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.
Stripped of its figurative significance, what is the meaning of the whole stanza? To the many tokens of love and admiration that are offered to the memory of Dickens, may I be permitted to add this poem—a Western tribute to the worldwide influence of the famous author.
RECONSTRUCTION
Tell the story of the poem in your own words.
In a cañon of the Sierras, a group of rough miners were gathered about a camp-fire. Around them stood the stately pines, above which the moon was slowly rising; below, at the bottom of the cañon, a river sang, as it threaded its way among the boulders; and, far in the distance, the mountains reared their snow-covered summits to the evening sky. The flickering camp-fire played strange tricks upon those gathered round it, for it gave to the care-worn faces and bent forms of the miners the appearance of freshness and health.
One of the miners, a mere youth, opened his pack, drew therefrom a copy of Dickens' Old Curiosity Shop, and began to read aloud. At once, all other occupations were suspended, and everybody drew near to listen to the story. The whole camp yielded itself to the fascination of the tale, and in its absorbing interest they forgot themselves and their surroundings, their ills, their hardships, and their cares. One might almost fancy that the very pines and cedars became silent, and that the fir trees drew closer to hear the story of "Little Nell".