The Old Man Dreams
This poem is told from the perspective of a first-person subjective point of view, an old man who looks back at his youth and wishes he could be once more a young man, more precisely a twenty-year-old person. The first stanza concludes with the narrator claims he wishes he could be a young man and with nothing to his name rather than be an old person, powerful but close to death and at the end of his life.
The following two stanzas list the things the old man would give up, including his wisdom. The narrator claims he would give it up because it only brings him pain and suffering and he misses the time in the past when he used to have no worry in the world.
From the fourth stanza, the narrator presents the voice of the angel, addressing the old man directly. The angel wonders why does the old man wants to return back in time and why he does not wish to move forward and receive his everlasting prize in heavens. The man refuses and so the angel agrees to grant his wish. Still, the angel tells the narrator he will be forced to leave everything behind. The old man agrees to do it but is unable to give up his wife and his children, the most precious thing he has and as as a result decides to not wish anymore to become a young man once more.
The last part of the poem describes the old man waking up. Instead of mourning the lost opportunity of being once more a young man, the narrator realizes how fortunate he is to have a beautiful family and a comfortable life.
Contentment
The poem is a meditative one through which the narrator analyzes the things a person truly needs in life to be happy and asks for them in a prayers-like way from God. The narrator wishes for a simple home, food to eat, money to pay for his daily necessities, a humble horse and knowledge. The narrator claims he does not want titles and jewels and how he feels no inclination to own expensive clothes which will only attract the attention of those around him.
The narrator also wishes for a wife to see things as he does, a companion who will keep him grounded and who will not push him to have ambitions which will only bring him pain. Another reason why the narrator is willing to give these things up is that he knows they do not offer true salvation and that only God can truly save his soul and give him everlasting happiness.
Sun and Shadow
This poem is once more told from the perspective of a first-person narrator who sits on a hill and locks down as the sunsets. The sea can be heard in the distance and the narrator lets himself be lulled by the distant sound which puts him into a dream-like state.
When the narrator opens his eyes, all he can see is darkness and the feeling of contempt the narrator felt disappeared completely. All is left is a sense of complete hopelessness and despair, a feeling which continues to remain until the end.
The narrator ends a negative note, expressing his belief about a hopeless future no matter the situation and context.
The Height of the Ridiculous
The first stanza presents the narrator explaining his creative process and how he feels proud of something he once wrote in the past. The second stanza describes these poems as being "queer" and as having the power to bring happiness to everyone.
The narrator finds happiness when seeing others enjoying his writing and as because of this the following four stanzas are used by him to describe the way in which the narrator's servant reacted upon reading the lines.
