Get out the microscope, because we’re going through this poem line-by-line.
Lines 332-340
- The mountains look the same as the speaker remembers – they haven't changed the way he has.
- He can see the heavy snow on their tops, and the huge lake (Lake Geneva) below.
- He sees the Rhone River flowing out of the lake and can hear the rush of the water.
- He can see the "white wall[s]" of the town in the distance, and the white sails of boats on the lake and river.
Lines 341-350
- There's a little island on the lake that the speaker can see – the only one in view.
- The island doesn't look any bigger than his own dungeon cell, but it has three big trees growing on it.
- It's possible that those three trees might represent the speaker and his two brothers in their dungeon cell.
- He watches the breeze from the mountains blow through those trees.
- There are flowers growing on the island.
Lines 351-365
- There are fish swimming around in the lake under the speaker's window, and they all seem so happy!
- He sees eagles flying around, and starts to get teary eyed.
- He almost wishes that he hadn't broken free of his chain – seeing all these happy and free animals makes his own captivity much harder to bear.
- So he climbs down from his window and almost wishes he could die.