I read a following poem in Les Miserables.
There is a castle on a cloud,
I like to go there in my sleep,
Aren’t any floors for me to sweep,
Not in my castle on a cloud.There is a room that’s full of toys,
There are a hundred boys and girls,
Nobody shouts or talks too loud,
Not in my castle on a cloud.There is a lady all in white.
Holds me and sings a lullaby,
She's nice to see and she’s soft to touch,
She says "Cosette, I love you very much."I know a place where no one's lost,
I know a place where no one cries,
Crying at all is not allowed,
Not in my castle on a cloud— Les Miserables Musical – lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer
I have two explanations of "She's nice to see and she's soft to touch":
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When she sees me, she is nice and she touches me softly.
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I see her and she is nice and I touch her and she is soft.
I don't know which explanation is right and how to parse this sentence.
Best Answer
"She's nice to see" means "It makes me happy when I see her" (as in "I'm glad to see you/It's nice to see you.")
"She's soft to touch" does indeed mean that her skin is soft when the speaker touches her, as was your second guess.