Silent friend from many distances
-- Speaker (Line 1)

Importance: This is the opening line of the poem, and it helps establish the second-person perspective that will continue throughout the sonnet. The speaker addresses the listener as a friend, fostering a sense of intimacy between speaker and reader. Furthermore, that the friend is "silent" and "from many distances" suggests that this is someone the speaker may actually not know at all, and likely implies that the speaker is addressing all of humanity.

Let your presence ring out like a bell / into the night.
-- Speaker (Lines 3 – 4)

Importance: In this quotation, the speaker encourages the listener to fully embrace their existence, thinking of their very presence as a loud and powerful noise. These lines are the first example of the speaker attempting to reframe the concept of existence as something that is active, noticeable, and strong.

What feeds upon your face / grows mighty from the nourishment thus offered.
-- Speaker (Lines 4 – 5)

Importance: Here, the...