wrote extensively on nature, to the extent that he wrote more than one work with this title. It
seems you are here referring specifically to Emerson's poetic output rather than to his
"" essays, but all the same, he actually wrote several poems simply titled
"Nature." I think the most well-known one is the one that begins "Winters
know," from May day and other pieces (1867) so I will talk about that
one here, although the themes and meanings of all these "Nature" poems are, of course,
connected.
In this poem, Emerson expounds upon the "untaught"
wisdom of nature, which knows exactly what it needs to do, and when, without ever being tutored.
Winter knows when it is time to "shed" its snow and allow spring to begin. There is no
conscious art in nature, which does not take "pains" to go about its business; those
with "plotting brains" can struggle as much as they like to understand nature, but
they will never do so if they assume there is some artistry at work in it, other than the most
innate and simple.
Emerson personifies Nature, imagining her as a female
figure who is fond of the poor and "judges" God well. His Nature is most fond of those
who "never fell"that is, those who live their lives happily because they do not think
too much about what they are doing, venture into "unfamed" places and do things
"before they're named." Nature, Emerson is saying, most respects those who do not try
to overanalyze and overthink things, because thinking too much about beauty destroys it, and
nature itself trusts to its own instinct, as we should do (compare:
"Self-reliance").
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