I was angry with my foe:
I told it not, my wrath did grow.
And I water’d it in fears,
Night and morning with my tears:
And I sunned it with smiles,
And with soft deceitful wiles.
And it grew both day and night,
Till it bore an apple bright;
And my foe beheld it shine,
Which statement best explains the meaning created by the metaphor?
The speaker thinks preserving the natural world is more important than holding a grudge.
The speaker nurtured his anger as one would nurture a tree.
The speaker's foe tried to harm his prized tree.
The speaker's anger grew bigger than a tree.