I taste a liquor never brewed

I had to read this poem a couple of times before I began to understand the figurative language and its intended meaning. When I first read it, I mainly focused on the words associated with alcohol: "tankards," "vats," "inebriate," and "drunken." Taken literally, the poem creates a convincing scenes of drunkenness. I read of a drunk getting turned away by his landlord, and people watching from their windows as a drunkard leans against the light post. During my next readings, I altered my focus to the nature words: "air," "dew," "summer days," "bee," "foxglove," and "butterflies." This led me to believe that the poem could be about drinking in nature or being intoxicated by nature's beauty. I thought the "inns of Molten Blue" could be the sky and the "snowy Hats" could be the clouds, but I am not sure what the "Tankards scooped in Pearl" could be. When discussing this nature, the speaker says "I shall but drink the more!" as if he or she cannot get enough of the scene of the bee, foxglove, and butterflies. This extended metaphor offers a unique look at the powerful appeal of nature.