To him who in the love of Nature holds / Communion with her visible forms, she speaks / A various language
-- Speaker (Lines 1-3)

Importance: These are the opening lines of the poem. The speaker expresses the belief that connection with nature offers its own distinctive rewards. Nature sweetens the exuberance of youth and soothes the anxieties of age. This is most pronounced as one approaches death, where nature may guide the human mind and offer solace.

When thoughts / Of the last bitter hour come like a blight / Over thy spirit, and sad images / Of the stern agony, and shroud, and pall, / And breathless darkness, and the narrow house, / Make thee to shudder, and grow sick at heart;— / Go forth, under the open sky, and list / To Nature’s teachings
-- Speaker (Lines 8-15)

Importance: In these lines the speaker advises the universal human subject to seek solace from nature. Human anxieties are dampened by the exalted wisdom emanating from the...