The speaker struggles with the fact that his beloved is no more. According to many critics, the speaker is himself and "St Lucy" represents more of his beloved Anne. As his wife died in 1617 and the poem was published in 1627. But some critics say the poem may also be dedicated to his friend Lucy or his own daughter Lucy who died in the same year. The feast of Saint Lucia refers to December 13. the shortest day of the year. It is traditionally called the winter solstice, when it is believed that the sun has died and until it is reborn, the nights are longer than the days. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The setting of the poem takes place on St. Lucy's Day, which is the longest night of the year. It metaphorically shows the poet's attitude to the fact that his beloved is dead. The Longest Night symbolizes the pain the speaker felt following the departure of his beloved. Saint Lucy is believed to be Anne More, her own saint who brought peace to her spirit. In the first line, midnight of the year suggests the death of the year as midnight ends one day and begins another. In fact, the word “midnight” initiates the theme of death in this poem. It is December 13, a month linked to the death of animals and plants because it is winter. This also connects the poem to death. As December is cold, the poet's tone also turns out to be cold. Line 2 shows how short the day is since it only lasts seven hours. It also metaphorically shows how short the time of their "love" was. The word “rare” means rare, which relates to the time of Saint Lucy. This also metaphorically represents the rarity of his love. In this line, the word “unmasks” represents how the night hid the day, meaning how death took away his beloved. Lines 3 and 4 give us the image of a dying or setting sun. which again expresses his anguish and emphasizes the theme of death. This imagery also indicates the poet's state of mind, how he became gloomy and melancholic after being normal and happy. Line 5 also indicates death because it shows that the speaker's entire world is sunk. The word “sunk” can be a metaphor for being very low. In line 6, the "general balm" used in medicine may be a metaphor to show one's lover's life as for the speaker, his lover was a positive thing. But the word “balm” can also be a play on words for “embalming the dead”, which again refers to death. This may also indicate that the "dropptic" earth drank the speaker's lover, meaning killed her. To the speaker, the earth is extremely thirsty, which indicates his greed and that is why the earth drank his beloved, causing her death. In line 7, “life” is personified as she is forced to “shrink to bed.” feet'. This line is also a simile because it can be compared to how a man shrinks in his bed at the time of death. In line 8, the speaker says that life is “dead” and “buried” or buried. In line 9 he says that he is the epitaph of these dead things. This shows his anguish because he is an “epitaph” created by a living person. According to Frost, in the first stanza, the speaker's life has no light, no moisture, no life. Guiborry thinks that the images of the setting sun, of the sap of the world flowing, of the shrinking of life suggest that the departure of his beloved caused the death of the world. According to Sabrina Light, the internal rhyme between the word "laughter" which is associated with happiness and "epitaph" which is associated with death; show the death of the speaker's happiness. In..