The Garden Ambition Quotes

Right off the bat, we see that Marvell thinks people's attempt to earn recognition in the public sphere is "vain" and misguided

In classical times, crowns of palm, oak, and laurel were symbols of public recognition and respect

It sounds like our speaker may have been striving for some recognition in the public sphere once a upon a time, too. Perhaps he's come to these realizations the hard way.

Our speaker's ambitions are not gone, they have simply changed. Where once he might have wanted a crown of laurels, now he strives to prepare himself for "longer flight," a.k.a. death.

A state of pure solitude is another one of our speaker's ambitions, but does he think such an escape is within his reach? Or is this more wishful thinking?