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THE STAR. In “She Dwelt among the Untrodden Ways,” the star from stanza 2 does a lot of symbolic work, representing basically all the personality traits the speaker uses to describe Lucy. In this sense, overall, the star stands in for obvious but inexpressible beauty. First, it symbolizes Lucy’s beauty. The speaker describes the star as “Fair,” which in its archaic sense means beautiful. At least in part, the star’s fairness derives from its isolation; it is beautiful because it is the “only one” in the sky. So, the star also points to Lucy’s isolation, reminding the reader of much of stanza 1, in which Lucy is described as living “among untrodden ways”—basically, in an isolated rural location—and having few to praise or love her. There is also a delicacy in the solely shining star. If it is beautiful for its isolation, then its beauty is fleeting: soon the sky will be crowded with stars. This delicacy, or fragility, recalls the directly previous description of Lucy as a violet next to a mossy stone—a slight, pretty flower thriving in the margin of a big, hairy rock. Finally, the star points to one of Lucy’s contradictions. In stanza 1 the speaker calls her a “Maid,” which in addition to implying youth and beauty, suggests, in its archaic meaning, that Lucy is a virgin. And later, Lucy is described as "unknown," which also, archaically, meant virginal. In one sense, the lone star supports this sense of purity, since it is clear, bright, and uncrowded. It is unobscured by other stars or, for example, factory smoke, which was common in English cities at the time the poem was written. As the first star in the sky, however, this one is probably not a star at all, but the planet Venus, named after the Roman goddess for love and beauty—and sex. In this case, the star stands for Lucy’s sex appeal as well. The indirect allusion to Venus, therefore, adds another layer to the speaker’s feelings for Lucy. Where this symbol appears in the poem: • Lines 7-8: “—Fair as a star, when only one / Is shining in the sky.”