Explanations:

That while my nostrils draw the vital air,

This hand, which won it, shall forever wear.

Answer: These remarkable and conspicuous lines have been taken from the poem “The Rape of the Lock” by Alexander Pope, the great 18th-century poet. Here these lines incorporate Lord Peter’s (Baron’s) reaction to Sir Plume’s plea to give back to him Belinda’s beautiful lock of hair.

Thalestries tells Sir Plume of the loss of Belinda’s hair and bids him get back to the lock of hair. When Plume sought the lock of Belinda Lord Peter frustrated Plume with this answer. Lord Peter said to Plume that the “clipped” lock of hair is important to him as the life-giving air. He considers the clipping of hair as a magnanimous task or a massive victory in a battle. He says that he will never part with it and wear it forever in a ring.

To sum up, we may say that these lines show how important Belinda’s lock of hair to Lord Peter was and how he evaluated the winning of her lovely hair.