Dejection: An Ode Man and the Natural World Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Line)

Quote #4

And in our life alone does Nature live;
Ours is her wedding-garment, ours her shroud! (48-49)

This is a key idea of the poem. Here the speaker is arguing that Nature only has "life" thanks to human perception. That actually strikes us as true in some ways. Don't we project our values and ideas onto the natural world? We see some animals as "mean" and others as "friendly," but at the end of the day, maybe they're just animals. The implication here, then, is that our moods have the power to influence the way we view the world around us.

Quote #5

Joy, Lady! is the spirit and the power,
Which wedding Nature to us gives in dower,
A new Earth and new Heaven, (67-69)

There's nothing like a good mood to put a whole new paint job on things. In this passage, the speaker points out how joy can both bring us closer to the natural world, as well as make it seem brand new to us. Good times.

Quote #6

For hope grew round me, like the twining vine,
And fruits, and foliage, not my own, seemed mine.
But now afflictions bow me down to earth: (80-82)

The speaker's metaphors all seem to be based in Nature. Here, hope is a vine that bears fruit—until the bad times come along and make the speaker droop like a wilted plant.