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Stanza 42 Summary

Get out the microscope, because we’re going through this poem line-by-line.

Lines 370-378

He is made one with Nature: there is heard
His voice in all her music, from the moan
Of thunder, to the song of night's sweet bird;
He is a presence to be felt and known
In darkness and in light, from herb and stone,
Spreading itself where'er that Power may move
Which has withdrawn his being to its own;
Which wields the world with never-wearied love,
Sustains it from beneath, and kindles it above.

  • The youth is now one with nature, says the speaker. 
  • His voice is present in thunder and the sounds of birds. You can feel him in the darkness and in the light, and everywhere along the earth. 
  • Nature (which the speaker also calls the "Power") drew Adonais-Keats back into itself, but wasn't selfish with the youth. Nature shares him with the world, which helps keep the world going. 
  • The speaker isn't being literal here; he just feels that Adonais-Keats' spirit isn't gone, even if his body is.