The ballad consists of three quatrains, and tells about Lucy, who lives in solitude near the River Dove, away from everyone that could have loved her.

The first quatrain has an introductory function, in fact, introduces the protagonist and the setting. The woman lives in a very remote place, far from people: the springs of Dove. The place could refer to a real place or maybe to a place known only by him and the woman. Moreover, vagueness increases suspense and created expectations in the reader’s mind.

In the second quatrain the poet provides the reader the characterization of Lucy and uses a metaphor in order to convey her flowerlike naturalness and beauty, which is in contrast with the rest of the environment. As a consequence he used to strong images to underline the gap between her and the rest. In the second metaphor the narrator besides reinforcing the message, adds something more: saying she was “fair as a star when only one is shining in the sky” makes the reader understand that she was like the sun for him, she was necessary to his life.

In the last quatrain the narrator tells about Lucy’s death and once more gives emphasis to the fact that she almost didn’t exist even though she was a beautiful women. So he used the verb "be" to talk about her death conveying the idea that her life was nothing but a drop in the sea. The words “lived”, “ceased” and “grave” make the tone is dramatic and the atmosphere full of sadness . The expression “oh”, which might be interpreted as a sigh or a lament, due to the narrator’s feelings towards Lucy.

With this text the poet affirms that people should not be doubtful and should do something before it’s too late and that it’s worthless to wait for a change instead of work to make it happen.