Poetry · Chapter
Sharing explained
The speaker observes a stormy night sky with a single bright spot near the moon, finding joy in the shared human experience of witnessing such beauty.
What happens
The speaker observes a stormy night sky with a single bright spot near the moon, finding joy in the shared human experience of witnessing such beauty. He imagines an old man feeling rejuvenated and a child inspired by the storm's splendor, reflecting on how such moments of glory are not solitary but connect souls across distances, drawing from a divine wellspring.
Themes in this chapter
Nature as Divine Revelation
The stormy sky and moonlight reveal a shared splendor that connects souls and evokes divine joy.
Childhood and Innocence
The child's encounter with the storm's glory keeps him undefiled into old age.
Characters to notice
- Unknown
The speaker who gazes at the stormy sky and reflects on shared joy.
- The Child-Mother
The gazing child who receives a thought of glory from the storm.
Key passages
“And a joy doth rise in me Upward gazing on the sight, When I think that others see In yon clouds a like delight;”
I feel joy when I realize that others also find delight in the same clouds.
The speaker's joy is amplified by the thought of shared experience.
“Or upon the gazing child Cometh down a thought of glory Which will keep him undefiled Till his head is old and hoary.”
A child who witnesses the storm's glory will be preserved in purity until old age.
The child's vision of glory has a lasting moral and spiritual effect.