Three years she grew - William Wordsworth
/Three years she grew - William Wordsworth/
Nature’s Tender Claim and the Inevitability of Loss
Original Poem (English), line by line:
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.
In “Three years she grew,” William Wordsworth personifies Nature as a nurturing yet ultimately mysterious force that claims Lucy for itself. The poem narrates how Lucy, in her youth, is chosen by Nature to be molded into an ideal being—her growth guided by the ‘law and impulse’ of the natural world. Across vivid lines, Wordsworth describes how Lucy will acquire qualities of the clouds, the stars, the willow, and even the storm, gaining poise and quiet grace from all she experiences.
Nature’s promise, however, conceals a bittersweet inevitability: Lucy’s life is brief. The final stanza abruptly reveals her death, leaving the speaker with only memories of her presence woven into the landscape. This tension between Nature’s generous bestowal and the fragility of human existence is central to the poem’s emotional power. While Nature imbues Lucy with purity and delight, she is not exempt from the finality of mortality.
Throughout, Wordsworth showcases the Romantic conviction that nature shapes and reflects human character. Lucy’s closeness to the earth, sky, and water epitomizes the poet’s belief in a profound bond between the individual and the natural world. Yet, as her passing makes clear, this bond is not a shield from loss, but rather a lens through which we experience both beauty and sorrow. (Approx. 200 words)
Key points
1. Nature personified acts as both guardian and eventual claimant of Lucy’s life.
2. Lucy’s growth reflects the Romantic belief in nature’s power to shape human character.
3. The poem juxtaposes nature’s generative force with the inevitability of death.
4. Lucy’s bond with natural elements underscores her purity and quiet transformation.
5. Wordsworth invites reflection on how beauty and grief often coexist in human experience.