How we cite our quotes: (Line)
Quote #1
My song has put off her adornments.
She has no pride of dress or decoration. (1-2)
In the first two lines of the poem, the speaker presents his song as a "woman" who is taking off all her fancy things—her "adornments" and "decoration." These lines indicate that an emphasis on appearances—in this case fancy poetic devices—isn't a good thing.
Quote #2
Ornaments would mar our union;
they would come between thee and me;
their jingling would drown thy whispers. (3-5)
The speaker continues with the metaphor of "ornaments" and adornment in these lines. Here he suggests that appearances (which are symbolized through "ornaments") are bad for us because they distract us from the "whispers" of the divine. If the speaker gets too caught up in making his poem look and sound pretty, he will be distracted from accessing divine truth.
Quote #3
Only let me make my life simple and straight,
like a flute of reed for thee to fill with music. (8-9)
A flute isn't a fancy instrument—it's made of a simple reed. By comparing his life to a "flute of reed," the speaker suggests that an emphasis on simplicity is more important than an emphasis on appearances. Only when we focus on simplicity, the idea is, will God speak to us and through us.