Koi he(◠‿◕)
How to find the state of mind of speaker in poems?
Answers
The speaker is in a pretty despondent state for most of the poem, and no wonder: Everything seems to be going wrong in his life. The men whom he meets in society despise him, and fortune's wheel appears to have turned decisively against him. To make matters worse, he's eaten up by envy, desiring "this man's art and that man's scope." How the speaker wishes he could be just like them!
Venting his frustration doesn't do any good, either. The speaker's "bootless cries" are habitually ignored by God, who does not listen to his requests. The only thing that finally makes a difference is thinking about his lover, whose sweet love brings the speaker such unspeakable wealth that he now realizes he wouldn't change places with anyone, not even a king.