A dead canker
In the second poem, the author talks about the horrors of the war and how it affected the lives of the people. At the end of the poem, she mentions that the hearts of the people became like a dead canker, an idea found numerous times in the poem. Thus, the idea transmitted is that the war killed the hearts of the people in the sense that they were no longer the calm and compassionate people they were before. Instead, the war affected them in ways they probably never thought to be possible and changed radically their way of thinking.
Symbol for life
In the third poem, the author mentions the existence of a scepter with lily flowers on it that has the power to bring back to life dead people and Gods. The lily is used here as a symbol for life and to suggest the possibility of creation. The lily is a flower used in various parts of the world as being a ceremonial flower and thus it is easy to assume its symbolism.
Symbol for death
In the fourth poem, the author talks about the pull of the moon and how the sea-shells remain unaffected by it. The sea-shells are used here as a symbol for immortality and a symbol for strength while the pull of the moon is used as a symbol for death. What the author suggests through this is the idea that despite the outside influences, there still exists being that can survive the test of time and do not crack when exposed to pressure.
Humans as insignificant
Another recurrent motif found in the poems is the idea that humans are insignificant. When the author talks about human kind, she calls them vermin and other terms to show their inferiority. Through this, the author wants to highlight the idea that we as individual are worth a lot less than we would like to think and that we should recognize out place in the world.
Urging the Gods to act
Another common motif in the poems is the idea that the author urges the Gods to act and to cease to be dormant. In many of her poems, she addresses them directly, telling them to dress in the clothes that once symbolized their power and to grab the elements that once symbolized their powers.
