Earth has not anything to show more fair.”
-- The Speaker (chapter 1)

Importance: This opening line is important as it establishes one of the main themes of the poem while also establishing a level of suspense. We know the speaker is describing some sort of scene that is incomparable in its beauty, however we do not know exactly what this scene is. As such, it is an effective initial line, drawing the reader in with the promise of majesty while not giving away too much information up front, forcing one to read on.

This City now doth, like a garment, wear/the beauty of the morning; silent, bare.”
-- The Speaker (4-5)

Importance: These lines juxtaposed with one another become significant in the paradox they represent. While the end of the first line describes the city clothed, the end of the second line describes it as bare. This paradox encapsulates the broader thematic paradox of the rural city the speaker...