SHE DWELT AMONG THE UNTRODDEN WAYS

She dwelt among the untrodden ways

Beside the springs of Dove,

A Maid whom there were none to praise

And very few to love:

A violet by a mossy stone

Half hidden from the eye!

Fair as a star, when only one

Is shining in the sky.

She lived unknown, and few could know

When Lucy ceased to be;

But she is in her grave, and, oh,

The difference to me!

The title immediately draws the attention due to the use of two rather removed words: “dwelt” and “untrodden”. This might mean the poem was written a long time ago or that the poet wanted to draw the attention of the reader on language itself.

The text seems to refer to a “she”: this might mean the “she” might be an old woman, a young girl or an innocent child. The reader doesn’t know yet and might be interested to find it out. In addition, he should be curious to discover why the “she” lives or has chosen to live in hidden places. Textual analysis could also unveil the reason why the poet wrote a poem about her.

The layout of the text tells the reader it is a ballad and that it might be a simple text. Its structure consist in three stanzas, each one of four lines. Lines have different length and it has alternate rhymes.

In the first stanza  the poet introduces the character of the woman, in the second the woman is presented by metaphors and in the last stanzas the narrator tells about Lucy’s death.

The message that the narrator wants to communicate is that persons should not be doubtful and should do something before it’s too late.