Here Thoreau depicts the "low-anchored cloud,"" or the fog as a nurturer for the natural world; the "drifting meadow- of air nourishes nourishes and sustains the animals and flowers below. .
Described in terms of the countryside, the "low-anchored cloud- has several connotations. First, as the source of rivers, it gives rain to the streams. The phrases "dew-cloth- and "dream drapery- represent a veil-like effect of the cloud: the cloud is transparent to see through but is too opaque to see anything clearly. The last three lines, the fog is described as a "Spirit- whose perfumes and herbs heal the fields of "just,"" or righteous men. The shift from visual imagery to olfactory imagery presents the sense of smell as less restricted by the physical world; the visual and tactile senses depend on the presence of tangible objects, whereas smell does not. .
Like "Mist,"" Thoreau uses the same rhetoric and figurative language in his poem "Fog- attaching temporal and divine characteristics with the fog image to present the connection the natural world with the metaphysical:.
Dull water spirit "and Protean god.
Descended cloud fast anchored to the earth.
That drawest too much air for shallow coasts.
Thou ocean branch that flowest to the sun.
Incense of earth, perfumed with flowers ".
Spirit of lakes and rivers "and seas and rills.
Come to revisit now thy native scenes.
Night thoughts of earth "dream drapery.
Dew cloth "and fairy napkin.
Thou wind blown meadow of the air. .
In lines eight and nine, Thoreau uses the phrases "dream drapery- and "dew cloth- to represent the translucence of the fog. The dual character of the fog is described as both a "dull water spirit- and "Protean god,"" connecting the divine and with the natural world. In addition, the fog serves as an "ocean branch- that flows to the sun, suggesting the fog serves as a link between the physical and spiritual realms. The line "spirit of lakes and rivers- is also featured in the poem "Mist,"" but in "Fog- the speaker is calling for the fog to revisit him.
