Question

The fountains mingle with the river
And the rivers with the ocean,
The winds of heaven mix for ever
With a sweet emotion;
Nothing in the world is single,
All things by a law divine
In one another's being mingle—
Why not I with thine?

See the mountains kiss high heaven,
And the waves clasp one another;
No sister-flower would be forgiven
If it disdain'd its brother;
And the sunlight clasps the earth,
And the moonbeams kiss the sea—
What is all this sweet work worth
If thou kiss not me?

Answer 1

The most accurate paraphrase of Shelley’s questions, “In one another's being mingle—/ Why not I with thine?” and “What is all this sweet work worth/ If thou kiss not me?” is

“Why will you not love me as deeply as nature loves itself?”

“Why do we need to be in nature to experience unity with each other?”

“Why does nature demonstrate this oneness if humanity is not to unite as well?

“Why is there no independence among the elements of nature?”

Answer 2

A