Strange fits of passion have I known by William Wordsworth

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 befel.

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 eyes 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!

Written in 1798
First published in the second edition of Lyrical Ballads in 1800.
Seven Stanzas, four lines each.
Rhyme Scheme: ABAB

Stanza 1

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.

(The speaker says he has felt deep and strange emotions. He will share one such feeling—but only with a lover, because only a lover could understand such type of feelings.)

• The speaker begins with a confession of experiencing intense and unusual emotions—“strange fits of passion.”
• He expresses a willingness to share this experience, but only with someone who has truly known love, suggesting that only a fellow lover could comprehend such feelings.
• The word “dare” underscores the boldness and vulnerability involved in revealing such intimate thoughts.
• This opening sets a confidential and introspective tone, inviting readers into a deeply personal narrative.

Stanza 2

When she I loved looked every day

Fresh as a rose in June,

I to her cottage bent my way,

Beneath an evening-moon.

(He remembers how Lucy, the girl he loved, looked beautiful like a fresh rose in June. In the evenings, he would ride his horse to visit her while the moon was shining.)

• The speaker reminisces about Lucy, his beloved, describing her daily appearance as “fresh as a rose in June,” a simile that conveys youthful beauty and vitality.
• His journey to her cottage occurs under the “evening-moon,” introducing a romantic and serene setting.
• The imagery evokes a sense of tranquility and affection, highlighting the speaker's deep admiration for Lucy.

Stanza 3

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.

(As he rode through the open fields, he kept looking at the evening-moon. His horse moved faster as they followed the path he loved so much.)

• As he rides across the “wide lea” (meadow), the speaker fixates on the evening-moon, which serves as both a guiding light and a symbol of his emotional state.
• The “quickening pace” of his horse reflects his growing anticipation and eagerness to reach Lucy.
• This stanza emphasizes the interplay between the natural world and human emotion, a hallmark of Wordsworth's poetry.

Stanza 4

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.

(He reached the orchard near Lucy’s house. As he climbed the hill, the moon seemed to get lower and closer to the roof of her cottage.)

• The journey brings the speaker to the “orchard-plot,” a familiar and possibly symbolic location representing growth and life.
• As he ascends the hill, the “sinking moon” appears to draw closer to Lucy’s cottage, creating a sense of convergence between celestial movement and earthly destination.
• This alignment may foreshadow an impending emotional climax or revelation.

Stanza 5

In one of those sweet dreams I slept,

Kind Nature’s gentlest boon!

And all the while my eyes I kept

On the descending moon.

(He felt like he was dreaming—a calm and gentle dream, while sleeping that is "Kind Nature’s gentlest boon!". All the while, he kept his eyes on the descending moon.)

• The speaker describes entering a dreamlike state, a “sweet dream” gifted by “Kind Nature,” suggesting a moment of peaceful introspection.
• Despite this reverie, he remains focused on the “descending moon,” indicating a persistent awareness of the passage of time and the approach toward Lucy.
• This juxtaposition of dreaminess and vigilance underscores the complexity of his emotions.

Stanza 6

My horse moved on; hoof after hoof

He raised, and never stopped:

When down behind the cottage roof

At once, the bright moon dropped.

(His horse continued walking without stopping. Then suddenly, the bright moon disappeared behind Lucy’s house.)

• The steady movement of the horse, “hoof after hoof,” mirrors the inevitable progression toward the cottage and, metaphorically, toward a moment of truth or realization.
• The sudden disappearance of the “bright moon” behind the cottage roof introduces a dramatic shift, symbolizing a loss of light, clarity, or hope.
• This abrupt change sets the stage for the emotional upheaval in the final stanza.

Stanza 7

What fond and wayward thoughts will slide

Into a Lover’s head!

“O mercy!” to myself I cried,

“If Lucy should be dead!”

(In that moment, a strange and fearful thought entered his mind. Such type of strange and fearful thoughts generally felt by lovers out of love. He suddenly cried out to himself, “What if Lucy is dead?”)

• The speaker acknowledges the irrational and intrusive thoughts that can plague a lover’s mind.
• The exclamation “O mercy!” conveys a sudden and intense fear: the possibility of Lucy's death.
• This fear, emerging without any concrete reason, highlights the anxieties inherent in deep affection, where the thought of losing a loved one can arise spontaneously and powerfully.

Central Themes:

• Love and Anxiety: The poem explores how profound love can give rise to irrational fears, particularly the dread of losing the beloved.
• Nature and Emotion: The natural elements, especially the moon, serve as mirrors and catalysts for the speaker's internal experiences.
• Reality vs. Imagination: The line between what is real and what is imagined becomes blurred, illustrating how emotions can distort perception.
• Mortality: The sudden fear of Lucy's death introduces the theme of human mortality and the fragility of life.