Literary Term="Metaphor"

"Lines" by Emily Bronte
I die but when the grave shall press
The heart so long endeared to thee
When earthly cares no more distress
And earthly joys are nought to me

Weep not, but think that I have past
Before thee o'er a sea of gloom
Have anchored safe and rest at last
Where tears and mourning cannot come

'Tis I should weep to leave thee here
On the dark Ocean sailing drear
With storms around and fears before
And no kind light to point the shore

But long or short though life may be
'Tis nothing to eternity
We part below to meet on high
Where blissful ages never die


In the poem "Lines" by Emily Bronte, the speaker expresses an accepting and embracing attitude towards an imminent death, and instead shows sorrow only at having to leave behind a friend that lives.
A metaphor is used in comparing life to a "sea" and "Ocean". Because the speaker is nearing death, she reassures loved ones that life beyond death far surpasses life itself. She uses a metaphor to compare her life to a "sea of gloom" and a "dark Ocean sailing drear." This emphasizes how she is really thankful to be dying and leaving her dreary life, since heaven will be much better than her situation on earth. By comparing life to a body of water, it illustrates its unknown depths and a sense of mystery. Also, if life is a "dark Ocean," then it is difficult to see the bottom, and therefore it is hard to determine if the misery of life will ever end. She also mentions that there is "no kind light to point the shore," emphasizing how one can be lost and stranded in the sea of life, and that it is actually much better to leave the burden of life and "have anchored safe and rest at last" on land in heaven.