The poem has a very regular rhyme scheme and is in a simple ballad form. At this point in Strange Fits of Passion Have I Known, the speaker gives the readers the idea that his ride to his lover’s cottage is dream-like. He raised, and never stopped: Within “Strange fits of passion have I known” the overall theme of the poem is love and compassion for a woman. In the fifth stanza, the speaker’s mention of sleeping in a sweet dream is at first puzzling for the reader. The moon reference also creates a dream-like tone that later leads the reader to question if the speaker indeed had such an experience, or if he is describing a dream about his lover. By the second half of the stanza, he makes it clear that he kept his eye on the moon as he rode and therefore never lost sight of where he was going. Into a Lover’s head! He describes sleeping in a sweet dream that nature had blessed him with, but it is not clear at first whether he is referring to his night ride as dreamlike or is drifting off to sleep as he rides. The second stanza establishes the romantic nature of the poem. The sinking moon to Lucy’s cot He wonders, often what Lucy thinks. Stanza 3: The speaker continues to describe his journey that evening. Nature, a theme considered unique to the Romantic Movement, was employed by William Wordsworth in his poem “Strange fits of passion have I known” to paint the journey of a love struck adventurer. He states that all kinds of thoughts can possess a lover’s mind. The flawless flow of the ballad makes the final lines more shocking than they might otherwise be. Those paths so dear to me. On the descending moon. W ordsworth’ s poem Strange Fits of Passion Have I Known is one of the Romantic poems. Please log in again. “O mercy!” to myself I cried, “If Lucy … The use of the word “strange” tells the reader that the speaker cannot quite understand these fits of passion—they are as much a mystery to him as they are to the reader. He suddenly considers the prospect of losing Lucy, and the idea makes him cry out loud in fear and despair. The mention of his horse’s “quickening pace” adds anticipation. He wonders how he would ever live if Lucy should die. Copyright © 1999 - 2021 GradeSaver LLC. He longs to tell her of all that he feels. Beneath an evening-moon. #10 Le Lac. Obviously, death and the fear of death are things he’s going to have to contend with throughout this relationship and for the rest of his life. The speaker fixes his eye upon the moon as if it were a compass leading him to his lover. At this point, the speaker tells of going to see his lover every day. 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. resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. William Blake’s position in the Romantic Movement can be considered nothing short of a leading author and a key source of passion. In the first stanza, the speaker sets a romantic, mysterious tone from the poem’s outset. The comparison of Lucy to a rose in June suggests that she is young, and this is perhaps a young love, though it is clearly a passionate love. Stanza 5: The speaker marks a somewhat sudden shift in his narrative by referring to a dream. Tulisan singkat ini mengetengahkan puisi William Wordsworth yang bertajuk Strange Fits of Passion Have I Known, Wordsworth structures “Strange fits of passion have I known” as a ballad, a song-like poetic form with an ABAB rhyme scheme. It is lulling, and almost comforting. Later in his life, three of his children preceded him in death. Perhaps his “strange fits of passion” refers to the moment when fear of death suddenly seizes him and he is overwhelmed by his fear of losing his lover. Into a Lover’s head! The opening couplet establishes a confessional tone. Upon this realization, he cries out loud in a moment of desperation. “Nature” propels the expedition for love onward, yet also reveals the subject of the poem’s beauty in a gentle way. I would assume that Lucy would read Wordworth's words and be touched.... even flattered by his attention. “Hoof after hoof” gives the reader the feeling that he too is drawing closer to the cottage, like the speaker and the horse. Not affiliated with Harvard College. The latter half of the stanza describes the titular strange fit of passion that the speaker experienced. 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. He describes the dream as nature’s “boon,” or blessing, while giving nature a sense of importance by capitalizing the word. My horse moved on; hoof after hoof GradeSaver, The Identity of Lucy in Wordsworth's Lucy Poems, Quiz for "Strange fits of passion have I known", Quiz for "She dwelt among the untrodden ways", Quiz for "Three years she grew in sun and shower", Purity, Simplicity, and Loss in Wordsworth's "Song", View Wikipedia Entries for The Lucy Poems…. This gives the poem a propulsive, musical feeling. Lastly, there is death. Chapter Summary for William Wordsworth's Poems of William Wordsworth (Selected), strange fits of passion have i known summary. It is unclear whether the speaker is referring to a single episode or a recurring feeling. The connotation of this word implies that this kind of thought may be negative and damaging to one’s hope. At once, the bright moon dropped. With this stanza, the speaker begins to allow the readers to understand his relationship to this woman whom he loves. The “strange fits of passion” the speaker is dealing with are caused by the love he feels and will only tell in “the Lover’s ear alone”. Composed during a sojourn in Germany in 1798, the poem was first published in the second edition of Lyrical Ballads (1800). STRANGE FITS OF PASSION I HAVE KNOWN is a semiautobiographical poem by romantic poet William Wordsworth. He thinks of her beauty as he journeys to see her. The speaker no longer has moonlight to guide him, and the ominous tone hinted at earlier with the descending moon image is now strongly set in place. In the first stanza, the speaker sets a romantic, mysterious tone from the poem’s outset. The sudden dropping of the moon further implies the loss of something dear to the speaker. They are most certainly passionate, and he longs for the one he loves. The speaker may be suggesting a dreamlike feeling he had while riding to the cottage, brought upon by the nocturnal setting. Upon seeing the moon disappear, the speaker has his own wayward thought that wakes him up from the glowing, secure feeling of love he has been feeling. The poem "Strange Fits of Passion have I known" published by William Wordsworth in 1800 has seven stanzas of four lines each and is composed of the rhyming scheme a-b-a-b. But in the Lover’s ear alone, They include love, the natural world, and of course, death. The character Lucy is found in many of his poems. He admits that he would only dare to describe those fits of passion to his lover alone. The narrator tells the story of traveling on horseback by moonlight to visit Lucy. The use of the word “strange” tells the reader that the speaker cannot quite understand these fits of passion—they are as much a mystery to him as they are to the reader. Poem Analysis, https://poemanalysis.com/william-wordsworth/strange-fits-of-passion-have-i-known/. Every person has their own idea of what they might consider romantic. This theme, one of the most popular with writers throughout time, is prevalent in the last lines. Upon the moon I fixed my eye, He reaches her orchard, and he and his horse climbed the hill as the moon began to sink. His horse continued to ride faster and faster toward his lover’s cottage, bringing him closer to the beloved paths that would lead him to his lover. As he nears the path to her house, he quickens the pace of the horse, anxious to see her. If Lucy is the light of his life, he now fears he may lose her as well. And now we reached the orchard-plot; Every single person that visits Poem Analysis has helped contribute, so thank you for your support. However, the mention of the moon abruptly wakes the speaker—and the reader—from the gentle, dreamlike ambiance of the poem. His fear suddenly seizes him. Written in seventeen eighty nine, the poem depicts the image of a moonlight ride throughout the countryside to his lover’s, Lucy, cottage. The login page will open in a new tab. "She dwelt among the untrodden ways" Summary and Analysis. The speaker is in a familiar setting, as indicated by familiar paths, the orchard, and the sight of Lucy’s cottage. Throughout his journey to Lucy’s cottage, he has been thinking about his love for her, his passionate fits of love she has evoked, and his eager anticipation to see her. When she I loved looked every day Stanza 1: In the first stanza, the speaker describes how he has experienced a feeling to which he refers ambiguously as “strange fits of passion.” He claims that he would only share these experiences with his lover and no one else, while nonetheless confiding in the reader. For this reason, he says that his “thoughts will slide into a Lover’s head”. The reader can relate to that feeling of anxious anticipation and longing to be with one’s lover. For the first time, the reader learns that her name is Lucy. All but one were first published during 1800 in the second edition of Lyrical Ballads, a collaboration between Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge that was both Wordsworth's first major publication and a milestone in the early English Romantic movement. We are in familiar territory, and his lover is just around the corner. William Wordsworth (7 April 1770 – 23 April 1850) was an English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with their joint publication Lyrical Ballads (1798).. Wordsworth's magnum opus is generally considered to be The Prelude, a semi-autobiographical poem of his early years that he revised and expanded a number of times. The moon, however, is depicted as descending still. https://penlighten.com/analysis-of-daffodils-by-william-wordsworth The use of the past tense with “befell” suggests that the speaker is telling the story of a past time in his life, further adding to the mystery. Corfman, Allisa. Kind Nature’s gentlest boon! This is the puzzling, troublesome notion that gets into the speaker's head at the very end of William Wordsworth 's " Strange fits of passion have I known." Sign up to unveil the best kept secrets in poetry, Home » William Wordsworth » Strange Fits of Passion Have I Known, Where will I get the explanation of whole poem. “O mercy!” to myself I cried, In any case, he believes that nature is kind and gentle by blessing him with something that is dear to him—perhaps Lucy herself. The “evening-moon” creates further mystery, as one wonders why he was going to see her at night. Stray Pleasures Poem by William Wordsworth. The moonlight guides the speaker, and without it, one feels he will lose his way. Romantic Love Poetry for Him and Her. Download on iBooks for iPad: http://bit.ly/1bj5paLPurchase the Videos on Udemy: http://bit.ly/18Fwnf0For more info visit http://www.providenceelearning.org And all the while my eyes I kept When down behind the cottage roof, In the second half of the stanza, he clarifies that in any case, he managed to keep his eye on the moon that continued to descend in the sky. This poem is about the love of a couple which presents a tone … And, as we climbed the hill, The speaker is eager to see his lover, and the reader is eager to learn where the narrative leads. He worries as he approaches Lucy’s house that she’s dead. This is the fear that the speaker experiences. As the cottage grows near, the speaker relates that the moon that had been descending slowly suddenly dropped from view behind the cottage. The "strange fit of passion" may therefore extend beyond feeling love for Lucy and may also refer to the anxious thought of losing her one day. Stanza 6: The speaker continues his narrative by stating that his horse edged closer to Lucy’s cottage, step by step. Strange fits of passion I have known: And I will dare to tell, But in the Lover's ear alone, What once to me befel. Alternatively, the passion may refer to anxiety or fear of losing his love. The mention of the “wide lea” makes the speaker seem small and vulnerable in the vastness of the natural landscape, with only the light of the moon to guide him. This mention continues to suggest a gradual loss of something while creating a somewhat ominous tone. More than any poet before him, Wordsworth gave expression to inchoate human emotion; his lyric “Strange fits of passion have I known,” in which the speaker describes an inexplicable fantasy he once had that his lover was dead, could not have been written by any previous poet. English Title: The Lake Poet: Alphonse de Lamartine Published: 1820 Lamartine is considered to be the first French romantic poet and Le Lac is his best known poem.The poem is an elegy for Julie Charles, the poet’s muse and the wife of the famous physician Jacques Charles.Lamartine had met Julie in 1816 on the shores of Lake Bourget in Savoie, France. William Wordsworth mentions the character “Lucy” many times throughout his poems, such as in Strange Fits of Passion Have I Known. Furthermore, the word “passion” is ambiguous in meaning. In keeping with Romantic concepts such as the emotions of awe, terror, and horror, Blake painted powerful pictures of nature and God. Read William Wordsworth poem:BY their floating mill, That lies dead and still, Behold yon Prisoners three. Being in love, after all, can feel like a dream. This poem like many other Romantic poems has an idea of love and nature. The poem has so far shown all the beautiful images that love conjures in one’s mind. The Lucy poems are a series of five poems composed by the English Romantic poet William Wordsworth (1770–1850) between 1798 and 1801. This background gives this particular poem greater meaning. And I will dare to tell, What once to me befell. “All the while” he kept his eyes on the descending moon. Intertwined with the speaker’s love is another theme, that of fear. "Strange fits of passion have I known" is a seven-stanza poem ballad by the English Romantic poet William Wordsworth. The simile of “fresh as a rose” portrays his lover as a beautiful and virtuous woman. It is a fear that overwhelms him, and is perhaps representative of some of the losses that Wordsworth experienced during his lifetime. The rhythm and rhyme scheme of Strange Fits of Passion Have I Known causes it to read almost like a nursery rhyme. It is through you visiting Poem Analysis that we are able to contribute to charity. His use of the past tense with the word “loved” makes the reader wonder if the lover is still a part of his life. Anyone who has ever truly loved someone can identify with this fear. This gives another meaning to the title, as well. Hi there, this does have a full explanation of the poem. "Strange Fits of Passion Have I Known by William Wordsworth". Often, Wordsworth’s poems suggest the loss of Lucy. The meter alternates between tetrameter and trimeter, so each four-beat line is followed by a three-beat line. “If Lucy should be dead!”. "strange fits of passion have i known" 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. With the mention of “bent,” one is given a sense of not only movement toward the woman’s home but also the speaker’s gravitational pull toward the object of his love. International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London, EC1A 2BN, United Kingdom, https://poemanalysis.com/william-wordsworth/strange-fits-of-passion-have-i-known/. He gazed upon the moon as well as the meadow he was crossing. He is very aware and accepting of the fact that loving someone will result in one experiencing anxiety over this love. The Question and Answer section for The Lucy Poems is a great One realizes in retrospect that her earlier comparison to a rose was a kind of foreshadowing, as roses eventually wilt and die. With every step, the horse brings the speaker closer to the land that signifies his lover’s home. Beragam tema, pesan, gayabahasa, nada, irama dan arti mewarnai sebuah puisi. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Lucy Poems by William Wordsworth. Sometimes, she is symbolic of a lover, and other times of the pure and innocent love of a father for his child. The speaker begins to describe the existence of a lover. Stanza 7: The speaker responds to the shock of seeing the moon disappear from sight. The light of the moon, the ride, and the feeling of love is all coming together to make the speaker feel that he is living in a dream. GradeSaver "The Lucy Poems “Strange fits of passion have I known” Summary and Analysis". As the poem clearly makes references to love, one might say that the speaker has experienced extreme feelings of love and sensual desire that he would only dare whisper in his lover’s ear. The Lucy Poems essays are academic essays for citation. 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. When she I loved looked every day Fresh as a rose in June, I to her cottage bent my way, Beneath an evening-moon.