"O golden-tongued Romance with serene lute!
Fair plumed Syren! Queen of far away!
Leave melodizing on this wintry day"
The poem begins with the speaker calling to the ancient muses of the past that have influenced the writing of romantic adventures. It is a cold day and the speaker is moved to pursue more serious literary pursuits. The Romance with a capital R refers not to love stories in the modern sense, but to poetic tales of heroism and bravery. The speaker sees the tragedies of Shakespeare as occupying a much higher level of aesthetic accomplishment. It is not entirely clear from the context whether the speaker's denigration of lesser literary pursuits refers to the work of others it whether he is refencing his own poetry.
"Adieu! for once again the fierce dispute,
Betwixt damnation and impassion’d clay"
This is the moment of decision. The speaker has decided to turn his back on that lesser poetry of adventure. In its place will be literature that penetrates into the deepest depths of human emotions. The reference here to damnation and clay is one that directly addresses the titular tragedy and its themes of fate and failure. The speaker bids goodbye to the unchallenging world of romance in preference for the greater demands placed upon the reader of King Lear.
"When through the old oak forest I am gone,
Let me not wander in a barren dream"
The forest here is metaphorical. The reference could be to the tragic play itself. The speaker is hoping that reading something as profoundly moving as King Lear will stimulate his own creativity. It is a call for his own ambitions to remain high. The barren dream is a commentary on the potential for failure in pursuit of this ambition. It almost seems to be a desperate cry directed to himself to not allow what he views as the greatness of Shakespeare to negatively impact his creative ambitions. The speaker is urging himself toward motivation. He very much wants the act of sitting down to read the play to result in the desire to compete with the Bard rather than be overwhelmed by his genius.
