Three years she grew in sun and shower By William Wordsworth Line by Line Explanation, Summary, Theme, Critical Analysis, Poetic Device
About the Poet –
William Wordsworth (1770–1850)
Nationality: English
Era: Romantic Age
Known for: Using simple language to express profound emotions, love for nature, and focus on common rural life.
Beliefs: Nature is a teacher, moral guide, and source of spiritual comfort.
Lucy Poems: A group of five poems possibly inspired by a mysterious woman (or symbolic figure) representing ideal beauty, innocence, and the tragedy of early death.
Famous Works: Lyrical Ballads (with Samuel Taylor Coleridge), The Prelude, Daffodils.
Theme Summary
The poem explores Nature’s nurturing and controlling power over human life, showing how Nature shapes Lucy’s beauty, spirit, and character. Lucy is portrayed as pure and innocent, growing in harmony with the natural world. Nature promises to make her graceful, strong, and serene through mountains, storms, rivers, stars, and calm valleys.
However, the poem ends with a sudden reminder of life’s fragility — Lucy dies young, and all that remains for the poet is the peaceful landscape and the bittersweet memory of her. This contrast between the beauty of life and the inevitability of death reflects Romantic ideals: deep emotional connection with nature, celebration of innocence, and acceptance of mortality.
STANZA WISE EXPLANATION LINE BY LINE
Stanza 1
Three years she grew in sun and shower;
Then Nature said, “A lovelier flower
On earth was never sown;
This Child I to myself will take;
She shall be mine, and I will make
A Lady of my own.
Line-by-Line Explanation – Stanza 1
1. Three years she grew in sun and shower – Lucy lived for three years, growing naturally under both sunshine and rain (symbolizing the ups and downs of life).
2. Then Nature said, “A lovelier flower / On earth was never sown; – Nature personified speaks, saying no more beautiful being has ever been created (metaphor: Lucy as a flower).
3. This Child I to myself will take; – Nature decides to claim Lucy for herself.
4. She shall be mine, and I will make / A Lady of my own. – Nature plans to raise Lucy according to her own design, shaping her character and beauty.
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Stanza 2
Myself will to my darling be
Both law and impulse; and with me
The Girl, in rock and plain,
In earth and heaven, in glade and bower,
Shall feel an overseeing power
To kindle or restrain.
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Line-by-Line Explanation – Stanza 2
1. Myself will to my darling be / Both law and impulse – Nature will be both Lucy’s guide (law) and inspiration (impulse).
2. And with me / The Girl, in rock and plain, – Lucy will live close to natural landscapes—mountains (rock) and open fields (plain).
3. In earth and heaven, in glade and bower, – She will experience the beauty of both earth and sky, shaded clearings (glade) and leafy shelters (bower).
4. Shall feel an overseeing power / To kindle or restrain. – Nature will control her emotions and behavior, inspiring passion (“kindle”) or calming her (“restrain”).
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Stanza 3
She shall be sportive as the fawn
That wild with glee across the lawn
Or up the mountain springs;
And hers shall be the breathing balm,
And hers the silence and the calm
Of mute insensate things.
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Line-by-Line Explanation – Stanza 3
1. She shall be sportive as the fawn – Lucy will be playful and lively like a young deer.
2. That wild with glee across the lawn / Or up the mountain springs – Just like a fawn runs joyfully over meadows and mountains.
3. And hers shall be the breathing balm – She will possess a refreshing and soothing presence, like the fresh air of nature.
4. And hers the silence and the calm / Of mute insensate things. – She will also have the quiet calmness of lifeless elements in nature (rocks, streams, trees).
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Stanza 4
The floating clouds their state shall lend
To her; for her the willow bend;
Nor shall she fail to see
Even in the motions of the storm
Grace that shall mould the maiden’s form
By silent sympathy.
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Line-by-Line Explanation – Stanza 4
1. The floating clouds their state shall lend / To her – She will gain dignity and grace from the beauty of clouds.
2. For her the willow bend – The willow tree will bow as if in respect to her presence.
3. Nor shall she fail to see / Even in the motions of the storm – Even in fierce storms, she will notice beauty.
4. Grace that shall mould the maiden’s form / By silent sympathy – The power and beauty of storms will quietly shape her spirit and personality.
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Stanza 5
The stars of midnight shall be dear
To her; and she shall lean her ear
In many a secret place
Where rivulets dance their wayward round,
And beauty born of murmuring sound
Shall pass into her face.
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Line-by-Line Explanation – Stanza 5
1. The stars of midnight shall be dear / To her – She will love the beauty of night skies.
2. And she shall lean her ear / In many a secret place – She will listen closely in secluded, peaceful spots.
3. Where rivulets dance their wayward round – To the playful sounds of small streams flowing in twisting paths.
4. And beauty born of murmuring sound / Shall pass into her face – The charm of these gentle sounds will reflect in her beauty and expression.
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Stanza 6
And vital feelings of delight
Shall rear her form to stately height,
Her virgin bosom swell;
Such thoughts to Lucy I will give
While she and I together live
Here in this happy dell.
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Line-by-Line Explanation – Stanza 6
1. And vital feelings of delight / Shall rear her form to stately height – Joy and natural life will make her grow gracefully.
2. Her virgin bosom swell – Her innocence and purity will flourish.
3. Such thoughts to Lucy I will give – Nature promises to fill her mind with noble thoughts.
4. While she and I together live / Here in this happy dell – This would continue as long as Lucy lives in this beautiful valley.
Stanza 7
Thus Nature spake—The work was done—
How soon my Lucy’s race was run!
She died, and left to me
This heath, this calm and quiet scene;
The memory of what has been,
And never more will be.
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Line-by-Line Explanation – Stanza 7
1. Thus Nature spake—The work was done— – Nature finishes her speech.
2. How soon my Lucy’s race was run! – Lucy’s life ended too soon.
3. She died, and left to me / This heath, this calm and quiet scene – Only the landscape remains.
4. The memory of what has been, / And never more will be. – The speaker is left with memories that can never be lived again.
Overall Summary
“Three Years She Grew” tells the story of Lucy, a pure and beautiful child, whom Nature decides to raise personally, shaping her grace, character, and spirit through nature’s elements—mountains, storms, rivers, stars. But the beauty and promise of this life are cut short when Lucy dies young. The speaker is left with a peaceful but painful memory of her.
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Themes
Nature as a nurturing force – Nature shapes Lucy’s body, mind, and soul.
Innocence and purity – Lucy is compared to a flower and a fawn.
Beauty in life and death – Even storms have grace, just as Lucy’s short life has beauty.
Loss and memory – The ending shifts from hope to sorrow.
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Tone Shifts
Stanzas 1–6: Gentle, hopeful, nurturing.
Stanza 7: Sudden, sorrowful, final.
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Poetic Devices (per stanza)
Stanza 1 – Personification (Nature speaks), Metaphor (Lucy as flower).
Stanza 2 – Personification, Alliteration (“glade and bower”).
Stanza 3 – Simile (sportive as the fawn), Imagery.
Stanza 4 – Personification (willow bend), Imagery.
Stanza 5 – Alliteration (“murmuring sound”), Imagery.
Stanza 6 – Symbolism (dell as peaceful life).
Stanza 7 – Euphemism (“race was run” for death), Contrast.
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Complete List of Poetic Devices in the Poem
1. Personification – Nature acts as a mother and teacher.
2. Metaphor – Lucy as a flower.
3. Simile – Lively as a fawn.
4. Imagery – Vivid nature scenes.
5. Symbolism – Dell for peace, storms for strength.
6. Alliteration – “murmuring sound,” “glade and bower.”
7. Euphemism – “Race was run” for death.
Poem: “Three years she grew in sun and shower” by William Wordsworth
Stanza 1
Line 1: “Three years she grew in sun and shower,”
👉 Lucy lived for only three years, growing naturally in sunshine and rain.
Line 2: “Then Nature said, ‘A lovelier flower”
👉 Nature personified (spoken as if alive) says that Lucy is like a beautiful flower.
Line 3: “On earth was never sown;”
👉 Such beauty has never been planted or born on earth.
Line 4: “This Child I to myself will take;”
👉 Nature decides to claim Lucy for itself.
Line 5: “She shall be mine, and I will make”
👉 Nature says Lucy will belong to it alone.
Line 6: “A Lady of my own.”
👉 Nature will raise her to be its own special creation.
Hard words:
Shower = rain.
Sown = planted.
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Stanza 2
Line 7: “Myself will to my darling be”
👉 Nature will become everything for Lucy.
Line 8: “Both law and impulse: and with me”
👉 Nature will guide her with both discipline (law) and inspiration (impulse).
Line 9: “The Girl, in rock and plain,”
👉 Lucy will grow up close to mountains (rock) and open fields (plain).
Line 10: “In earth and heaven, in glade and bower,”
👉 She will live among earth, sky, clearings (glade), and shady shelters (bower).
Line 11: “Shall feel an overseeing power”
👉 Lucy will sense a guiding power of Nature everywhere.
Line 12: “To kindle or restrain.”
👉 Nature will inspire her passions (kindle) and also control them (restrain).
Hard words:
Impulse = inner drive or instinct.
Glade = open space in a forest.
Bower = shady place under trees.
Kindle = to set on fire, inspire.
Restrain = to hold back, control.
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Stanza 3
Line 13: “She shall be sportive as the fawn”
👉 Lucy will be playful like a young deer (fawn).
Line 14: “That wild with glee across the lawn”
👉 Like a deer happily running across the grass (lawn).
Line 15: “Or up the mountain springs;”
👉 Or leaping up mountains.
Line 16: “And hers shall be the breathing balm,”
👉 She will enjoy the fresh, soothing air (balm).
Line 17: “And hers the silence and the calm”
👉 She will also enjoy silence and peace.
Line 18: “Of mute insensate things.”
👉 Of lifeless things in nature (rocks, stones, etc.).
Hard words:
Sportive = playful.
Fawn = young deer.
Balm = something soothing or healing.
Mute = silent.
Insensate = without feeling.
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Stanza 4
Line 19: “The floating clouds their state shall lend”
👉 Even clouds will add to her dignity.
Line 20: “To her; for her the willow bend;”
👉 The willow tree will bow gracefully for her.
Line 21: “Nor shall she fail to see”
👉 She will not miss noticing…
Line 22: “Even in the motions of the storm”
👉 …even in violent storms.
Line 23: “Grace that shall mould the Maiden’s form”
👉 She will learn grace from the storm’s movements, shaping her character.
Line 24: “By silent sympathy.”
👉 Nature will silently influence her growth.
Hard words:
Mould = shape, form.
Maiden = young girl.
Sympathy = deep connection, harmony.
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Stanza 5
Line 25: “The stars of midnight shall be dear”
👉 The night stars will be close to her heart.
Line 26: “To her; and she shall lean her ear”
👉 She will listen closely.
Line 27: “In many a secret place”
👉 In hidden corners of nature.
Line 28: “Where rivulets dance their wayward round,”
👉 Where small streams (rivulets) flow playfully in winding paths.
Line 29: “And beauty born of murmuring sound”
👉 She will hear the beauty in the soft sounds of streams.
Line 30: “Shall pass into her face.”
👉 This natural beauty will reflect in her personality and appearance.
Hard words:
Rivulet = small stream.
Wayward = unpredictable.
Murmuring = soft, flowing sound.
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Stanza 6
Line 31: “And vital feelings of delight”
👉 She will feel lively joy.
Line 32: “Shall rear her form to stately height,”
👉 Her body and mind will grow tall and noble.
Line 33: “Her virgin bosom swell;”
👉 Her pure heart will be full of natural feelings.
Line 34: “Such thoughts to Lucy I will give”
👉 Nature says it will give Lucy such qualities.
Line 35: “While she and I together live”
👉 As long as Lucy is alive with Nature.
Line 36: “Here in this happy dell.”
👉 In this beautiful valley (dell).
Hard words:
Stately = dignified, majestic.
Virgin bosom = pure, innocent heart.
Dell = small valley.
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Stanza 7 (Final)
Line 37: “Thus Nature spake — The work was done—”
👉 Nature said these words, but the promise was broken.
Line 38: “How soon my Lucy’s race was run!”
👉 Lucy’s life ended quickly.
Line 39: “She died, and left to me”
👉 Lucy died, leaving the poet behind.
Line 40: “This heath, this calm and quiet scene;”
👉 Only the empty fields (heath) and peaceful landscape remain.
Line 41: “The memory of what has been,”
👉 What remains is only her memory.
Line 42: “And never more will be.”
👉 Lucy will never return.
Hard words:
Race was run = life ended.
Heath = open, uncultivated land.
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Summary
Nature adopted Lucy, planning to make her a perfect creation, raised by the harmony of natural forces.
She would be playful, graceful, calm, and deeply connected to nature.
But her life ended very soon, leaving only memories and the natural landscape behind.
50 One-Liner Questions with Explanations
General / About Poem
1. *Who wrote “Three Years She Grew in Sun and Shower”?
👉 William Wordsworth — part of the Lucy poems.
2. What is the central theme of the poem?
👉 Relationship between Nature and Lucy — Nature nurtures her but also takes her away.
3. What type of poem is it?
👉 A pastoral elegy — mourning Lucy’s death in harmony with nature.
4. Who is Lucy in the poem?
👉 A symbolic young girl, representing simplicity, beauty, and closeness to nature.
5. What literary device is used when Nature is made to speak?
👉 Personification — Nature is treated as a mother/guardian.
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From Stanza 1
6. What does “sun and shower” signify?
👉 Natural growth under sunshine and rain.
7. What does Nature call Lucy in stanza 1?
👉 A “lovelier flower” — metaphor for her beauty.
8. What does Nature decide to do with Lucy?
👉 To take her for itself, make her a “Lady of my own.”
9. What does “sown” mean in line 3?
👉 Planted — refers to Lucy being like a flower.
10. How many years did Lucy live before Nature claimed her?
👉 Three years.
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From Stanza 2
11. What role will Nature play in Lucy’s life?
👉 Both law (discipline) and impulse (freedom).
12. What does “glade” mean?
👉 Open clearing in a forest.
13. What does “bower” mean?
👉 Shady shelter of trees.
14. What power will Lucy feel according to Nature?
👉 An “overseeing power” that can inspire (kindle) or control (restrain).
15. What quality of Nature is highlighted here?
👉 Balance — it gives both freedom and restraint.
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From Stanza 3
16. What does “sportive as the fawn” mean?
👉 Lucy will be playful like a young deer.
17. What is compared to Lucy’s playfulness?
👉 A fawn leaping across lawns and mountains.
18. What will Lucy inherit from nature’s silence?
👉 Calmness of mute, lifeless things.
19. What does “balm” symbolize here?
👉 Soothing freshness of natural air.
20. What contrast is shown in this stanza?
👉 Energy (sportive like fawn) vs. calmness (mute things).
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From Stanza 4
21. What natural object lends dignity to Lucy?
👉 Floating clouds.
22. Which tree bends for Lucy?
👉 The willow tree.
23. What does Nature say Lucy will learn even in storms?
👉 Grace that shapes her character.
24. What does “silent sympathy” mean?
👉 Unspoken influence of nature on her.
25. What poetic device is used in storm teaching grace?
👉 Paradox — wild storm gives calm grace.
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From Stanza 5
26. Which time of day is especially dear to Lucy?
👉 Midnight stars.
27. What does Lucy listen to in secret places?
👉 Murmuring sounds of rivulets.
28. What is a rivulet?
👉 Small stream.
29. How does beauty pass into Lucy’s face?
👉 From the harmony of sights and sounds of nature.
30. What poetic device is “rivulets dance”?
👉 Personification — streams described as dancing.
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From Stanza 6
31. What feelings will Lucy experience?
👉 Vital feelings of delight.
32. What does “stately height” mean?
👉 Noble growth of her character.
33. What does “virgin bosom swell” indicate?
👉 Innocent heart filled with emotions.
34. Where will Lucy and Nature live together?
👉 In a happy dell (valley).
35. What does ‘dell’ mean?
👉 Small secluded valley.
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From Stanza 7 (Final)
36. What happens to Lucy in the end?
👉 She dies young.
37. What does “race was run” mean?
👉 Her life was finished.
38. What remains after Lucy’s death?
👉 Heath, calm landscape, and memories.
39. What is a heath?
👉 Open uncultivated land.
40. Why is the ending tragic?
👉 Nature promised to nurture her, but instead took her life.
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Themes & Devices
41. What main contrast does the poem show?
👉 Nature’s nurturing power vs. inevitability of death.
42. What is the poem’s tone?
👉 Calm, reflective, and elegiac.
43. What does Lucy symbolize?
👉 Innocence, natural beauty, and mortality.
44. Which poetic device dominates the poem?
👉 Personification of Nature.
45. Why is Lucy called a “flower”?
👉 To symbolize beauty, fragility, and short life.
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Exam-Oriented
46. Why is the poem also called a “Lucy poem”?
👉 Because it belongs to Wordsworth’s group of poems about Lucy.
47. What lesson about life does the poem teach?
👉 Human life is fragile, but deeply connected to nature.
48. What kind of death does Lucy face?
👉 A peaceful, natural death.
49. What memory does the poet retain of Lucy?
👉 The calm scene where she once lived.
50. How does Wordsworth reconcile grief in this poem?
👉 By accepting Lucy’s life and death as part of Nature’s law.
20 Hard Questions from the Lines
1. “Three years she grew in sun and shower” – What does this line emphasize?
👉 Natural growth of Lucy under Nature’s care; her short lifespan.
2. Why does Nature call Lucy a “lovelier flower”?
👉 Metaphor: Lucy’s beauty is delicate and rare like a flower.
3. “This Child I to myself will take” – Who is speaking here?
👉 Nature, personified as Lucy’s guardian and teacher.
4. What contrast is suggested by Nature being both “law and impulse”?
👉 Discipline (law) vs. freedom and instinct (impulse).
5. “In earth and heaven, in glade and bower” – What does this line suggest?
👉 Lucy’s life will be surrounded and shaped by every aspect of Nature.
6. “To kindle or restrain” – What power of Nature is shown here?
👉 Power to inspire passion (kindle) and to control it (restrain).
7. “She shall be sportive as the fawn” – What is implied by the simile?
👉 Lucy’s innocence, energy, and closeness to wild creatures.
8. “And hers shall be the breathing balm” – What does ‘balm’ signify here?
👉 Healing freshness and calmness of natural air.
9. “Of mute insensate things” – What paradox is hidden here?
👉 Lifeless things (rocks, stones) teach Lucy peace and calmness.
10. “The floating clouds their state shall lend” – What poetic device is used?
👉 Personification – clouds lending dignity to Lucy.
11. Why does the willow “bend” for Lucy?
👉 Symbol of tenderness, humility, and harmony with her presence.
12. “Grace that shall mould the Maiden’s form” – What does “grace” mean here?
👉 Elegance and moral beauty shaped by natural forces.
13. “By silent sympathy” – Why is Nature’s influence called ‘silent’?
👉 Nature works quietly, without words, shaping Lucy’s character.
14. “The stars of midnight shall be dear” – What is implied about Lucy?
👉 She finds joy and comfort even in the mysteries of night.
15. “Rivulets dance their wayward round” – What qualities of Lucy are reflected here?
👉 Her spontaneity, liveliness, and unpredictable charm.
16. “Beauty born of murmuring sound / Shall pass into her face” – How does this line symbolize Lucy’s growth?
👉 Nature’s music (streams, sounds) will reflect in her personality and beauty.
17. “Vital feelings of delight / Shall rear her form to stately height” – What development is described?
👉 Her inner joy will help her grow tall in spirit and noble in character.
18. “Such thoughts to Lucy I will give / While she and I together live” – What irony lies here?
👉 Nature promises lifelong companionship, but Lucy dies young.
19. “How soon my Lucy’s race was run!” – What metaphor is used?
👉 Life compared to a race, showing its brevity.
20. “The memory of what has been, / And never more will be” – What tone dominates these final lines?
👉 Elegiac — sorrowful acceptance that Lucy is gone forever.
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