Summary of the Poem "She Dwelt among the Untrodden Ways" (Opt. English: Class 12)

She Dwelt among the Untrodden Ways

- William Wordsworth

The poem “She Dwelt among the Untrodden Ways” written by a great English poet is an elegy about life and death. The setting of the poem is a rural place in England, and the speaker is the poet himself. The poem speaks about death of the poet’s beloved and its never-ending impact in his life.

Mainly, the poem is about the poet’s beloved named Lucy, who has left this world at her young age. According to the poet, she lived (dwelt) among the untrodden ways (rural place) on the lap of beautiful nature. Through the poem, he is trying to present the girl as a divine character, who was exceptionally beautiful, pure and gentle. He is also trying to show the uniqueness of her beauty. According to him, she was like a violet flower near a mossy stone (काई लागेको ढुंगा/overgrown with or abounding in moss) and like a lonely star shining in the sky. But people neglected her, so no one noticed her beauty. Unfortunately, despite her magnificent appearance, she could not escape death. Leaving the poet in despair, the beautiful lady died, so her death brought a great sense of loss in his life. Though her death has not brought any changes in the cycle of the nature, her death has made him all alone and incomplete.

In sum, the poem deals with the birth, growth, beauty, love and death of his beloved. But in general, it expresses that a person with exceptional beauty has to die sooner or later, so both life and beauty are transitory (temporary). More, it explains the tragedy of death and its impacts on human life. 

• Summary of the essay "Once More to the Lake" Class: 12 Optional English. Click on the link for the summary:
•  https://2078notesenglish.blogspot.com/2022/06/once-more-to-the-lake-summary-opt%20english-12.html