How we cite our quotes: (Line)
Quote #1
In a solitude of the sea
Deep from human vanity,
And the Pride of Life that planned her, stilly couches she.(1-3)
From the beginning, the speaker tells us that the sea is far from all of man's nonsense. And yet, ironically, man's Pride of Life ends up right there in the sea with little to no use. So it seems nature and man are at odds over what's really important in life.
Quote #2
Over the mirrors meant
To glass the opulent
The sea-worm crawls — grotesque, slimed, dumb, indifferent.(7-9)
Man might think mirrors are very important and all, but those sea worms are none too impressed. They just crawl with indifference over all of that opulence, which lends a creepy vibe to the speaker's contrast between man's vanity and his natural world.
Quote #3
Dim moon-eyed fishes near
Gaze at the gilded gear
And query: "What does this vaingloriousness down here?" ...(13-15)
Even the fish are wondering what's up with all of the "vaingloriousness" that looks pretty silly at the bottom of the sea. So the speaker is using nature and its creatures to point out the uselessness of vanity and glory by blending the two words together to make a funnier looking one.