Summary

In these concluding stanzas, the speaker reflects on the spiritual and philosophical benefits offered by a life in nature. He describes himself standing at the foot of a fountain or the base of a tree and imagines being able to leave his body behind, like taking off an ill-fitting piece of clothing. Then he soars into the branches, singing like a bird and resting in the light.

He compares this to the garden of Eden, and specifically to Adam's time alone in the garden when he walked "without a mate" (58). He bemoans the fact that it is beyond any mortal's fate to be totally alone, saying that it is twice as good as being in paradise to be in paradise alone.

He then notes how the various items in the garden can be used to tell time. The patterns of the plants blossoming, the...