Like many other ballads, “Simon Lee, the Old Huntsman” by William Wordsworth is a rhyming lyrical poem that tells a specific person’s story. However, while the characters in many traditional ballads are either vibrant action heroes or romantic protagonists, and Simon Lee himself “once was tall” and worked as a huntsman, the speaker chooses to describe Simon Lee when he is old and decrepit (4). Regardless, the speaker clearly respects Simon Lee. He repeatedly praises Simon’s work ethic, emphasizing that Simon Lee, while physically incapable of doing all that is expected of him, never stops working and continually remains “so full of glee” (18).

The speaker, however, does not hold his audience in the same high esteem, as illustrated when he takes a break from describing Simon Lee around line 72 to directly accuse the listener of expecting a story. He chastises the listener, saying “O reader! had you in your mind / Such stores as silent thought can bring, / O gentle reader! you would find / A tale in every thing” (73-76). The speaker further clarifies that the ballad as presented “is no tale, but should you think, / Perhaps a tale you’ll make it” (79-80). In other words, if the reader wants an actual story, all he has to do is think. The speaker’s advice places the reader in an active role; rather than simply listening, the reader must think about the speaker’s words to identify and understand the moral tale of the poem. While this approach to behaving morally appears to radically differ from Simon Lee’s unbounded work ethic, thinking is actually the most active way that the reader can interact with the poem. In this passage, the speaker seemingly defines moral action as doing as much as possible in any given situation. Since Simon Lee, the reader, and the speaker himself all have vastly different roles in the story and poem, the ideal moral action for each of them manifests itself in diverse ways.

Without stating outright that Simon Lee is a moral person, the speaker continually implies that Lee’s exceptional work ethic, particularly given his physical disabilities, is the human ideal. At least “three score and ten” years old, with “few months of life… in store,” Simon Lee is “the weakest in the village” (7, 65, 40). Although he is a pitiful sight, no longer able to competently perform physical labor, Simon Lee is “forced to work” to survive because he and his wife live in poverty in an abandoned town (39). The speaker clearly believes that Simon Lee is a good person, either because he pushes himself to his physical limits, or because he is so physically limited. Even describing him in the form of a ballad suggests that Simon is a hero, and by continually emphasizing how horrid his living situation is, the speaker ensures that the reader realizes how amazing it is that “no man was so full of glee” as Simon Lee (86). Remaining surprisingly cheerful is one of two ways that Simon deals with his horrible circumstances; he also pushes himself into his daily tasks, working harder than any man of his age and situation should. Throughout the poem, Simon is always doing something as opposed to simply reflecting on his situation. For all the thinking that the speaker urges the reader to do, Simon Lee clearly cannot afford to just sit and ponder. He has no one to provide for him as “he has no son, he has no child” and “his master’s dead, and no one now / dwells in the hall of Ivor” (28-29, 21-22). If the joint efforts of Simon and “his wife, an aged woman” who is only slightly stronger and more able than he, are not enough to produce a living, what good would it do to waste time by thinking about his bad luck? (30). Even though Simon’s constant efforts are not enough to save him and his wife or even delay his inevitable death, the speaker clearly demonstrates that Simon Lee is responding to his situation in the best way possible, and therefore acting morally.

Since he is not just an outside narrator but also a participant in the poem’s plot, the speaker also has the ability and obligation of moral behavior. Most notably, “one summer-day [he] chanced to see / This old man doing all he could / About the root of an old tree, / A stump of rotten wood” (81-84). The speaker notices that despite his tireless efforts, Simon is simply too old and weak to cut down the tree on his own. Rather than continue his role as narrator and passively watch Simon struggle, the speaker approaches and offers to help. Grabbing Simon’s tool, he “struck, and with a single blow / the tangled root [he] severed” (93-94). This act, although quick and effortless for the speaker, saves Simon from endless hours of struggling, and his gratitude overwhelms the speaker. Even though the speaker has “heard of hearts unkind, kind deeds / With coldness still returning. / Alas! The gratitude of men / Has oftener left [him] mourning” (101-104). Specifically, Simon’s overpowering expression of appreciation saddens the speaker more than if his kind actions had simply been ignored. While Simon’s gratitude is a sad reminder of his own incompetence, it also shows how desperately he needs the speaker’s help. Therefore, abandoning his third-person narrator role and intervening was the most productive and moral choice that the speaker could have made in this situation.

No matter the amount of effort, the reader does not have this same ability to be part of the poem’s plot or interact with Simon Lee. To the reader, the poem is merely a story of one sad old man. However, the speaker’s command to “think” in order to “find / A tale in every thing,” reminds the reader that there is still the choice between being an active or passive audience member (79, 75-76). The speaker does not offer the reader this advice until well into the poem. By this point, most people will have already judged Simon Lee. Strategically placing his advice toward the poem’s end suggests that the speaker may actually have intended for the reader to have already dismissed Simon Lee and his story as unimportant. If fewer than seventy lines about Simon Lee are enough to bore the readers, then they likely dismiss similar people in their daily lives. However, by taking the time to stop and think about this poem, they can recognize the all-too-common story of people desperately needing help. Thinking about the situation in this poem is merely the first step to moral action in the real world.

In addition to being a participant in the poem, the speaker simultaneously functions as a passive, third person narrator. From this position, he assumes the power to evaluate the actions of both the reader and the ballad’s protagonist. With this power, he is quick to make judgments, certain that he knows how each participant should best behave morally. For the characters in the poem, the clear moral choice is to act. Due to economic circumstances, Simon Lee cannot stop working for a second if he wants to survive, and the speaker views this constant action as an example of admirable moral behavior. The speaker himself must abandon his inactive and reflective role as narrator and physically chop down a tree if he wants to help Simon. In both situations, standing back and thinking would be detrimental. For the reader however, the speaker’s instructions are the exact opposite. “Think,” he commands the reader, in order to “find / A tale in every thing” (79, 75-76). To the reader, Simon Lee’s specific situation is not as important as the general story of a man who is struggling to survive and would be extremely grateful for even the slightest bit of help. It is only by thinking about this poem that one recognizes that the situation can be applicable to actions in everyone’s daily life, which is why the speaker argues that the most moral action the reader can take is through thought.