The following passage is from William Cullen Bryant’s poem To the Fringed Gentian. In this poem, the speaker reflects on the enduring beauty of the fringed gentian flower.
Thou blossom bright with autumn dew,
And colored with the heaven’s own blue,
That openest when the quiet light
Succeeds the keen and frosty night.
Thou comest not when violets lean
O’er wandering brooks and springs unseen,
Or columbines, in purple dressed,
Nod o’er the ground-bird’s hidden nest.
Thou waitest late and com’st alone,
When woods are bare and birds are flown,
And frosts and shortening days portend
The aged year is near his end
Which choice best states the main purpose of the passage?