Wordsworth’s Lucy Poems: Three Years She Grew in Sun and Shower

1. Strange Fits of Passion Have I Known
2. She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways
3. I Travelled Among Unknown Men
4. Three Years She Grew in Sun and Shower
5. A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal

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.

‘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.

‘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.

‘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.

‘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.

‘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.’

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.

Wordsworth’s Three Years She Grew in Sun and Shower is a deeply philosophical meditation on life, nature, and mortality, embodying Romantic ideals of harmony between human existence and the natural world. The poem is part of The Lucy Poems, a series that explores themes of love, loss, and the transient beauty of life, and is framed as an elegy where Nature itself speaks, claiming Lucy as its own.

The opening stanza sets a pastoral scene, establishing Lucy’s presence within the natural environment. The phrase “Three years she grew in sun and shower” highlights the organic cycle of growth, portraying her as a delicate, evolving figure nurtured by nature. Wordsworth’s metaphor of Lucy as a “lovelier flower” underscores her innate beauty and fragility, reinforcing the idea that her life, though short, was perfect and complete within nature’s embrace. The declaration, “This child I to myself will take”, is striking—Nature personifies itself and assumes divine authority, suggesting a predetermined fate.

Nature’s control over Lucy is further emphasized in the second stanza, where it becomes both “law and impulse”, guiding her existence through power and restraint. The landscape, extending from rock and plain to earth and heaven, represents the vastness of Lucy’s connection to the cosmos, aligning her with the rhythms of life itself. The idea that she will feel an overseeing power suggests not merely nurturing but inevitability, reinforcing Nature’s dominion over all living beings.

In the third stanza, Wordsworth contrasts movement and stillness, depicting Lucy as “sportive as the fawn” yet also inheriting “the breathing balm” and “the silence and the calm” of mute insensate things. This duality mirrors life’s vibrancy and its eventual cessation, subtly foreshadowing her untimely death. Lucy, like the fawn, is filled with vitality, yet she also embodies the peace and stillness of nature’s quietude, suggesting her transition into a realm beyond earthly existence.

The fourth stanza deepens the poem’s philosophical tone, emphasizing the silent shaping force of nature. The floating clouds and bending willow suggest nature’s gentle influence, while the phrase “grace that shall mould the maiden’s form / By silent sympathy” is particularly significant. Here, Wordsworth implies that Lucy’s transformation is guided not by force but by nature’s subtle, unseen power, reinforcing the theme of spiritual interconnectedness between humanity and the environment.

The final stanza solidifies Lucy’s immersion into the natural world, as midnight stars, secret places, and murmuring rivulets become part of her essence. The phrase “beauty born of murmuring sound / Shall pass into her face” suggests that nature’s melodies and elements have shaped her presence, culminating in her becoming one with the landscape. This profound connection transcends physical existence, hinting at Lucy’s spiritual continuation in nature, even in death.

Through a close reading, Three Years She Grew in Sun and Shower emerges not merely as an elegy but as a philosophical reflection on life’s impermanence, nature’s omnipotence, and the fluid transition between existence and eternity. Wordsworth’s use of personification, rich natural imagery, and rhythmic structure reinforces the poem’s melancholic yet serene acceptance of fate, embodying Romanticism’s reverence for nature and its role in human life.

Background & Theme

·       Written as part of The Lucy Poems, reflecting on life, nature, and mortality.

·       Nature is personified as a nurturing yet authoritative force, claiming Lucy as its own.

·       Explores growth, transformation, and the inevitability of death, presenting Lucy’s life as integrated with the environment.

·       The poem offers a philosophical view of human existence, emphasizing harmony between nature and the soul.

Figures of Speech

·       Personification: Nature is given a human voice, stating “She shall be mine, and I will make / A lady of my own.”

·       Metaphor: Lucy is compared to “a lovelier flower”, symbolizing her beauty and fragility.

·       Simile: “She shall be sportive as the fawn” compares Lucy’s youthful joy to a playful deer, reinforcing innocence and freedom.

·       Imagery: The poem vividly describes landscapes, stars, rivers, and storms, illustrating nature’s quiet yet powerful influence.

Rhyming Scheme & Meter

·       The poem follows a consistent a-a-b-c-c-b rhyme scheme, ensuring lyrical fluidity.

·       Written in iambic meter, alternating between tetrameter (four iambic feet) and trimeter (three iambic feet).

·       The rhythmic pattern mirrors the natural ebb and flow of life, reinforcing the poem’s contemplative mood.

Comparative Analysis: Three Years She Grew in Sun and Shower vs. A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal

1. Treatment of Death & Mortality

·       Three Years She Grew presents Lucy’s death as a transition into nature, where Nature personifies itself as a guardian taking her back into its embrace.

·       In contrast, A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal describes Lucy’s death without direct acknowledgment of grief, presenting her as absorbed into the natural world: “She seemed a thing that could not feel / The touch of earthly years.”

·       Wordsworth’s tone in Three Years She Grew is philosophical and resigned, whereas in A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal, it is abrupt and reflective, offering no emotional outcry—only quiet realization.

2. Nature’s Role & Personification

·       Three Years She Grew personifies nature, giving it agency over Lucy’s life: “She shall be mine, and I will make / A lady of my own.” Nature dictates her fate, overseeing both her joy and restraint.

·       A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal, on the other hand, does not present Nature as an active force but rather a silent presence, where Lucy becomes an inseparable part of natural motion: “Rolled round in earth’s diurnal course / With rocks, and stones, and trees.”

4. Emotional Tone & Expression

·       Three Years She Grew evokes gentle sorrow, treating Lucy’s death as part of nature’s cycle, making it inevitable yet graceful.

·       A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal is starkly emotionless, presenting Lucy’s fate without mourning, reinforcing the idea that death strips away all human feeling.

1.       “Three years she grew in sun and shower”. What is Romantic about the line?

A.     emphasis on harmony between humans and nature

2.      Why is the ‘flower’ image used in the poem?

A.     To convey her loveliness and innocence

3.      “Both law and impulse”. What do the words imply?

A.     Nature will inculcate reason and emotion in a natural fashion as opposed to what is done in human society.

4.     What is the image of Nature we get in the poem?

A.      Nature as mother and teacher

5.      “By silent sympathy” refers to

A.     The Romantic belief in the connection between the natural and the human and the benevolent influence of Nature on humans.

6.     “While she and I together live/Here in this happy dell.’” What are the Romantic beliefs implicit here?

A.      The ideas that humans come from Nature and return to Nature when they and that children are particularly in tune with nature

7.      What does Nature do to Lucy in the poem?

A.      Nature takes the small child away from mere mundane existence and makes the child part of Nature herself.

8.     “The memory of what has been,/And never more will be.” What is the perspective of the poet here?

A.      Transcendental

9.     “Thus Nature spake” Why did the poet use the word ‘spake’?

A.    The poet used the archaic word in order to achive the effect of a ballad poem. [The whole clause is in ballad style]

10.    What is the meaning of the word ‘dell’?

A.     a small valley, usually among trees.

11.     “Her virgin bosom swell”. What is the meaning of the word virgin here?

Most probably, Wordsworth used it in a biblical sense, referring to the grace attained by the Virgin Mother [The heart is swelled with lofty thoughts and emotions]