The last two lines of the poem 'Mirror' are not to be taken literally. What does this mean?
Answers
In the last two lines of this poem, we see why this woman is so upset: in her watery reflection, her past is drowning, and a horrible future is rising to meet her. The woman has "drowned" a young girl in the lake – but we don't think she has actually drowned anyone. Instead, the young girl who used to look into the lake is gone, having grown into a woman.
Why does the speaker say the woman "drowned" her own youth in these waters? Perhaps because the woman has spent so much time peering into the lake and fretting about her reflection, or perhaps simply because time is passing.
Also in the lake, an old woman rises up – but again, we don't think this is an actual old woman in the lake. Instead, the woman's reflection is changing and aging. She sees herself growing into an old woman. In these final lines, we understand what's so haunting and pressing about looking into this lake for the woman in the poem. In her own reflection in this lake, beautiful youth is sinking and terrible old age is rising. The poem is about aging and growing old.