Shroud

References to the shroud and pall as imagery associated with death appear in the first stanza of the poem. These are presented as conventionally foreboding images of dying, invoking suffocation and barrier. This is emphasized in the lines that follow, which cites the “breathless darkness” (12). The shroud has a dual meaning in this context, suggesting a passing into darkness for the deceased and the veil of mourning that is worn in various cultures.

House

The symbol of the house is used to invoke the confines of death. This symbol has various connotations in the context of the dissolution of the subject. For instance, the breaking down of the body, which, according to many cosmologies, houses the soul, is referred to by describing a manmade dwelling. This is contrasted with the unboundedness of the natural world. When the speaker refers to “the narrow house” (12), he euphemistically denotes...