How we cite our quotes: (Line)
Quote #1
No cloud, no relique of the sunken day
Distinguishes the West, no long thin slip
Of sullen light, no obscure trembling hues. (1-3)
The poem opens with some night-sky imagery. But the way the speaker talks about the sky may be different than the way most people do. The day is described as "sunken" and the light is described as "sullen" with "obscure trembling" colors. These adjectives are pretty bleak, right? Perhaps he's trying to get us to reconsider our normal associations with daylight.
Quote #2
Yet let us think upon the vernal showers
That gladden the green earth, and we shall find (9-10)
Our speaker sure does love his moss, trees, and growing things. Here, the earth is made happy by the rain, and the whole scene is one of springtime bliss. He echoes the green imagery throughout poem, and never challenges the way we associate spring with happiness. Perhaps the speaker just enjoys it too much to question it.
Quote #3
[…] and so his song
Should make all Nature lovelier, and itself (32-33)
After the poet spends some time in nature, argues the speaker, he'll be better able to compose a fitting ode to the natural world. He'll be a better poet who can, in turn, better nature with his words. Mankind's relationship to the natural world would then be one of mutual benefit. Sounds nice, right?