Question

i neer was struck before that hour
with love so sudden and so sweet,
her face it bloomed like a sweet flower
and stole my heart away complete.
my face turned pale as deadly pale,
my legs refused to walk away,
and when she looked, what could i ail?
my life and all seemed turned to clay.
guiding questions
question 1 of 3
why does the speaker feel like everything has turned to clay?
a they fear that the woman has used sorcery to cast a spell on them.
b they are so struck by the womans beauty that they cannot move.
c they are embarrassed that the woman caught them staring at her.
d they feel they were too slow and missed the chance to talk to the woman.

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze the poem and the options:

• Option A: The poem has no mention of sorcery, so this is incorrect.
• Option B: The poem describes the speaker being struck by love ("With love so sudden and so sweet"), and their physical reactions (pale face, legs refusing to move) show they are overwhelmed by the woman's beauty, making them feel "turned to clay" (immobile, in awe). This matches.
• Option C: There's no indication the woman caught them staring; the focus is on the speaker's reaction to love, not embarrassment.
• Option D: The poem doesn't mention missing a chance to talk; it's about the immediate impact of the woman's presence.

Answer:

B. They are so struck by the woman's beauty that they cannot move.