How we cite our quotes: (Line)
Quote #1
All round the coast the languid air did swoon,
Breathing like one that hath a weary dream. (5-6)
This comparison between the "languid" (lazy) air and a sleeping person helps to set the drowsy tone for the whole poem. It's not just the sailors who don't want to move, it's almost as if the whole of the natural world is asleep and dreaming. The way the word "weary" gets dropped in there also helps to emphasize that this "dream" might not be all that pleasant, either.
Quote #2
Branches they bore of that enchanted stem,
Laden with flower and fruit, whereof they gave (29-30)
The whole plot of this poem is driven by a plant. In order to fall under the spell of this sleepy new place, the sailors have to eat the "enchanted" Lotos. Once they do, they're totally stuck. This idea, that something in the natural world could hurt you or trap you if you eat it, doesn't just show up here. Eve with her apple and Persephone with her pomegranate could definitely tell these guys something about forbidden fruit.
Quote #3
And taste, to him the gushing of the wave
Far far away did seem to mourn and rave (31-32)
This is another moment where something in nature takes on the characteristics of a human (we call that personification). In this case, once the sailors have chomped on some Lotos, the noise of the waves starts to sound like screaming and crying. Nature can be a beautiful thing in this poem, but at times like this it also starts to seem scary and sinister, too.