Nature

Although the setting in which the speaker communicates their thoughts is not completely clear, nature is the most predominant setting described in the text. For the most part nature is illustrated in terms of its physical features. The very first line of the poem references meadows, groves, and streams, while the second stanza details images of rainbows, roses, the moon, the sun, and the stars. The speaker also makes reference to various animals found within the natural world, such as birds and lambs. Later on in the poem, the speaker introduces the image of the land and the shore in the ninth stanza, adding yet another dimension to the setting, albeit an imagined one. Overall, nature is portrayed as an idyllic setting and closely associated with the purity and innocence of youth, as it is the measure by which the speaker judges their relationship with the world around...