Strange fits of passion have I known - William Wordsworth
/Strange fits of passion have I known - William Wordsworth/
A Meditative Tale of Love and Sudden Fear
Original Poem (English), line by line:
Strange fits of passion have I known:
And I will dare to tell,
But in the Lover's ear alone,
What once to me befell.
When she I loved looked every day
Fresh as a rose in June,
I to her cottage bent my way,
Beneath an evening-moon.
Upon the moon I fixed my eye,
All over the wide lea;
With quickening pace my horse drew nigh
Those paths so dear to me.
And now we reached the orchard-plot;
And, as we climbed the hill,
The sinking moon to Lucy's cot
Came near and nearer still.
In one of those sweet dreams I slept,
Kind Nature's gentlest boon!
And all the while my eye I kept
On the descending moon.
My horse moved on; hoof after hoof
He raised, and never stopped:
When down behind the cottage roof,
At once, the bright moon dropped.
What fond and wayward thoughts will slide
Into a Lover's head!
'O mercy!' to myself I cried,
'If Lucy should be dead!'
In “Strange fits of passion have I known,” William Wordsworth explores the interplay between love, nature’s quiet beauty, and the sudden emergence of fear. The poem focuses on the speaker’s nighttime ride to visit Lucy—an enigmatic figure often linked to Wordsworth’s ‘Lucy Poems.’ As the speaker observes the moon descending lower and lower over Lucy’s cottage, he experiences a calm anticipation that suddenly shifts to dread. In an instant, a morbid thought flashes: “If Lucy should be dead!” This abrupt anxiety underscores the fragility of human attachment.
The gentle, moonlit setting contrasts with the speaker’s mounting worry. Wordsworth constructs a mood of tranquility by describing how the horse moves steadily through the night, how the orchard-plot and cottage appear in soft relief, and how the moon seems to guide his journey. Yet this idyllic backdrop also makes the speaker’s fear of loss feel more striking. Like other poems in the Lucy series, this piece depicts a potent blend of tender affection and looming mortality.
The concluding line not only captures the poet’s emotional shift but also reflects a broader Romantic fascination with sudden, intense feelings. By showing how swiftly such fears can rise, Wordsworth affirms that love and anxiety are closely linked. When one cherishes someone so deeply, the thought of losing them can intrude at any moment, disrupting even the most peaceful reverie. This tension between the serene and the startling is characteristic of the poem’s power.
Overall, “Strange fits of passion have I known” encapsulates Romantic ideals—an intense focus on personal experience, vivid natural imagery, and a deep awareness of the passage of time. The poem illustrates how a single moment can transform tender expectation into a surge of existential dread. Through simple language and a concise structure, Wordsworth portrays the complexity of human emotions, reminding readers that love and loss are often inseparable. (Approx. 250 words)
Key points
1. The poem explores the fragility of human love and the swift onset of fear.
2. A moonlit journey sets a tranquil scene that contrasts with the speaker’s sudden dread.
3. Lucy’s presence highlights themes of devotion, mystery, and vulnerability.
4. The abrupt shift in mood reflects Romantic emphasis on intense, personal emotions.
5. Wordsworth underscores how deeply nature can mirror and magnify human sentiment.