Earth’s imagin’d corners
The line mentioned at the beginning of the poem about the imagined corners of the Earth refers to the map-making during the time it was written. It was a recurring idea to have imagery of angels at the corners of the maps showing the Earth.
Trumpets
Angels blowing trumpets is a recurring belief connected to the Judgement Day in Christianity and other religions. Angels blowing trumpets is the first event of the Judgement day that brings forth destruction upon the living.
Religious allegory of repentance
The entire poem is an allegory of repentance, representing a despairing man who is going through turmoil of religious beliefs and grief for his past actions. The first part of the poem with the imagery of the dead rising and Judgement day and the readiness to face it and the contrasting second part with the sudden change of heart represents the conflicting nature of a grief and regret-stricken individual.
Blood seal
The poem ends with a symbolic mention of a blood seal as a means to compare it with the knowledge of repentance. It is a contrasting image connecting the tangible with the intangible and it represents the individual’s confliction between his existence in the world and his religious beliefs.
