In this passage, Kinbote attempts to convince himself and his readers that, even though “Pale Fire” seems to have nothing to do with Zembla, Kinbote’s stories about Zembla are actually the poem’s inspiration. By referencing the “sunset glow” of the Zemblan stories, Kinbote is evoking the Shakespeare passage from which the title “Pale Fire” comes—a passage that describes the moon stealing its light from the sun (since the moon’s brightness comes not from creating light itself, but from reflecting the sun’s light). Kinbote is implying that
he is the sun and Shade’s poem is the moon, reflecting the light of Kinbote’s stories. Then, Kinbote turns it around, suggesting that his Commentary is like the moon reflecting the “fiery orb” of “Pale Fire,” since Kinbote has apparently imitated Shade’s style. While Kinbote is a profoundly unreliable narrator, it’s reasonable to think that both of these statements have some truth. While he was composing “Pale Fire,” Shade
was listening to Kinbote’s stories about Zembla, so it’s not crazy to think that they might have had some influence (however small). And it’s obvious that Kinbote is stealing Shade’s artistry, both in mimicking his style and in hijacking the publication of “Pale Fire” to use it as a platform to discuss his delusions about Zembla.