The lightning of the noontide ocean
Is flashing round me, and a tone
Arises from its measured motion,
How sweet! did any heart now share in my emotion.
At the end of the second stanza, the speaker connects his emotional state to the ocean's "tone" as the waves "flash" around him. This comparison allows us to imagine his despair: the speaker's feelings are turbulent and unceasing, like the waves crashing at his feet. The lines abruptly replace the light, picturesque descriptions of Naples' coast with his feelings' austerity, marking a drastic shift in the poem's tone.
They might lament—for I am one
Whom men love not,—and yet regret,
Unlike this day, which, when the sun
Shall on its stainless glory set,
Will linger, though enjoyed, like joy in memory yet.
When the speaker thinks of his death, he's certain that he would be missed, even though he has fallen out of favor with many people. He connects their regret to the memory he'll keep from this day: he will remember this afternoon fondly, but ultimately this day will pass and life will go on. Unlike earlier stanzas, the speaker now seems open to the possibility that his feelings may improve. Or, if nothing else, he will find a way to endure his hardships through the recognition that nature's profundity, like the day's "stainless glory," can provide a counterpoint to despair.
