“She was a Phantom of Delight” Summary

“She was a Phantom of Delight” Themes

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  Infatuation, Intimacy, and Love

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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “She was a Phantom of Delight”

• Lines 1-4

  She was a Phantom of delight
  When first she gleamed upon my sight;
  A lovely Apparition, sent
  To be a moment's ornament;

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 5-10

  Her eyes as stars of Twilight fair;
  Like Twilight's, too, her dusky hair;
  But all things else about her drawn
  From May-time and the cheerful Dawn;
  A dancing Shape, an Image gay,
  To haunt, to startle, and way-lay.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 11-16

  I saw her upon nearer view,
  A Spirit, yet a Woman too!
  Her household motions light and free,
  And steps of virgin liberty;
  A countenance in which did meet
  Sweet records, promises as sweet;

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 17-20

  A Creature not too bright or good
  For human nature's daily food;
  For transient sorrows, simple wiles,
  Praise, blame, love, kisses, tears, and smiles.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 21-24

  And now I see with eye serene
  The very pulse of the machine;
  A Being breathing thoughtful breath;
  A Traveller betwixt life and death;

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 25-30

  The reason firm, the temperate will,
  Endurance, foresight, strength, and skill;
  A perfect Woman; nobly planned,
  To warn, to comfort, and command;
  And yet a Spirit still, and bright
  With something of an angel light.

  

  

  

  

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“She was a Phantom of Delight” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

• Metaphor

  

  

  

  

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• Simile

  

  

  

  

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• Alliteration

  

  

  

  

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• Repetition

  

  

  

  

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“She was a Phantom of Delight” Vocabulary

Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

• Phantom
• Gleamed
• Apparition
• Ornament
• Twilight fair
• Dusky
• An Image gay
• Way-lay
• Household motions
• Virgin-liberty
• Countenance
• Sweet records
• Transient
• Wiles
• The temperate will
• Nobly planned

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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “She was a Phantom of Delight”

• Form

• Meter

• Rhyme Scheme

“She was a Phantom of Delight” Speaker

“She was a Phantom of Delight” Setting

Literary and Historical Context of “She was a Phantom of Delight”

More “She was a Phantom of Delight” Resources

• External Resources

  • An Introduction to Wordsworth's Life and Career — A biography of the poet from the Poetry Foundation.

  • Listen to the Poem Read Aloud — A reading of the poem by Antony Wordsworth—the poet's great great great grandson!

  • Love Letters Provide a Window into Wordsworth and Hutchinson's Marriage — A Washington Post article discussing the discovery of correspondence between Wordsworth and Mary Hutchinson. 

  • A Look at Georgian Era Gender Roles — An article discussing society's expectations for men and women in 18th- and early 19th-century England. 

  • Wordsworth's "Strange Fits of Passion" — A New Yorker essay on what made Wordsworth's work so revolutionary—and why he's always divided critics and audiences alike. 

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