Nature is in dire straits, having been laid waste by pollution from human activity. The flowers are silent, birds few, and the sky is slowing like a dying clock. Mythical gods like Proteus, Triton, and Neptune who were thought to rise from or rule the seas are now helpless, as human actions have entombed or choked them and moved in for the kill. Poetry and faith have also begun to fail as nature, represented as having a mighty heart, now lies nearly lifeless.