She Dwelt Among The Untrodden Ways

It is clear that the title of this poem is very mysterious. It refers to a woman but it does not reveal identity, the reader can ask questions about it: how old is she? Does the writer know her? Why was a poem written for her? To begin the reader can make hypotheses about who she is. She might be an acquaintance of the poet or a person the writer hears about but he does not know if she exists or she is the result of imagination.

Therefore it is necessary to continue reading this poem to clarify these doubts. Giving a first reading the reader may notice that the structure consists of three stanzas with four verses one.

Moreover the effect of some words is nostalgic and sad, in fact the poem speaks of a girl who lives in an isolated place, desired by everyone but nobody was able to love her: this description gives the idea of ​​sadness.

Apart from this the poet wants to keep a sense of mystery by not revealing the girl's name until the third stanza. He describes her through metaphors: she is like a violet that represents humility, tenderness and modesty. This violet is next to a mossy stone, hard to notice; the writer with this visual image wants to describe the girl as a private person who does not like to be the center of attention.

In adddition another metaphor is that of the star, she is described in this way to make it clear that there is no other better than her and that the writer has only her in mind.

Concluding the writer reveals her name in the third stanza: Lucy. This name refers to the light: the poet wants to make it clear that in spite of the girl's death, she will always be impressed in his mind.