The passage contrasts the confusing and depressing view with the discovery of the lovely and spiritually pure Calypso flower.
This passage from Muir's "The Calypso Borealis" contrasts what two points of view: But as the sun set and everything seemed to be getting more confusing and depressing, I came across the lovely Calypso growing on the mossy bank of a stream. It wasn't growing in the ground, but rather on a bed of yellow mosses where its tiny white bulb had made a cosy nest and from which its one leaf and one flower had sprouted. The flower, which was white, gave off the sense of absolute simplicity and purity, much like a snowflower. There was no other bloom close by because the water was extremely cold and the nearby bog was still frozen. It appeared to be the most spiritual flower person I've ever encountered.