The Moon

The moon is one of the most prominent characters in the poem. The speaker describes it as a solemn mother figure. According to the speaker, “It is a face in its own right, / White as a knuckle and terribly upset” (8-9). In the final stanza of the poem the speaker describes the moon as unseeing when events take place inside the church. The moon is further anthropomorphized as a feminine presence, as the author states, “She is bald and wild” (27).

The Yew Tree

The yew tree is paired with the moon both in the poem’s title and throughout its verse. The two entities operate in tandem and refer to one another. In the final stanza of the poem the yew tree takes on more prominent reference than in the earlier portions of the verse. While the moon is described as “bald and wild” (27), the yew tree...