"Inhuman" Nature Lover
By "inhuman," we don't mean to say Robinson Jeffers was a mutant or anything (eek). But he did coin his philosophy "inhumanism," which describes an interest in the natural world over man's self-obsession that makes him think he's the center of the universe. He thought folks were way too into themselves and often ignored the natural order of things around them that proved our existence shouldn't be all about our emotions and our thoughts. If the phase "get over yourself" was around back in 1925, we're guessing Jeffers would've used it a lot. Check out more about his philosophy here.
The fact that the mountains in "Shine, Perishing Republic" were far more important to the speaker than man's precious empires and cultural habits is a perfect indication of Jeffers's philosophy and style. If the apocalypse were to happen tomorrow, it probably wouldn't be the worst thing in the world for Jeffers—not only because he's now dead, but because nature is way more interesting without man's fighting and corruption. He also loved that long narrative style, so if you're hearing a long sounding poem about how man ought to check himself with his imperialistic appetite and kick back in nature instead, it's probably one by Jeffers.
Want more? Check out some more Jeffers poems: "The Beauty of Things," "Come, Little Birds," and "Time of Disturbance."