Binsey Poplars Man and the Natural World Quotes

The poem's epigraph lets us know that we're going to be looking at the intersection of man and the natural world. After all, the word "felled" suggests that those titular trees were cut down deliberately. They didn't just blow over in a stiff wind.

The phrase "My aspens dear" is an interesting one. It tells us that the speaker had deep affection for these trees, and that's borne out in the rest of the poem. At the same time, though, "my" suggests that the poet felt some kind of ownership over these trees, and that's not really how unspoiled Nature is supposed to work—is it?

The repetition of "felled" here drives home the loss that the speaker feels at seeing the trees cut down. He's so stunned, it seems like he's run out of words—in this line anyway. He soon regains his composure, and then he has plenty to say.