
des i r es a s t a t e of l i f e which i s comparable t o deat h, although wi t hout
deat h' s obl i vi ousness.
On March 27, 1802, Dorothy t e l l s us i n her j%mal, Wordswrth began
h i s gr eat "Ode": "A di vi ne morning. A t br eakf ast William wrote par t of
9 1
an ode." However, t he tone of t he f i r s t four st anzas of t he "Ode," t he
pa r t of t he poem probably composed i n March, 1802, cont r as t s - -
. wi t h - Dorothy' s
memory of t ha t "di vi ne morning." The new poem begi ns with t he poet ' s
.-
r ecol l ect i on of how t hi ngs once were: t he f i r s t f our st anzes s t a t e and
r e- s t at e t he l o s s t ha t he now f e e l s when he looks upon nat ur e' s gl or i es .
These s t anzas suggest a mind s t r uggl i ng and f a i l i n g agai n and agai n t o
r ecapt ur e t h a t which is l o s t :
-- But t he r e ' s a Tree, of many one,
A s i ngl e Fi e l d which I have l ook' d upon,
Both of them speak of something t h a t i s gone :
The pansy a t my f e e t
Doth t he same t a l e r epeat :
Whither is f l e d t he vi s i onar y gleam?
Where i s i t now, t he gl or y and t he dream?
Dorothy' s j our nal r ecor ds t ha t Wordsworth wa s working on t he "Ode"
--
i n June, 1802. St anzas f i v e t o e i ght may have been composed a t t h i s
t i me, al t hough i n 1843 Wordsworth t ol d I s a be l l a Fenwick t h a t onl y t he f i r s t
f our s t anzas were composed i n 1802. J ar ed Cur t i s ar gues t h a t t he
92 I n
p l a u s i b i l i t y of Wordsworth' s fort y-year ol d memory "seems s us pect . ' I
st anza f i v e Wordsworth r et ur ns t o t he image of l i f e a s a dream o r a slumber
t h a t he had used i n t he "Lucy" poems. I n t he "Ode" Wordsworth uses t h i s
image t o suggest t h a t e a r t h l y l i f e i s onl y an i ngl or i ous i nt e r l ude t o t he
s oul ' s exi s t ence :
Our b i r t h i s but a s l e e p and a f or get t i ng:
The Soul t h a t r i s e s wi t h us, our l i f e ' s St a r ,
Hath had el sewhere i t s s e t t i n g ,
And cometh from a f a r . . . .
Like t he f i gur e of Nature i n "Three year s she grew," i n t he "Ode" Nature
l a ys cl ai m t o "t he growing Boy." Although t he c h i l d a c t s as "Nat ure' s
Pr i es t " o r as an i nt er medi ar y between Nature and God, t he "shades of t he
prison-house" e a r t h "begin t o cl ose" upon him a s soon as he i s born.
Ear t h, Nat ure' s warden, is depi ct ed as a "homely Nurse" who, l i k e a
possessi ve moFher, wi shes t o d i r e c t and i nf l uence t he c h i l d she l oves:
Eart h f i l l s her l ap wi t h pl easur es of her own;
Yearnings she hat h i n her own nat ur al ki nd,
And, even wi t h something of a Mother's mind,
And no unworthy s i n,
The homely Nurse doth a l l she can
To make her Fost er-chi l d, her Inmate Man,
Forget t he gl or i es he hat h known,
And t h a t i mperi al pal ace whence he came.
I n st anza ei ght t he poet uses images of deat h t o descr i be man's
ear t hl y l i f e . I n t h i s st anza he addresses "t he Chi l d among h i s new-born
bl i s s es " whom he i nt roduces i n st anza seven:
Mighty Prophet! Seer bl es t !
On whom t hose t r ut hs do rest,
Which we a r e t oi l i ng a l l our l i ve s t o f i nd,
In darkness l o s t , t he darkness of t he grave;
Thou, over whom t hy Irmaortality
Broods l i k e t he Day, a Master o' e r a Sl ave,
A Presence which i s not t o be put by;
. . .
Ful l soon t hy Soul s h a l l have her ear t hl y f r e i ght
And custom l i e upon t hee wi t h a weight,
Heavy a s f r o s t , and deep almost a s l i f e !
9 3
I n t he "Lucy" poems, Lucy's uni t y wi t h t he nat ur al world is completed
by her deat h. Lucy remains wi t h t he ear t h a f t e r she di es ; her body i s
i
"Rolled round i n e a r t h' s di ur nal course/ With rocks and st ones and trees."
In t he "Ode", on t he ot he r hand, t he poet l ooks towards deat h a s an
awakening o r a r el eas e from t he ' "prison-house" ear t h. Af t er deat h t he s oul
presumably sheds "her e a r t hl y f r ei ght " and r et ur ns t o "God who i s our home."
Thus t he poet f i nds t he s t r engt h t o bear t he l os s of t he "vi si onary gleam"
I n t he f a i t h t ha t l ooks through deat h;
I n years t ha t br i ng t he phi l osophi c mind.
Although he decl ar es t ha t he w i l l cont i nue t o "love t he Brooks which down
t he i r channel f r e t ,/ Even more than when I t r i pped l i ght l y a s they,"
nat ur e ' s l ovel i nes s is coloured f o r t he "philosophic mind" by "Int i mat i ons
The Clouds t ha t gat her round t he s e t t i n g sun
Do t ake a sober col ouri ng from an eye
That Hath kept watch o' er man's mor t al i t y;
. . .
Thanks t o t he human hear t by which we l i v e
Thanks t o i t s t enderness, its j oys, and f ear s ,
To me t he meanest flower t ha t blows can gi ve
Thoughts t ha t do of t en l i e too deep f o r t ear s .
"Resolution and Independence", which Wordsworth began i n May and
completed i n Jul y, 1802, ' follows a pat t er n s i mi l ar t o t he "Ode." Thi s
poem al s o opens wi t h t he poet ' s depressi on i n t he midst of a joyous
nat ur al scene :
I was a Tr avel l er then upon t he mo r ;
I saw t he har e t ha t raced about with j oy;
I heard t he woods and di s t a nt wat ers r oar ;
O r heard them not , a s happy a s a boy:
My ol d remembrances went from me wholly:
And a l l t he ways of men, so vai n and melancholy.
But, a s i t sometimes chanceth, from t he might
Of joy i n minds t ha t can no f ur t her go,
As hi gh a s we have munt ed i n del i ght
In our dej ect i on do we si nk a s low;
To me t ha t morning di d i t happen s o;
And f e a r s and f anci es t hi ck upon me came;
D i m sadness -- and bl i nd thoughts, I knew
not , nor could name.
I n such a mod t he poet comes upon t he ol d Leech-gatherer who
seems, i n cont r as t t o t he noi se, t he motion and t he br i ght ness of
nat ur e, "not a l l a l i v e nor dead,/
Nor a l l asl eep -- i n h i s extreme ol d
age. . . ." Nei t her a l i ve nor dead, t he ol d man i s wi t hout v i t a l i t y ; he
is i ne r t -- l i k e a huge st one, o r a sea-beast who has crawled f or t h onto
t he shore.. The ol d man's s i t ua t i on, t he d i f f i c u l t i e s he f aces col l ect i ng
l eeches from an ever-dwi ndl i ng suppl y, p a r a l l e l s t he poe t ' s own
condi t i on:
My former t hought s r et ur ned: t he f e a r t h a t k i l l s ;
And hope t h a t i s unwi l l i ng t o be f ed
Cold, pai n, and l abour , and a l l f l e s h l y i l l s;
And mighty Poet s i n t h e i r misery dead.
-- Perpl exed, and l ongi ng t o be comforted,
My ques t i on eager l y di d I renew
'HOW i s i t t h a t you l i v e , and what is i t you do?'
The o l d man who wanders t he "weary moors" suggest s t o me t he medieval
l egend of t he wandering Jew. The poet ' s ques t i on -- "HOW i s i t t h a t you l i v e
. . .?If-- t her ef or e seems t i nged wi t h i r ony. The ol d man does not l i v e , i f
l i f e i s t o be per cei ved i n t he terms pr esent ed i n t he poem's openi ng
s t anzas , he endures. A t t he cl os e of t he poem, t he poet t ur ns t o God,
prayi ng t ha t he, t oo, w i l l achi eve t he Leech-gat herer' s s t oi ci s m o r
"demeanour ki nd, / Yet s t a t e l y i n t he main" i n t he f ace of t e r r i b l e
adver s i t y and f r u s t r a t i o n :
'God,' s a i d I , ' be my hel p and s t a y secur e;
1'11 t hi nk of t he Leech-gatherer on t he l onel y moor.'
I n Resol ut i on and Independence1' t he o l d Leech-gatherer t o whom t he
poet compares hi msel f seems a s one awai t i ng r el eas e from l i f e . I n t he "Ode,"
a l s o , t he poet l ooks towards deat h a s an escape from t he "prison-house"
e a r t h.
Between 1802, when Wordsworth composed "Resol ut i on and Independence"
and began t he "Ode,'' and 1804, when he completed t he "Ode ," Wordsworth began
t o r e l y more and more upon t he promise of "anot her and a b e t t e r world"
94
beyond t he grave. Thi s i n c l i n a t i o n was mi rrored i n t he st at e of repose
Wordsworth now seemed t o l ong f o r i n l i f e . The de s i r e f o r t r a n q u i l l i t y
expressed i p "These c h a i r s t hey have no words t o ut t er ' ' i s echoed i n t he
"Ode t o Duty,!' which Wordsworth began t o compose i n 1804:
Through no disturbance of my soul,
Or strong compunction i n me wrought,
I supplicate for thy control;
Rut i n the quietness of thought;
Me t hi s unchartered freedom t i res;
I f eel the weight of chance-desires:
My hopes no more must change their name,
I long for a repose that ever is the same.
NOTES
1 Poems probably composed by Wordsworth i n Germany during
t he wi nt er and s pr i ng of 1798-1799: "The Danish ~ o y " , " ~ut h" , "To a
Sexton", "Lucy ray", "Written i n Gelmany on one of t he Coldest Days of
t he Century" , "A Poet ' s Epi t aphw, wo at thew", "The Fountain", "The Two
Apri l Mornings", "El l en Irwin", "Nutting1', "There was a boy", "Strange
f i t s of passi on I have known", "she dwelt among t he untrodden ways", "A
slumber di d my s p i r i t seal ", "Three years she grew i n sun and shower",
and Par t One of The Prel ude of 1798-1799. Mark L. Reed, Wordsworth: The
Chronology of t he Earl y Years, 1770-1799 (Cambridge, Massachusetts:
Harvard Uni versi t y Pr ess, 1967) pp. 29, 34-35, 255-263. For t he t e xt of
t he two-part Prelude see The Prel ude, 1798-1799 by William Wordsworth, ed
Stephen Par r i s h ( I t haca, New York: Cornel l Uni versi t y Pr ess, 1977).
During t he f i r s t hal f of 1801 Wordsworth seems t o have been
working on The Prel ude and/ or The Recluse: whether he was a t work on one
o r both of t hese poems is di scussed i n Chapter 3 of t h i s essay, pp. 49-51.
Between ear l y February and Apr i l 9, Wordsworth composed a passage f or
"Michael", quoted by Dorothy Wordsworth i n a l e t t e r t o Thomas Poole, Apr i l
9, 1801. Around Apr i l 29 Wordsworth composed "I t r a ve l l ' d among unknown
men." I n November he began t o compose " ~ e ~ e n t a n c e " , and i n December he
began t r ans l at i ng some of Chaucer' s poet ry and commenced work on Book I11
of The Prelude. Mark L. Reed, Wordsworth: The Chronology of t he Middle
Years, 1800-1815 (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard Uni versi t y Press,
1975, pp. 1-4, 6-8, 27-41, 107-139. William and Dorothy Wordsworth t o
Thomas Poole, Apri l 19, 1801, The Earl y Let t er s of William and Dorothy
Wordsworth: The Earl y Years 1787-1805, ed. Ernest de Sel i ncour t (1935
revi sed by Chest er L. Shaver (Oxford: Clarendon Pr ess, 1967) p. 324.
2 "Lines wr i t t en a few mi l es above Ti nt er n Abbey" was
composed i n J ul y, 1798.
3 W. W. t o Si r George Beaumnt, February 20, 1805, Let t er s ,
p. 556.
4 William Wordsworth, Lyr i cal Bal l ads (1800) 2 vol s. , vol .
I, Pr ef ar e p. xv. (See al s o: The Prose Works of Wi l l i a m Wordsworth, ed:
W.J.B. Owen and J . W. Smyser (Oxford: Clarendon Pr ess, 3 vol s. 1974,
I, p. 126.)
5 I n response t o c r i t i c i s m of hi s 1807 col l ect i on, Poems i n
Two Volumes, Wordsworth wrote t o Lady Beaumont on May 21, 1807, about
t he poems t ha t make up "Moods of My Own Mind" : "There i s scar cel y a poem
her e of above t h i r t y l i ne s , and very t r i f l i n g t hese poems w i l l appear t o
many: but , omi t t i ng t o speak of them i ndi vi dual l y, do they not , taken
col l ect i vel y, f i x t he a t t e nt i on upon a s ubj ect eminently poet i cal , vi z. ,
t he i nt e r e s t which obj ect s i n nat ur e deri ve from t he predominance of
cer t ai n af f ect at i ons more o r l e s s permanent, more o r l e s s capable of
s al ut ar y renewal i n t he mind of t he bei ng contemplating t hese obj ect s?"
The Let t er s of William and Dorothy wordsworth: The Middle Years, ed.
Ernest de Sel i ncour t , r evi sed by Mary Moorman and Alan G. H i l l (Oxford:
Clarendon Pr ess, 2 vol s. 1969-1970, I , p. 147)
6 D.W. and W.W. t o Mary Hutchinson, Apr i l 29, 1801,
Let t er s , pp. 331-333.
7 "Among a l l l ovel y t hi ngs my Love had been" was never
republ i shed by Wordsworth a f t e r 1807. For t he t e xt and a br i e f
di scussi on of t h i s poem see Chapter 3 of t h i s essay, pp. 56-57.
8 Leon Edel , Li t er ar y Biography: The Alexander Lect ures,
1955-1956 (Toronto : Uni versi t y of Toronto Pr ess, 1957) pp. 9-10
9 David Bl ei ch, Subj ect i ve Cr i t i ci s m (Baltimore and Londson:
The John Hopkins Uni versi t y Pr ess, 1978) p. 259.
10
Wordsworth's
11
Haven: Yale
Geoffrey Durrant , "Zeno's Arrow: Time and Motion i n Two of
Lucy Poems," Mosaic 213 (Spring, 1969) pp. 10-24.
Geoffrey H. Hartmen, Wordsworth's Poet ry 1787-1814 (New
Uni versi t y Pr ess, 1964) p. 17.
Hartman, p. 24
1800 Preface, p. xvi i . (Owen and Srnyser, vol . I, p. 127).
Hartman, p. 11.
Reed, Chronology of t he Earl y Years, pp. 255-263.
D.W. and W. W. t o S.T. Col eri dge, December 14 o r 21, 1798,
Let t er s , pp. 235-243.
17 Col eri dge t o Thomas Poole, Apr i l 6, 1799, Col l ect ed Let t er s
of Samuel Taylor Col eri dge, ed. E. L. Griggs (Oxford: Clarendon Pr ess,
4 vol s , 1956) I, pp . 273-274.
18 I s abel l a Fenwick manuscript: not e regardi ng "Three years
she grew": "Composed i n t he Hartz ores st." The Prose Works of William
Wordsworth, ed. A.B. Grosart (1876) (New York: AMS Pr ess, I nc. , 3 vol s.
1967) 111, p. 39.
19 Chronology of t he Earl y Years, p. 263.
20 D.W. and W.W. t o Col eri dge, Nordhausen, February 27, 1799,
Let t er s , p. 251.
21 D.W. t o Chri st opher Wordsworth, Goslar, February 3, 1799,
Let t er s , p. 243-246.
22. A hi s t or y of The Recluse and Col eri dge' s r ol e i n i t s
conception are di scussed by Beth Darl i ngt on i n her I nt r oduct i on t o Home a t
Grasmere, Pa r t F i r s t , Book Fi r s t of The Recluse by Wi l l i a m Wordsworth,ed.
Darl i ngt on ( I t haca, New York: Cornel l Uni versi t y Pr ess, 1977). On
March 6, 1798, Wordsworth wwote t o James Webbe Tobin from Alfoxden
( Let t er s , p. 212): "I have wr i t t en 1300 l i ne s of a poem i n which I
cont r i ve t o convey most of t he knowledge of which I am possessed.
My
obj ect is t o gi ve pi ct ur es of Nature, Man and Society."
23 The Prel ude 1798-1799, Par r i s h, Int roduct i on: The
Growth of t he Two-Part Prelude," p. 3: "When [ ~or ds wor t h] s et t l ed a t
Goslar, i n October, 1798, where he was t o spend t he wi nt er , he ent ered
an i s ol a t i on -- shared wi t h h i s s i s t e r , Dorothy -- a s i nt ense a s any he
had ever known. Following cl ose upon t he year of cr eat i ve intimacy he
had j us t shared with Col eri dge, t h i s i s ol a t i on drove Wordsworth back t o
t he sources of memory and l e d him t o t r ave i n wondering t he t hankful
t ones t he
Clarendon
"The Vale
of 1787.
was f i r s t
Longman ' s
Carol i ne,
-
beginnings of t he growth of a poet ' s mind."
24 Mary Moorman, William Wordsworth: A Biography (Oxford:
Press, 2 vol s. 1957, 1965) I, pp. 70-71.
25 No s por t but claims t he t ender t e a r
By j oy o r gr i ef t o memory dear.
One Evening when t he wi nt ry bl a s t
Through t he sharp Hawthorn whi s t l i ng passed
And t he poor f l ocks , a l l pinched wi t h col d
Sad-drooping sought t he mountain f ol d
Long, l ong upon yon naked rock
Alone I bore t he b i t t e r shock;
Long, l ong my swimming eyes di d roam
For l i t t l e Horse t o bear me home,
To bear me -- what a va i l s my t e a r ?
To sorrow o ' e r a Fat her ' s bi e r
Flow on, i n vai n thou has t not flowed,
But eased me of a heavy l oad;
For much it gi ves my hear t r e l i e f
To pay t he mighty debt of gr i e f ,
With s i ghs repeat ed o' e r and o' e r ,
I mourn because I mourned no more.
of Esthwaite" was probably composed i n t he s pr i ng and summer
Wordsworth m y have continued t o work on i t i n e a r l y 1788. It
publ i shed by de Sel i ncourt ( Poet i cal Works, I, pp. 270-283).
26 F.W. Bateson, Wordsworth : A Rei nt er pr et at i on (London:
Green and Co. Lt d. , 1954, 1956) pp. 148-162.
27 W i l l i a m Wordsworth's and AnnetteVallon' s daughter,
was born on December 15, 1792, i n France. Short l y aft erwards,
Wordsworth ret urned t o England, i nt endi ng t o f i nd a pos i t i on i n t he
Church and t o e s t a bl i s h a home f or Annette and t he baby. War broke out
between France and England i n February, 1793. Wordsworth may have
ret urned t o France f or a s hor t time i n October of t ha t year. He di d not
s ee Annette agai n u n t i l August, 1802, when he made a f i nanci al set t l ement
wi t h her and t h e i r daught er, f r eei ng himself t o marry Mary Hutchinson i n
October of t he same year.
28 Col eri dge t o Thomas Poole, Apr i l 6, 1799, Griggs, I.
p. 274
76
29 Geoffrey Durrant (PP. 10-24) f i nds i t odd t ha t Dorothy
would be i nvol ved i n sending Colerfdge a poem about her own deat h and
even odder "t hat she could have been par t y t o s o unf l at t er i ng and
unfeel i ng a comment on her looks" a s is suggest ed by t he i mpl i cat i on t ha t
I1
Lucy i s no l onger f r es h a s a rose" i n "Strange f i t s of passion". He
bel i eves t h a t i t i s most l i ke l y t hat Lucy "is merely a more nat ur al and
English ver si on of t he 'Chloes',,' ' Lucindas' and ' Cel i as' of e a r l i e r
poet s -- a name f o r any ' beloved) I, I n Wordsworth's 'Lucy' poems,
St udi es i n Romanticism, 10, no. 3 (Summer, 1971) pp. 159-175, Spencer
Hal l di smi sses at t empt s t o pi npoi nt t he i de nt i t y of Lucy a s "i r r el evant ".
James Taafe a l s o di smi sses t he quest i on of Lucy's i de nt i t y i n h i s a r t i c l e
"Poet and Lover i n Wordsworth's 'Lucy' Poems;",' The Modern Language Review,
61 (1966) pp. 175-179, a s does Herbert Hartman, "Wordsworth's 'Lucy'
Poems: Notes and Marginalia' ," PMLA 49 (l 934), p. 141, who i de nt i f i e s t he
name a s "a neo-Arcadian commonplace, and ei ght eent h cent ury el egi ac
f i xt ur e". Nei t her Frances Ferguson nor Roger Slakey gi ve any consi derat i on
a t a l l t o t he i de nt i t y of Lucy i n t h e i r a r t i c l e s about t he poems.
@erguson, e he Lucy Poems : Wordsworth' s Quest f or a Poet i c Obj ect , "
Engl i sh Li t er ar y Hi st ory, 40, no. 4 [wi nt er, 19731 pp. 532-548; Slakey,
"At Zero : A Reading of Wordsworth' s ' She Dwelt Among t he Untrodden Ways, "'
St udi es i n English Li t er at ur e, 1500-1900, 12, no. 4 Ibutumn, 1972 1
629-638.
Mary Moorman (pp. 423-425) f e e l s t ha t t he i dea t hat Lucy
r epr esent s some e a r l y and unknown l ove of Wordsworth who di ed has been
r ej ect ed "perhaps t oo has t i l y" f or l ack of evidence. She does not t hi nk
Lucy i s Dorothy because "it i s not habi t ual wi t h Wordsworth when wr i t i ng
t o o r about Dorothy t o t hi nk of her a s dead o r going t o die." Richard
Matlak, on t he ot her hand, i de nt i f i e s Lucy with Dorothy i n h i s a r t i c l e ,
"Wordsworth's Lucy Poems i n Psychobiographical Context", PMLA, 93
(January, 1978) pp. 46-65. Matlak argues t ha t t he "Lucy" poems emerge . .
out of f eel i ngs of resentment toward Dorothy t ha t were caused by
Wordsworth's separ at i on from Coleridge i n Germany: t he poems a r e a death-
wish, Matlak argues, di r ect ed a t Dorothy because she prevented Wordsworth
from bei ng near Col eri dge. Bateson al s o argues t ha t i n t he "Lucy" poems
Wordsworth symbol i cal l y k i l l e d h i s s i s t e r : "t he dangerous r el at i ons hi p
with Dorothy was not sol ved, subconsciously. . . . The gui l t y pos s i bi l i t i e s
were evaded by t he removal, subconsci ousl y, of t he gui l t y obj ect . " He
adds t ha t "Lucy's sexl essness al s o becomes i n t e l l i g i b l e once t he i de nt i t y
with Dorothy i s recognized. The emotional i nt i maci es must not have a
physi cal bas i s , even subconsciously" (pp . 153-154) .
30 Bateson, p. 152. The "Nutting" fragment wa s f i r s t
publ i shed by de Sel i ncour t ( Poet i cal Works, 11, pp . 504-506).
31 Grosart , Vol. 111, p. 39. I s abel l a Fenwick not e re.
"Nutting": wr i t t en i n Germany: i nt ended as pa r t of a poem on my own
l i f e , but s t r uck out a s not bei ng wanted t here. "
32 W.W. t o Col eri dge, Apr i l 16, 1802, Let t er s , pp. 287-8.
33 I n t he 1800 Preface Wordsworth emphasizes t ha t i t was h i s
i nt ent i on t ha t i n t hese poems t he f eel i ng should gi ve importance t o t he
act i on and t he s i t ua t i on and not t he act i on and s i t ua t i on t o t he feel i ng"
(p. xvi i ) .
34 Thi s usage of " f i t " appears f r equent l y i n Spenser' s
Faer i e Queene -- i t was probably an ar chai c usage even i n Spenser' s
time. Wordsworth's awareness of t h i s connot at i on of " f i t " i s suggest ed
by h i s admi rat i on of Spenser, expressed i n h i s 1815 Preface t o Poems
(p. xxi x): "The grand store-house of ent hus i as t i c and medi t at i ve
Imagination, of poet i cal , a s cont r adi st i ngui shed from human and dramat i c
Imagination, is t he pr ophet i c and l y r i c a l pa r t s of t he hol y Scr i pt ur es ,
and t he works of Milton, t o which I cannot f or bear t o add t hose of
Spenser." (Owen and Smyser, 111, p. 34).
35 Wordsworth di scusses t he r el at i on of passi on t o s uf f er i ng
i n t he "Essay Supplementary t o t he Prefare" (1815) I, p. 370: "Passion,
i t must be observed, i s deri ved from a word which s i gni f i e d s uf f er i ng: but
t he connection which s uf f er i ng has wi t h e f f o r t , with exer t i on, and act i on
is immediate and i nseparabl e. . . To be moved, then, by a passi on, i s t o
be exci t ed, of t en t o ext er nal , and always t o i nt e r na l , e f f o r t ; whether f or
t he continuance and st r engt heni ng of t he passi on, o r f o r i t s suppressi on
'I
. . . I n t he cont ext of my di scussi on of passi on and pas s i vi t y i n "Strange
f i t s of passi on, " Wordsworth's remarks suggest t ha t t he speaker was "exci t ed "
i nt o an i nt e r na l e f f o r t of suppressi on o r r epr essi on, but h i s e f f o r t was
wi t hout success.
36 1800 Preface, p. xxi : "There w i l l a l s o be found i n t hese
Volumes l i t t l e of what is usual l y cal l ed poet i c di ct i on; I have taken a s
much pai ns t o avoi d i t a s ot her s or di nar i l y t ake t o produce it." (Owen and
Smyser, I, p. 130.)
37 Wordsworth descr i bes t he process of composition and i t s
r el at i on t o passi on o r f eel i ng on p. xxxiv of t he 1800 Preface : "I have
s a i d t ha t Poet ry is t he spontaneous overflow of powerful f eel i ngs : i t
t akes i t s or i gi n from t he emotion r ecol l ect ed i n t r a nqui l l i t y: t he
e mt i o n i s contemplated till by a s peci es of r eact i on t he t r a nqui l l i t y
gradual l y di sappears and an emotion, s i mi l ar t o t ha t which was before t he
subj ect of contemplation, is gradual l y produced, and does i t s e l f act ual l y
e x i s t i n t he mind. I n t h i s mood successf ul composition gener al l y begi ns,
and i n a mood s i mi l ar t o t h i s it is car r i ed on; but t he emotion, of
whatever ki nd and i n whatever degree, from vari ous causes is qual i f i ed by
vari ous pl easur es, so t ha t i n descri bi ng any passi ons whatsoever, which ar e
vol unt ar i l y descri bed, t he mind w i l l upon t he whole be i n a s t a t e of
enjoyment." (Owen and Smyser, I, p. 148).
38 For example, Dorothy records t ha t on March 14, 1802,
"William r ose wi t hout havi ng s l e pt -- we s a t e comfortably by t he f i r e
t i l l he began t o t r y t o a l t e r The But t er f l y, and t i r e d himself . I '
Jour nal s of Dorothy Wordsworth, ed. Ernest de Sel i ncour t (London:
Maddillan and Co. Lt d. , 2 Vols. 1959) I, p. 123.
39'
The Notebooks of Samuel Tayl or Col eri dge, ed. Kathleen
Coburn (London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 2 Vols. 1957) I, 1794-1804,
Text, ent r y #I546 (Oct., 1803). Jar ed Cur t i s di scusses Col eri dge' s
negat i ve a t t i t ude t o ~or ds wor t h' s s hor t poems i n h i s book, wordsworth' s
Experiments with Tr adi t i on: The Lyri c Poems of 1802 ( I t haca and London:
Cornel l Uni versi t y Pr ess, 1971) pp . 8-10.
40 Durrant , pp. 12-13.
41 Ben Jonson, "To Celia" (Come my Cel i a, l e t us prove")
The Works of Br i t i s h Poet s, ed. Robert Anderson (London, 1 3 Vols. 1795)
Vol. 4, p. 554.
42 Henry Vaughan, "They a r e al l gone i nt o t he World of Li ght , "
Renaissance England: Poet ry and Prose ,from t he Reformation t o t he
Rest orat i on, ed. Roy Lamson and Hal l et t Smith (New York: W. W. Norton and
Co. Inc. , 1942, 1956) p. 1032
43 Lyr i cal Bal l ads (l8OO), not e t o "The Thorn": "Super st i t i ous
men a r e almost always men of slow f a c ul t i e s and deep f eel i ngs ; t he i r minds
a r e not l oose but adhesi ve; they have a reasonabl e shar e of imagination, by
which work I mean t he f acul t y which produces i mpressi ve e f f e c t out of simple
elements."
44 Ferguson, p. 534.
45 Slakey makes a s i mi l ar anal ys i s of t he vi ol e t and s t a r
images, pp. 632-633.
46 Geoffrey Durrant , William Wordsworth (Cambridge Uni versi t y
Press, 1969) pp. 70-71.
47 1800Pr ef ace, p. xx. (OwenandSmyser, I, p. 130.)
48 Chri st opher Marlowe, "The Passi onat e Shepherd t o hi s Love,"
Renaissance England, p . 39 3.
49 Jared R. Cur t i s , "A Note on t he Lost Manuscripts of
W i l l i a m wordsworth's ' Louisa' and ' I t r a ve l l ' d among unknown men,"' - The
Yale Uni versi t y Gazet t e, Vol. 53, No. 4 (Apri l , 1979) pp. 196-201.
50 Reed, Chronology of t he Middle Years, pp. 1-4, 6-8, 107-
139. The onl y ot her pi ece of poet ry Wordsworth i s known t o have composed
duri ng t h i s peri od i s a s ect i on t o be added t o "Michael" which Dorothy
Wordsworth i ncl uded i n a l e t t e r t o Thomas Poole, Apr i l 9, 1801, Let t er s ,
p. 325.
51 The l i ne s Wordsworth i s bel i eved t o have composed duri ng
Apr i l and May, 1800, a r e Manuscript B, 1-457, 859-874 (Darlington, pp.
38-66, 92-93) and possi bl y "The ~r ospect us, ": Ms . B, 959-1048 (Darl i ngt on,
pp. 100-106).
52 John Garetson Dings, The Mind i n Its Pl ace: Wordsworth's
,'Michaelf' and t he Poet ry of 1800 (Uni versi t y of Buffal o, 1973) p. 38.
53 " prospectus", 1006-1014.
54 W. W. t o
55 W. W. t o
56 D.W. t o
p. 298.
James Webbe Tobin, March 6, 1798, Let t er s , p. 212
Josi ah Wedgewood, J ul y 13, 1800, Let t er s , p . 284.
Jane Marshall, September 10 and 12, 1800, Let t er s ,
57 Jour nal s of D.W., I, pp. 67-75
58 W.W. t o Anne Tayl or, Apr i l 9, 1801, Let t er s , p. 327
59 W.W. and D.E. t o Coleridge, May 22, 1801, Let t er s , p. 335
60 W.W. and D.W. t o Thomas Poole, Apri l 9, 1801, Let t er s , p.
324.
61 John Wordsworth t o D.W., March 28 and 29, 1801, The Let t er s
of John Wordsworth, ed. Carl Ketcham (It haca: Cornel l Uni versi t y Pr ess,
1969( p. 110.
62 J . W. t o D. W. , Apr i l 22 and 23, 1801, Let t er s of John
Wordsworth, p. 119
63 ' Le t t e r s of John Wordsworth, foot not e 24-4, p. 207.
64 Col eri dge t o W. W. , October 12, 1799, Griggs, I. p. 538.
65 Reed, Chronology of t he Middle Years, p. 631.
66 J . W. t o D.W., May 3 and 4, 1801, Let t er s of John
Wordsworth, p. 124
67 William Wordsworth, t he Prel ude: A Pa r a l l e l Text, ed.
J . C. Maxwell (Middlesex: Penguin Books, 1971,1972 - .
68 Reed adds, however, t hat "t hese l i ne s cannot confi dent l y
be supposed t o have been i n exi st ence u n t i l ear l y 1804."
Chronology of-
t he Middle Years, p . 632.
69 Jonathan Wordsworth and Stephen G i l l , "The Two-Part Prel ude
of 1798-1799,"Journal of English and Germanic Phi l ol ogy, Vol. 72 (1973)
p. 522.
70 Cur t i s , ~or ds wor t h' s Experiments wi t h Tr adi t i on, p. 12.
71- J our nal s , I, pp. 37-46.
72 Bateson, p. 154.
73 W. W. t o James Losh, March 16, 1805, Let t er s , p. 563
74 Mary Wordsworth t o Cat heri ne Clarkson, March 7, 1805,
The Let t er s of &ry-Wordsworth, 1800-1855, ed. Mary E. Burton (oxford,
1958) p. 3.
75 D.W. t o Jane Marshall, March 15, 17, 1805, Let t er s ,
p. 560.
76 W.W. t o Richard Wordsworth, March 19, 1805, Let t er s ,
p. 571.
77 Let t er s of John Wordsworth, p. 25.
78 J . W. t o Mary Hutchinson, February 25 and 26, 1801,
Le t t e r s of John Wordsworth, pp. 125-126.
79 J . W. t o M. Hutchinson, September 12, 1802, Let t er s of
John Wordsworth, pp . 125-126.
80 Jour nal s, I , pp. 125- 128.
81 Jour nal s, I , p. 130.
82 W.W. t oCol er i dge, Apr i l 16, 1802, Let t er s , p. 348.
83 Let t er s , pp. 331-333.
84 Jour nal s, I, p. 176.
85 Book of Common Prayer (1559), Church of England: "I, (N.)
t ake t hee (N. ) t o my wedded wi fe, t o have and t o hol d from t hi s day
forward, f o r be t t e r , f o r worse, f or r i cher , f or poorer, i n si ckness and
i n heal t h, t o l ove and t o cher i sh, t i l l death us depar t . . . '
86 "To a But t er f l y" ("Stay near me") wa s f i r s t publ i shed i n
1807 i n Poems, i n Two Volumes under t he heading "Moods of My Own Mind'."
The poem grew out of a conversat i on wi t h Dorothy on March 14, 1802,
recorded by he r i n her j our nal ( I , p. 123).
87 Jour nal s, I, p. 143.
88 Lines 6-9 of t hi s poem were wr i t t en between December 1798
and June 1800 a s pa r t of "Nutting," and event ual l y publ i shed as par t of
t he sequel t o t he "Ode t o ~ y c o r i s . " This i s t he spot " appears a s "a
f r eest andi ng poem" i n "Sara Hutchinson' s Poets" -- a notebook of 1802 and
a f t e r . Cur t i s , Wordsworth's Experiments with Tr adi t i on, p. 196; Reed,
Chronology of t he Earl y Years, pp. 331--332.
7
89 Jour nal s, I, pp. 139-140
90 D.W. not es W. "repeat i ng t he poem: ' I have thoughts
t ha t a r e f ed by t he sun' " on Apr i l 22, 1802 ( Jour nal s, I, p. 136).
The two pa r t s of t he poem may have been composed s epar at el y and t hen
j oi ned a s one poem. Fi r s t publ i shed by de Sel i ncour t (IV, 365-6).
Cur t i s , Wordsworth's Experiments wi t h Tr adi t i on, p. 176.
91 Jour nal s, I, p. 129.
92 J. Cur t i s i n an unpublished paper, "The Composition of
Wordsworth's Int i mat i ons Ode ."
93 These l i ne s were followed i n t he 1807 and 1815 edi t i ons
of t he poem by four l i ne s descr i bi ng what t he grave means t o a chi l d:
To whom t he grave
Is but a l onel y bed without t he sense of s i ght
Of day and t he warm l i g h t ,
A pl ace of thought where we i n wai t i ng l i e ;
These l i n e s imply t ha t t he boy' s percept i on of t he grave i s di f f e r e nt
from t he a dul t ' s -- i ns t ead of t he depri vat i on t he boy i s s a i d t o percei ve,
t he l a s t l i n e s suggest t ha t t he poet looks t o t he grave a s a way-station,
"a pl ace of thought" where he w i l l s t a r t t o recover t he "t r ut hs" t ha t
growing ol der had caused him t o l ose.
94 W. W. t o Si r George Beaumont, February 20, 1805, Let t er s ,
p. 556.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Wordsworth, W i l l i a m , Lyr i cal Bal l ads, London, 1800
Poems, i n Two Volumes, London, 1807
Poems, London, 1815
The Poet i cal Works of William Wordsworth, ed.
Ernest de Sel i ncour t , r evi sed by Helen Darbi shi re, 5 vol s. , Oxford:
Clarendon Pr ess, 1940-1949, I and I1 rev. 1952.
How a t Grasrnere: Par t Fi r s t , Book F i r s t of The
Recluse by William Wordsuorth, ed. Beth Darl i ngt on, I t haca, New
York: Cornel l Uni versi t y Pr ess, 1977.
The Prelude, 1798-1799 by William Wordsworth, ed.
Stephen Par r i sh, I t hi ca: Cornel l Uni versi t y Pr ess, 1972.
William Wordsworth, The Prelude : A Pa r a l l e l Text,
ed. J . C. Maxwell, Middlesex: Penguin Books, 1971.
The Prose Works of William Wordsworth ,ed.A. B.
Grosart , 3 vol s. , 1876; r pt . New York: AMS Pr ess, Inc. , 1967.
The Prose Works of William Wordsworth, ed. W.J.B.
Owen and J . W. Smyser, 3 vol s. , Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1974.
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