Question

Read the excerpt below and answer the question.

SHE dwelt among the untrodden ways
Beside the springs of Dove,
A Maid whom there were none to praise
And very few to love:

A violet by a mossy stone
Half hidden from the eye!
--Fair as a star, when only one
Is shining in the sky.

She lived unknown, and few could know
When Lucy ceased to be;
But she is in her grave, and, oh,
The difference to me! (Wordsworth, “She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways”)

Which best summarizes the meaning of the poem’s second stanza?

She appreciated natural settings, and found beauty in living and non-living things.
Although she was beautiful, she was also modest and did not draw attention to herself.
She had trouble seeing clearly, and often lost her way as a result.
Her yard was a treasure trove for natural beauty, both in the daylight and at night.

Answer 1

She appreciated natural settings and found beauty in living and non-living things.

Answer 2

Although she was beautiful, she was also modest and did not draw attention to herself best summarizes the meaning of the poem's second stanza.

A violet by a mossy stone

Half hidden from the eye!

She was beautiful like a violet, nevertheless a mossy stone does not allow one to focus on the violet. A violet is small and the attention would be on the mossy stone rather than on the violet. This a metaphor, she is a violet.

Fair as a star, when only one

Is shining in the sky.

She is beautiful like the star, this also means her beauty enlightens the place. This is a simile: fair as a star.