In the first stanza of this poem, the speaker introduces the idea of the relationship between nature and death my saying that “[Dying] Made Nature different” (line 4). Already the speaker begins to reveal his attitude towards the woman’s death by stating what may seem obvious: death makes many things different. However, the speaker goes on to say that instead of feeling confusion with nature and the concept of death, he is able to see “Things overlooked before” (line 6). By noticing the “smallest things” in nature, the speaker can see that in the largeness of nature, death is small thing; it is but one part of the cycle of life. The speaker further says that the reason for this clarity is in fact the woman’s death or “this great light upon our Minds” (line 7). By using the word “light” as a way to describe death, the speaker is saying that death acts as a light that illuminates the truths of nature and its inner-working; it takes one to fully appreciate the other.
In the second and third stanzas of this poem, the speaker relates his feelings about the woman’s death that are found more commonly among people who lose a loved one. The speaker states that he feels “a Blame/ That Others could exist/ While She must finish quite” (lines 12-14). Stated simply, the speaker emphasizes a common facet of death: an unwillingness to accept the randomness with which Death chooses its victims. The speaker resents the fact that this woman is being taken from him, but at the same time, he makes a statement that demonstrates his better understanding of nature and death. The speaker says that he goes into the woman’s room “And Rooms where Those to be alive/ Tomorrow were” (lines 11-12). This statement shows that while the speaker experiences grief over the loss of the woman, he also understands that her death is but another episode in her life and only one small part of the cycle of life.
During the final stanzas of the poem, the theme of the relationship between nature and death is at is strongest. The speaker reflects upon the time he waits while the woman passes, calling it a “narrow” time. By euphemistically using the word “narrow” to describe this time, the speaker is communicating a double meaning; he is saying that this time is both constricting and sadly short because life is but a prolonged dying process that is only noticed at the very end. In the sixth stanza, the speaker once again relates death and nature. Describing the woman’s actual death, the speaker says, “Then lightly as a Reed/ Bent to the Water, struggled scarce-/ Consented, and was dead-” (lines 22-24). The speaker uses this metaphor to convey the idea that death is a natural process that is found in nature each day. Additionally, the speaker says that the woman “consented” and “struggled scarce”. By observing this, the speaker sees that the woman accepts the fact that all things must die and placidly completes her final task in life: to die herself.
At first glance, “The Last Night that She Lived” may seem like a somber poem about the death of a loved one. However, the speaker’s uses of common language and the underlying relationship between death and nature make this more of a poem of acceptance. Throughout the seven stanzas of this poem, the speaker makes known that he mourns the loss of this woman, but he does not believe that she dies in vain. Instead, the speaker is able to see that the woman’s death fits intricately into the cycle of life and death found in nature. It is this realization that makes this poem not one of sadness, but one of acceptance and understanding of the inner-workings of nature.
