Question

This excerpt is from “The Poet” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. The poem describes a poet's consciousness and perception. Which lines suggest the richness of a poet's thoughts?
Thus truth was multiplied on truth, the world
Like one great garden show'd,
And thro' the wreaths of floating dark upcurl'd,
Rare sunrise flow'd.

And Freedom rear'd in that august sunrise
Her beautiful bold brow,
When rites and forms before his burning eyes
Melted like snow.

There was no blood upon her maiden robes
Sunn'd by those orient skies;
But round about the circles of the globes
Of her keen eyes

And in her raiment's hem was traced in flame
WISDOM, a name to shake
All evil dreams of power--a sacred name.
And when she spake,

Her words did gather thunder as they ran,
And as the lightning to the thunder
Which follows it, riving the spirit of man,
Making earth wonder,

So was their meaning to her words.
No sword
Of wrath her right arm whirl'd,
But one poor poet's scroll, and with 'his' word
She shook the world.

Answer 1

The lines that suggest the richness of a poet's thoughts are:

Her words did gather thunder as they ran,
And as the lightning to the thunder
Which follows it, riving the spirit of man,
Making earth wonder

I hope this answer helped you.

Answer 2

The last lines of the poem suggest the richness of a poet's thoughts:

"Her words did gather thunder as they ran,

And as the lightning to the thunder

Which follows it, riving the spirit of man,

Making earth wonder,

So was their meaning to her words.

No sword

Of wrath her right arm whirl'd,

But one poor poet's scroll, and with 'his' word

She shook the world."

The word is considered a weapon on par with a sword; the poem is capable of shaking the world. The poet's words are like thunder and lighting, "riving the spirit of man". Their effect on both the world and the spirit is violent and physical; such words are not a passing wind but a mighty tempest.