Symbol Analysis
We've mentioned that around the time this poem was written, caves were often used as sanctuaries for Christian ascetics. Now it's time to get into the symbolic significance of the cave. This image of the cave, in which the speaker takes up her abode, as well as its surroundings, can be seen as an outward manifestation of her psychological state. Or, to put it more succinctly, the cave is gloomy and she is, too. Let's do some spelunking.
- Lines 27-32: Here's our first image of the cave. Our speaker, exiled, is commanded to live alone in a cave beneath an oak tree, tucked away in a forest grove. In the Old English original, this cave is described as "dimme" (gloomy), and covered in "brerum beweaxne" (overgrown briars). It definitely doesn't seem like the most inviting spot to make a home. In fact, it is "wic wynna leas"—a place without joy. Where better for someone so full of sorrow to live?
- Lines 35-39: She wallows there in her solitude, as others go about their life together, free of misery. Her troubles are so severe, that even the longest summer day, or "sumorlangne dæg" (37), cannot outlast her sorrow. A cave remains cold and dark even in the summer, the perfect venue for her sadness to fester.
- Lines 40-41: In a sense she is trapped in this cave, literally and figuratively, unable to escape from the longings and sorrows that burden her.
- Line 47-49: Bonus round: towards the end of the poem, the speaker imagines her long lost husband… either come back or nixed.