How we cite our quotes: (Line)
Quote #1
O Lady! in this wan and heartless mood,
To other thoughts by yonder throstle woo'd,
All this long eve, so balmy and serene, (25-27)
This is the first time we realize that the poem actually has a specific audience. We don't get any more detail than this anonymous "Lady" title, but it nevertheless establishes a romantic undercurrent between the speaker and this person—whoever she might be. *cough*Sara Hutchinson*cough*
Quote #2
And would we aught behold, of higher worth,
Than that inanimate cold world allowed
To the poor loveless ever-anxious crowd, (50-52)
This is some pretty tricky language, but the rough translation is, "It would be great if we were able to see the world as more than a cold and dead place, which is the only perspective available to folks without love in their life." Love is not just a comfort, in other words; it's fundamental to viewing the world as a worthwhile place.
Quote #3
Full seldom may my friend such vigils keep!
Visit her, gentle Sleep! with wings of healing,
And may this storm be but a mountain-birth,
May all the stars hang bright above her dwelling,
Silent as though they watched the sleeping Earth! (127-131)
Section 8 is a mini-love poem to this "Lady." Here, the speaker starts off by hoping that she never has to suffer the same dejection that he has. If she does, he says, he hopes it's just a passing storm, not the full-on depressed state that he's described elsewhere.