Upon the broken, crumbling battlement, / Upon the breathless starlit air, / Upon the star that marks the hidden pole
-- The Soul ( Lines 3-5 )

Importance: These lines describe a concrete, mediaeval-inspired setting that also acts as a metaphor for spiritual ascension. The first line conveys something tangible which has become “broken” and eroded with time, suggesting this is a path largely discarded by humankind. From this place the narrative emerges “breathless” into the open sky, which implies a death or near death needed to achieve this heightened, or “hidden”, state of consciousness.

Deliver from the crime of death and birth
-- The Soul ( Line 24 )

Importance: In this unexpected moment, the soul describes the cycle of life as a “crime”. Rather than being a nefarious or malicious act, the crime here suggests wasted potential. The soul believes that in following the same cyclical pattern of death, rebirth, and life the self is limiting itself to base mundane domesticity instead of its wider spiritual...