Summary

The poem is narrated between the speaker’s two contrasting selves: the “soul”, or the inner self, and the “self”, or the physical, material body. The soul begins by imploring the body to spiritually ascend; the self, however, argues that the soul and the body are already one. They illustrate using a sword that was gifted to them by a friend. The soul reflects on the human mind, and the way it darts around seeking. The “self” states that past actions will be repeated, and man is caught in a cycle of death and rebirth. In contrast, the soul argues that after death, the self ceases to exist in its current form and ascends to a higher state of consciousness.

In the second half of the poem, the self moves to the forefront and reflects on the purpose of life. They decree that existence...