Far from the sun and summer gale,
In thy green lap was Nature's darling laid.
What time, where lucid Avon strayed,
To him the mighty Mother did unveil
Her awful face.

In this excerpt from "The Progress of Poesy," Thomas Gray pens a tribute to William Shakespeare, whom he regards as "Nature's darling." The poem situates Shakespeare in the pastoral beauty of Stratford-on-Avon, far removed from worldly distractions, implying that his genius was nurtured directly by nature itself. The "green lap" of nature and the "lucid Avon" river evoke a serene and timeless landscape, where Shakespeare's extraordinary talents were cultivated. By suggesting that the "mighty Mother" of nature unveiled "Her awful face" to Shakespeare, Gray emphasizes the profound and almost divine inspiration that fueled the bard's creativity. This aligns with the idea, shared by contemporaries and later admirers alike, that Shakespeare's brilliance was innate rather than academically acquired. Gray’s imagery not only reinforces Shakespeare's unique standing among English poets but also highlights the Romantic ideal of nature as a source of true artistic power.