The Famous Lucy Poems

While studying literature, you might've come across the famous poems from many great poets. One of them we are going to discuss today. 'The Lucy poems' have been really famous among scholars. They are famously known as 'Lucy poems.' What really makes these poems outstanding and fabulous?

William Wordsworth, a well-known English romantic poet publishes the Lucy poems in his book lyrical ballad which he collaborated with Samuel Taylor Coleridge. These Lucy poems as they are known are in five series. They aren’t inter-connected nor are they published altogether. Wordsworth says that these poems were experimental in nature. 

These poems have their main character Lucy who passed away in the poem. These tragic endings happen in every lucy poem. Death is one of the major themes of these poems. Beware! Lucy Gray's poems and Lucy's poems are two different poems but their main character is met with death at the end.

Lucy's poems have been written from the speaker's perspective and the speaker has always openly confessed his love for Lucy through various lines. Lucy in these poems is often portrayed as a young, unmarried, naive, and pure girl. She is often happy in her own world and she is away from all the worldly dismay. 

Nature seems to play a pivotal part in these poems since Lucy is often found in the countryside or near nature. The speaker also narrates his grief of losing Lucy who was his love, which is consistent in all five poems. William Wordsworth has written in his lyrical ballad that he believed in connecting people back to nature just like it was before industrialization. He often wrote in favor of nature and how it is the ultimate power over all things. 

Another major theme is innocence and naiveness. It was Lucy's naiveness and innocence that added shine to the poem. It was so well-explained that the reader feels the need to protect such a being that is pure, naive, and non-corrupt. She lives away from the city and often plays among nature. She is free and in glee. 

Youth also shows in the poem. Lucy goes through it but also the speaker who falls in love with her is something a person does when they are in their youth. I am not talking about infatuation but love in general. We see growth in Lucy as she grows from a child to an ideal woman in nature. We see the radiance, the rush, the carefree and mature Lucy. Lucy has gone through all of it.

The Lucy poems are often heartfelt and visionary in imagination. It is easily understood and the story as it unfolds in every poem is purely amazing. You don’t get to see a continuation of the poems since the poem ends with the death of Lucy. It is like every poem has a rebirth of Lucy in a new way and it seems like a way to remember her is through these poems. 

Whether or not, there really was a person like Lucy. We never know since Wordsworth never mentioned the origin of the character but we do get a lot of imagery and aesthetic of cottage core in these poems. 

Hope you enjoyed reading this article. See you in the next one!