The Mirror

The mirror is a bookend motif in the poem, appearing at both the beginning and the end. In literature and folklore, mirrors can be a double-edged device — they can reveal things as they truly are, or reflect our fabricated misconceptions. While they are often associated with vanity, they’re also linked to a deep knowledge of the self. In the first stanza, the speaker encourages the listener to “greet yourself […] in your own mirror” (Lines 3-4); in other words, to re-examine the side of oneself that had become lost. Later, the speaker references removing a false self from the mirror so that the true self can be embraced underneath. In this way the mirror becomes an external device to journey within and gain new understanding.

Food and Drink

In the second stanza, the speaker asks the reader to share wine and bread with themselves. This...