When I Have Seen the Sun Emerge

When I Have Seen the Sun Emerge - meaning Summary

Quiet Natural Authority

The poem describes the speaker’s observation of the sun rising and quietly bestowing light and action everywhere. The sun’s work is ordinary, effective, and unnoticed by fame or noise. The speaker registers this steady, generous force as a kind of rhythm: the earth becomes a drum animated by playful pursuit. The image suggests nature’s persistent, unassuming power and the lively response it provokes in the world.