What is meant by "wrought that spell"? Produced that magic influence. State the question in full. Is "he who wrought that spell" lost, too? What tale has the "towering pine" to tell? That the mining camp has disappeared. And what the "stately Kentish spire"? That Dickens has gone. (Dickens' home was at Gadshill, in Kent.) What is the one tale that both have to tell? A tale of disappearance and death. Is the question asked in the second line answered? Not directly, though the answer is implied. State the substantial meaning of the stanza. The "towering pine" of the Sierras tells of the disappearance of the mining camp; the "stately spire" of Kent tells of the death of Dickens; both bear witness to the potent influence of Dickens. Stanza IX What is the "fragrant story" of the Western mining camp? The tribute that the incident related in the poem pays to the magical power of Dickens as a story writer. Why is it called a "fragrant story"? The author poetically conceives of it as being laden with the fragrance of the fir, the pine, and the cedar--a sort of "incense" to the memory of the "Master". What is incense? The odours of spices and gums burned in religious rites. What poetic idea does the author express in the last two lines? The hopvines of Kent are represented as uniting with the pine, fir, and cedar in sending forth their fragrance as incense. What is the meaning, then, of the whole stanza? Let the fragrance of the pine, the cedar, and the fir, mingled with the odours of the Kentish hopvines, be as incense to the memory of the "Master". Stanza X Does the poet mean that the grave of Dickens is literally adorned with oak, holly, and laurel wreaths? No; he is speaking figuratively. What do these typify? The tributes of admiration, reverence, and love that are paid to the memory of Dickens in his own country. Of what is each emblematic? The oak is emblematic of England, the life of whose people he so vividly depicted; the holly suggests his charming Christmas stories; the laurel signifies his mastery of the art of writing. What does the poet mean by "This spray of Western pine"? This poem was written in the Western World, as a tribute to the memory of the great novelist. What personal characteristic does the poet show in the third line? A sense of humility, which leads him to suggest that this poem is unworthy of a place among the tributes paid to the name and fame of the great artist.