“Nature” is a Petrarchan sonnet. Named for Francesco Petrarca (1304-1374), a Renaissance Italian poet whose body of verse perfected the form, the Petrarchan sonnet includes both a problem and a solution. Longfellow, a student of the literatures of Antiquity, understood the mechanics of this sonnet iteration and used the form throughout his career. The 14 lines, standard in a sonnet, are divided into two sections: the first eight lines (the octave) set the basic situation and raise a critical question which is then answered in the sonnet’s closing six lines (the sestet).

In Longfellow’s Petrarchan sonnet, the octave is posed as a challenge to the poet who understands the psychology of bedtime and sympathizes with the child and the mother who understands the situation in a broader context than the child. The octave reveals without judgment or scorn the dilemma of the child. In the octave, the poet presents a compelling case that hinges on the word “broken”—that is, what the child cannot see or will not see: the things he knows are worn out, broken, all but useless. It is time for newer, grander playthings. The octave then both sets up the dilemma, gently and lovingly, and then foreshadows the resolution, generous and hopeful.