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4. POLYPTOTON At the top of stanza 3, the poem uses polyptoton with the word “know” in order to emphasize its various meanings. The word appears in two forms, both in line 9: "unknown" and "know," an adjective (technically, a participle) negated by the prefix "un-," and a verb. Before considering the words' layered meaning, the reader will probably notice how they resemble lines 3 and 4. There, in stanza 1 , "there were none to praise" Lucy "And very few to love her." Here, in line 9, "She lived unknown, and few could know" when she died. The word "know" deepens the degree to which Lucy lived anonymous and unappreciated. Not only did nobody praise her. Hardly anyone even knew her. The word's repetition also sounds a bit like a justification. The speaker, considering that Lucy "lived unknown," can't blame people for not noticing when she died. "She lived so quietly and far away—how could anyone have known her?" the speaker seems to be asking. At this point, the reader may start considering the word's various meanings. The first case is the more layered one. "[U]nknown" could mean a number of things. It could mean literally no one knew she existed. Or, that people knew her, but not well. This interpretation raises the possibility that not even the speaker knew her. Sure enough, in line 6 the speaker admits that Lucy was "Half hidden from the eye," meaning she had a mysterious quality that persisted despite, presumably, time spent with her and attempts to "get to know" her. Finally, "unknown" could refer to Lucy's virginity, since "know," in an archaic sense, means "to have sex with." The word "Maid" in line 3, whose archaic meaning also implies virginity, supports this reading. Where Polyptoton appears in the poem: • Line 9: “unknown,” “know”