Strange Fits of Passion Have I Known – William Wordsworth
About the Author
William Wordsworth (1770–1850) was a key figure in the English Romantic movement. His poetry often celebrated the beauty of nature, the innocence of rural life, and deep personal emotions. Wordsworth believed poetry should be written in a language close to everyday speech, focusing on simple yet profound human experiences.
Some key facts about Wordsworth:
Born in Cockermouth, England.
Lost his mother at age 8 and father at age 13.
Attended Cambridge University.
Met Samuel Taylor Coleridge in 1795 — this friendship led to Lyrical Ballads (1798), which marked the beginning of the Romantic era in English literature.
Served as Poet Laureate of England from 1843 until his death in 1850.
About the Poem
"Strange fits of passion have I known" is part of the Lucy poems, a small group of verses written between 1798–1801. Lucy is a mysterious figure — possibly real, possibly fictional — who represents beauty, innocence, and mortality.
The poem follows a simple narrative:
The speaker rides to Lucy’s cottage at night.
He enjoys the peaceful beauty of the moonlit journey.
Suddenly, the moon sinks behind Lucy’s cottage roof.
This triggers a sudden, almost irrational fear that Lucy might be dead.
The shift from romantic beauty to fear of loss is what makes the poem powerful.
Text of the Poem
> 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.
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;
My horse trudged on, and we 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!”
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Detailed Line-by-Line Explanation
Stanza 1
The poet admits to having experienced strange bursts of emotion — “fits of passion.”
He says the story he’s about to tell is one that only a fellow lover could truly understand.
This sets a personal and intimate tone.
Stanza 2
He recalls a time when Lucy was alive and beautiful, “fresh as a rose in June.”
The simile suggests health, beauty, and vitality.
He is riding to her home under the soft light of the evening moon — romantic and calm.
Stanza 3
The speaker keeps his eyes fixed on the moon as he rides across the open meadow (“lea”).
His horse moves steadily toward the path that leads to Lucy’s house.
The mood is peaceful and dreamlike.
Stanza 4
They reach an orchard and begin climbing a hill.
As they climb, the moon appears to drop closer to Lucy’s cottage, symbolically linking the moon’s descent to his approach to her.
Stanza 5
The speaker feels as if he is in a pleasant dream — nature’s gift (“gentlest boon”).
Yet he still keeps watching the moon sink lower in the sky, suggesting an unconscious tension building.
Stanza 6
The horse continues at a steady pace, step by step.
Suddenly, the moon disappears behind the roof of Lucy’s cottage — a visual shift that will spark his sudden fear.
Stanza 7
In that instant, an irrational but powerful thought flashes in his mind: “If Lucy should be dead!”
This sudden emotional drop transforms the romantic ride into a moment of dread.
Themes
1. Love and Mortality – Even in moments of beauty, the fear of losing a loved one can suddenly appear.
2. Nature as a Mirror of Emotion – The moon’s descent parallels the shift in the speaker’s feelings.
3. Romantic Simplicity – Everyday imagery (moon, horse, orchard) is linked with deep emotion.
4. The Unexpectedness of Fear – The mind can produce dark thoughts even during moments of joy.
Literary Devices
Simile – “Fresh as a rose in June” compares Lucy’s beauty to a flower.
Personification – Nature seems to guide the emotional journey.
Symbolism – The moon symbolizes time, change, and the fragility of life.
Imagery – Vivid descriptions of the moonlit ride create a romantic mood.
Contrast – The peaceful journey is sharply interrupted by a fearful thought.
✅ 50 MCQs with Answers
50 MCQs on “Strange fits of passion have I known”
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1. Who is the poet of Strange fits of passion have I known?
A) Coleridge
B) Wordsworth
C) Shelley
D) Byron
Answer: B) Wordsworth
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2. The poem belongs to which series?
A) Sonnets of the River Duddon
B) Lyrical Ballads
C) Lucy Poems
D) Ode series
Answer: C) Lucy Poems
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3. The phrase “fits of passion” means—
A) Sudden bursts of emotion
B) Long-lasting love
C) Weakness of the body
D) Anger and violence
Answer: A) Sudden bursts of emotion
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4. Who is “she” in the poem?
A) A goddess
B) The poet’s sister
C) Lucy, the beloved
D) A stranger
Answer: C) Lucy, the beloved
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5. “Fresh as a rose in June” is an example of—
A) Metaphor
B) Simile
C) Personification
D) Hyperbole
Answer: B) Simile
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6. What does “rose in June” symbolize?
A) Old age
B) Fading beauty
C) Youth and freshness
D) Sorrow
Answer: C) Youth and freshness
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7. At what time does the poet ride to Lucy’s cottage?
A) Morning
B) Noon
C) Evening
D) Midnight
Answer: C) Evening
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8. What is meant by “bent my way”?
A) Changed my mind
B) Directed my journey
C) Bent down to pluck flowers
D) Avoided the path
Answer: B) Directed my journey
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9. What does “lea” mean?
A) Garden
B) Forest
C) Meadow/field
D) River
Answer: C) Meadow/field
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10. The horse “trudged on” means—
A) Ran fast
B) Stopped moving
C) Walked slowly and heavily
D) Jumped with joy
Answer: C) Walked slowly and heavily
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11. “Those paths so dear to me” suggests—
A) The poet hated those paths
B) The poet’s routine journey to Lucy
C) A dangerous journey
D) Unknown road
Answer: B) The poet’s routine journey to Lucy
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12. What does “orchard-plot” mean?
A) Vegetable field
B) Flower garden
C) Fruit garden
D) Open forest
Answer: C) Fruit garden
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13. “Cot” in the poem refers to—
A) A small bed
B) A small house/cottage
C) A child’s toy
D) A cart
Answer: B) A small house/cottage
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14. The moon seems to—
A) Rise higher
B) Stand still
C) Sink closer to Lucy’s cottage
D) Disappear into the clouds
Answer: C) Sink closer to Lucy’s cottage
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15. The sinking moon is a symbol of—
A) Love fulfilled
B) Death / mortality
C) Beauty
D) Morning
Answer: B) Death / mortality
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16. “In one of those sweet dreams I slept” means—
A) The poet fell asleep
B) He was dreaming while awake
C) He was tired
D) He forgot Lucy
Answer: B) He was dreaming while awake
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17. What is meant by “boon”?
A) Curse
B) Blessing
C) Fear
D) Question
Answer: B) Blessing
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18. “Hoof after hoof” is an example of—
A) Simile
B) Repetition
C) Alliteration
D) Metaphor
Answer: B) Repetition
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19. What suddenly disappears behind the cottage roof?
A) Sun
B) Moon
C) Stars
D) Clouds
Answer: B) Moon
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20. The sudden dropping of the moon creates—
A) Joyful mood
B) Suspense and fear
C) Laughter
D) Relief
Answer: B) Suspense and fear
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21. What type of thoughts enter the lover’s head?
A) Practical thoughts
B) Fond and wayward thoughts
C) Business thoughts
D) Political thoughts
Answer: B) Fond and wayward thoughts
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22. “O mercy!” is an example of—
A) Apostrophe
B) Exclamation
C) Metaphor
D) Irony
Answer: B) Exclamation
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23. What shocking thought comes to the poet at the end?
A) Lucy might have forgotten him
B) Lucy might be asleep
C) Lucy might be dead
D) Lucy might be angry
Answer: C) Lucy might be dead
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24. Which poetic form does this poem follow?
A) Sonnet
B) Ballad
C) Elegy
D) Epic
Answer: B) Ballad
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25. What is the rhyme scheme of the poem?
A) AABB
B) ABAB
C) ABBA
D) ABCB
Answer: B) ABAB
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26. The overall tone of the poem shifts from—
A) Anger to joy
B) Calm romance to sudden fear
C) Sadness to comedy
D) Fear to bravery
Answer: B) Calm romance to sudden fear
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27. Nature in the poem acts as—
A) Enemy
B) Companion and mirror of emotions
C) Background only
D) Danger
Answer: B) Companion and mirror of emotions
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28. “Kind Nature’s gentlest boon” refers to—
A) Death
B) Dreamlike calm
C) Hard work
D) Anger
Answer: B) Dreamlike calm
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29. Lucy in the poem represents—
A) Wealth
B) Power
C) Nature, simplicity, mortality
D) Wisdom
Answer: C) Nature, simplicity, mortality
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30. What is the central theme of the poem?
A) Patriotism
B) Love and fear of loss
C) Adventure
D) Religion
Answer: B) Love and fear of loss
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31. Who can understand the poet’s story according to him?
A) Children
B) Friends
C) Lovers
D) Soldiers
Answer: C) Lovers
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32. “Strange fits of passion have I known” opens with what type of voice?
A) Secret/confessional
B) Commanding
C) Angry
D) Joyful
Answer: A) Secret/confessional
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33. “Rose in June” is also an example of—
A) Personification
B) Imagery
C) Irony
D) Allegory
Answer: B) Imagery
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34. What does the horse’s steady movement suggest?
A) Time’s passing steadily
B) Excitement
C) Laziness
D) Fear
Answer: A) Time’s passing steadily
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35. The poem’s mood can be best described as—
A) Romantic → tragic shift
B) Angry → calm shift
C) Humorous → serious shift
D) Hopeless → hopeful shift
Answer: A) Romantic → tragic shift
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36. The moon functions as—
A) A mere natural object
B) A symbol of love and death
C) A comic image
D) A guide to farm work
Answer: B) A symbol of love and death
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37. The word “befell” in stanza 1 means—
A) Fell down
B) Happened
C) Remembered
D) Laughed
Answer: B) Happened
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38. The fear of Lucy’s death shows the poet’s—
A) Hatred
B) Possessiveness
C) Anxiety in love
D) Weakness in character
Answer: C) Anxiety in love
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39. “Fond and wayward thoughts” suggests that lovers’ thoughts are—
A) Rational and logical
B) Foolish and unpredictable
C) Practical and useful
D) Political and social
Answer: B) Foolish and unpredictable
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40. The poem ends on what tone?
A) Joy
B) Fearful imagination
C) Certainty
D) Anger
Answer: B) Fearful imagination
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41. Wordsworth is a poet of—
A) War
B) Politics
C) Nature and common man
D) Machines
Answer: C) Nature and common man
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42. “Descending moon” is an example of—
A) Symbolism
B) Metaphor
C) Allegory
D) Personification
Answer: A) Symbolism
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43. The final thought “If Lucy should be dead!” is—
A) A prophecy
B) A hallucination
C) A lover’s irrational fear
D) A fact
Answer: C) A lover’s irrational fear
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44. The poem captures the union of—
A) Man and machine
B) Man and society
C) Man and nature
D) Man and war
Answer: C) Man and nature
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45. Which sound device is used in “hoof after hoof”?
A) Onomatopoeia
B) Repetition
C) Assonance
D) Alliteration
Answer: B) Repetition
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46. The poet’s dreamlike state shows—
A) Nature’s calming influence
B) His laziness
C) His anger
D) His illness
Answer: A) Nature’s calming influence
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47. Which of these is NOT a theme in the poem?
A) Love
B) Death
C) Nature’s role
D) Political revolution
Answer: D) Political revolution
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48. The poem is narrated in—
A) Third person
B) First person
C) Second person
D) Passive voice
Answer: B) First person
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49. Why is the poem called “strange”?
A) Because the poet met a stranger
B) Because the lover’s sudden fear of death is unusual
C) Because Lucy was angry
D) Because the moon vanished
Answer: B) Because the lover’s sudden fear of death is unusual
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50. Which best describes the poem in one line?
A) A humorous ballad of a ride
B) A patriotic ballad
C) A romantic ballad ending with fear of death
D) A political satire
Answer: C) A romantic ballad ending with fear of death
✅ MIND MAP
Extra Facts for Students
This poem has 7 quatrains (four-line stanzas).
The rhyme scheme is ABCB.
The sudden ending is a hallmark of Romantic poetry — an emotional twist without a neat resolution.
The identity of Lucy is unknown — she might be based on a real person or be purely imaginary.
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