Dejection: An Ode Man and the Natural World Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Line)

Quote #1

This night, so tranquil now, will not go hence
Unroused by winds, that ply a busier trade
Than those which mould yon cloud in lazy flakes, (3-5)

It's important to note that the speaker's natural surroundings are peaceful ("tranquil") (3). When the wind kicks up, it's just an act of the speaker's imagination. He's not really experiencing a storm. He's projecting one, based on his emotional turmoil.

Quote #2

And oh! that even now the gust were swelling,
And the slant night-shower driving loud and fast!
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! (15-20)

Here the speaker is just wishing for a storm to come along. He's not actually experiencing one. The depth of his dejection is such that he wants a storm to shake him out of his doldrums, even if it's uncomfortable.

Quote #3

And those thin clouds above, in flakes and bars,
That give away their motion to the stars:
Those stars, that glide behind them or between,
Now sparkling, now bedimmed, but always seen;
Yon crescent Moon, as fixed as if it grew
In its own cloudless, starless lake of blue;
I see them all so excellently fair,
I see, not feel, how beautiful they are! (31-38)

Well this is sad. The speaker describes how he's separated from the natural world as a result of his dejection. He can only appreciate Nature intellectually, but he can't feel how beautiful it is. Having joy, in the Romantic ideal, means being connected to the natural world.