The stars awaken a certain reverence, because though always present, they are inaccessible; but all natural objects make a kindred impression, when the mind is open to their influence. Nature never wears a mean appearance....The charming landscape which I saw this morning, is indubitably made up of some twenty or thirty farms. Miller owns this field, Locke that, and Manning the woodland beyond. But none of them owns the landscape. There is a property in the horizon which no man has but he whose eye can integrate all the parts, that is, the poet. This is the best part of these men's farms, yet to this their warranty-deeds give no title. To speak truly, few adult persons can see nature. Most persons do not see the sun. At least they have a very superficial seeing. The sun illuminates only the eye of the man, but shines into the eye and the heart of the child. The lover of nature is he whose inward and outward senses are still truly adjusted to each other; who has retained the spirit of infancy even into the era of manhood.

Nature, according to Emerson, who also named his book after it, is pretty dang awesome. Nature allows us to be young again, it allows to reflect, and it allows us to escape our sorrows. Feeling crappy? A frolic in the woods might be the best medicine to lift your spirits.

The passage above also reflects the idea of "Correspondence," which is so important to the Transcendentalists. Emerson suggests that Nature reflects our inner selves. It's an extension of us, and we're an extension of it. It's only when we fully acknowledge and accept this Correspondence that we can benefit from all the gifts that Nature has to offer.

A lot of the power of this passage lies in Emerson's abilities when it comes to imagery and description. We really get a sense of the power and beauty of nature through Emerson's words.

What's more, Emerson gives us a sense of the way in which nature is something that we can never own. All of his buddies own farms, but they don't own the landscape that makes up those farms. That landscape escapes the boundaries of their ownership. In this sense, nature is free. It's beyond our grasp, but if we open ourselves to it, it is also within our grasp. Inspiring, ain't it?