This poem describes the speaker drawing near to his lover's house. The speaker proclaims that he has been the victim of "strange fits of passion" and he will describe these "in the Lover's ear alone." The speaker loved a beautiful girl Lucy and the poem describes how he traveled to her cottage one night beneath the moon. The speaker is overcome by passionate thought realising how horrifying it would be if she were dead. The speaker's "strange fit" is the terrible, frightening thought of his lover dying. .
In this poem Wordsworth explores ideas about the intensity of passion humans can feel for each other, as well as how this human emotion is affected by the natural world surrounding them. Wordsworth explores the human feelings of fear and morbid fantasy that strike him from time to time. By describing these feelings as "strange" in the title and first line, the reader eventually comes to the realisation by the end of the poem that these feelings are indeed not strange and can mostly identify similar feelings of their own they experience. So the reader comes to identify with the speaker and his emotions showing how humans share common fears and passions. The reader sees how nature is connected with human emotion when the speaker is moved by what he sees around him, the moon, hills, cottage amongst the orchards all contribute to these thoughts and passions sliding into his head.
Wordsworth builds up the poem and conveys his ideas very effectively using language, structure and features of poetry. Wordsworth creates the feeling of a evolving story, drawing the reader in, especially with his manipulation of the poem's pace and suspense. The opening stanza gives a sense of secrecy and mystery with use of the words "dare" and "in the lover's ear alone." The pace then quickens throughout the poem highlighted by the horse's "quickening pace" and "my horse moved on; hoof after hoof." Wordsworth suggests impending darkness with the "evening moon" adding to the suspense slowly, step by step, though it is not yet threatening.