In this second part of the essay, Emerson discusses the poet's medium — language — and its relationship to nature. Central to his thinking is the concept of language as a natural phenomenon. Original, primitive languages tended to be highly image-based, and Emerson believes that this characteristic can still be verified through etymologies, which trace the history of words back to their original meanings, usually constructed from concrete nouns. For instance, recalling the examples presented in Nature, the word heart is used today to express emotion, and we use the term head to characterize thought. This is all part of what Emerson understands as the symbolic function of language, which should not surprise us if we recall his saying, "Things admit of being used as symbols because nature is a symbol, in the whole, and in every part."
This symbolic language is universal, but it is obscure to most people. One of the poet's main tasks is to interpret nature for us. Hence, Emerson calls the poet "Namer" and "Language-maker." He is not suggesting that a person who is not connected with nature is wholly oblivious to its wonders, for such a person is "commanded in nature by the living power which he feels to be there present." However, the "living power" remains illusive and inexplicable to such a person, and especially to the city dweller.
