Dejection: An Ode Dissatisfaction Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Line)

Quote #1

Those sounds which oft have raised me, whilst they awed
And sent my soul abroad,
Might now perhaps their wonted impulse give,
Might startle this dull pain, and make it move and live! (17-20)

The speaker is so far down in the dumps that he wishes for a storm to hit him, just to shake him out of his funk. He's passed the anger and sorrow stages of dissatisfaction and has become totally numb to his surroundings.

Quote #2

A grief without a pang, void, dark, and drear,
A stifled, drowsy, unimpassioned grief,
Which finds no natural outlet, no relief,
In word, or sigh, or tear— (21-24)

There is just no way for our speaker to shake off his sour mood. It's like a deep depression, a "drowsy" lack of energy that robs him even of his ability to express himself. But wait—we do have this poem… right?

Quote #3

I see them all so excellently fair,
I see, not feel, how beautiful they are! (37-38)

The speaker's dissatisfaction prevents him from connecting to the natural world. He can only abstractly appreciate his surroundings, but it's as though he's separated from the world around him. Those are some seriously bad feelings, particularly in a Romantic poem in which Nature is so important.