Three years she grew in sun and shower (The Education of Nature) - by William Wordsworth

 

Three years she grew in sun and shower,
Then Nature said, “A lovelier flower
On earth was never sown;
This Child I to myself will take,
She shall be mine, and I will make
A Lady of my own.

1.     How old was Lucy at the time of her death?

2.     Why had nature decided to make Lucy a lady of her own?

“Myself will to my darling be
Both law and impulse, and with me
The Girl, in rock and plain,
In earth and heaven, in glade and bower,
Shall feel an overseeing power
To kindle or restrain.

3.     What was Nature going to be to Lucy? Explain.

4.     What is Lucy going to discover in the company of Nature?

“She shall be sportive as the fawn
That wild with glee across the lawn
Or up the mountain springs;
And hers shall be the breathing balm,
And hers the silence and the calm
Of mute insensate things.

5.     Once Lucy had become one of Nature’s ladies, how would she spend her time?

6.     Name two things Nature was going to give Lucy.

7.     What are “mute insensate things”?

“The floating clouds their state shall lend
To her; for her the willow bend,
Nor shall she fail to see
Even in the motions of the Storm
Grace that shall mould the Maiden's form
By silent sympathy.

8.     What would the clouds, willow and storm do for Lucy?

“The stars of midnight shall be dear
To her; and she shall lean her ear
In many a secret place
Where rivulets dance their wayward round,
And beauty born of murmuring sound
Shall pass into her face.

9.     What does the poet mean by “dear” in this stanza?

10.  Name a place from which Lucy would learn nature’s secrets.

11.  Name a source of her beauty.

“And vital feelings of delight
Shall rear her form to stately height,
Her virgin bosom swell,
Such thoughts to Lucy I will give
While she and I together live
Here in this happy dell.”

12.  What would elevate Lucy to “stately height” and swell her bosom?

Thus Nature spake—the work was done—
How soon my Lucy's race was run!
She died and left to me
This heath, this calm and quiet scene,
The memory of what has been,
And never more will be.

13.  What does the poet mean by the line “How soon my Lucy’s race was run”

14.  How do you think the poetic persona feel about Lucy’s passing?