What is the narrator point of view in the poem, A Lover’s Complaint?

This poem has an unusual point of view, with multiple layered perspectives introduced throughout the poem. At the very beginning, the poet introduces a first-person past perspective through the use of pronouns like “I” and “me,” writing “my spirits t’attend this double voice” (3). This narrative voice serves an introductory role, bringing the reader through a physical journey to the natural world where the poem takes place. After this first stanza, the narrator disappears entirely from the poem.

Then the poem shifts to a distant third-person, which describes the physical events that are being observed: the young woman standing in the vale, tearing apart the favors she was given from her lover. She is depicted from an outside perspective. Afterwards, the poem shifts to a closer third-person perspective on the older man, still speaking from an external perspective but now revealing his thoughts and feelings and not just his external actions.

However, the bulk of the poem is reported speech from the young woman, sharing her dialogue as she speaks it. This is yet another shift in the way that the poem is narrated.

In all, the poem seems to have four distinct uses of point of view, all of which are used for parts of the poem and then abandoned when another point of view more directly suits the narrative of the poem. It uses point of view as a flexible tool to support the characterization and narrative present in the poem.