Under the October twilight the water / Mirrors a still sky;
-- Speaker (Lines 3-4)

Importance: This line uses enjambment to create complexity within the first stanza; Line 3 suggests the water rests beneath the sky, and the following line reveals the “mirror” aspect. This refers to the visual image of the sky reflected in the water, but also its stillness. This heightens the atmosphere of a place between time and gives the setting a sense of unity.

The nineteenth autumn has come upon me / Since I first made my count;
-- Speaker (Lines 7-8)

Importance: It’s notable here that the speaker refers to their life in “autumns” rather than “years.” It pinpoints the passage of time — the speaker had come nineteen years prior — but also how that time is marked. The speaker examines their life in terms of the autumns that have passed since that day. This suggests that either the speaker returns every autumn, and that experience marks the...