Lord, who creadst man
-- Speaker (Line 1)

Importance: The poem begins with a direct address to God. This immediately establishes the importance of religion in the poem, as well as the nature of the relationship between the speaker and the divine. It creates a sense of intimacy and closeness between God and the speaker.

foolishly he lost the same
-- Speaker (Line 2)

Importance: In this line, the speaker explains a straightforward but significant part of the poem's theology. He indicates a belief that it is humans who are responsible for all their own suffering. It was God's intention for man to have a sufficiency of everything they need, but that wealth was lost through man's own shortcomings. This loss is a result of humankind's own folly, but can be redeemed through Christ's love.

With thee
-- Speaker (Lines 6, 16)

Importance: This line occurs identically twice in the poem, in the only use of repetition. It provides a turning point for each stanza. It...