How we cite our quotes: (Line)
Quote #1
When she I loved looked every day
Fresh as a rose in June, (5-6)
Aw, isn't this simile sweet? It's also the first of many references to nature as a way to describe the speaker's feelings about Lucy. Initially, everything is as fresh as a rose in June, but that moon does seem to be losing altitude.
Quote #2
Upon the moon I fixed my eye,
All over the wide lea; (9-10)
The moon is a powerful natural symbol in this poem. (Check out "Symbols" for more.) When it hits the speaker's eye, well, that's amore. It seems to guide him on his journey to Lucy's cabin. At the same time, though, it's sinking lower and lower in the sky. Its descent seems to reflect the mixed blessing of love, which brings both happiness and terror to our speaker.
Quote #3
And now we reached the orchard-plot;
And, as we climbed the hill,
The sinking moon to Lucy's cot
Came near, and nearer still. (13-16)
The moon seems almost to menace Lucy's cottage in these lines. It's no longer a beacon to guide the speaker to his beloved; it's like some kind of natural Death Star, getting nearer and nearer to the object of his desire.
Quote #4
In one of those sweet dreams I slept,
Kind Nature's gentlest boon! (17-18)
In these lines, the speaker describes his feelings of love for Lucy as a kind of dream. Moreover, he says that this feeling is one of the greatest gifts that Nature can bestow. To follow this logic, Nature itself is the ultimate source of love. Few Romantic writers would disagree with that idea.
Quote #5
When down behind the cottage roof,
At once, the bright moon dropped. (24-25)
Well, Nature giveth, and Nature taketh away. The moon leads the speaker on through the poem as he makes his way closer to Lucy's cottage, but it disappears just as he arrives. Not coincidentally, that's when his panic attack hits him, and he fears for Lucy's death.