Breast
In the poem, the narrator utilizes the term "breast’’ many times. The term "breast’’ is used here as a symbol for the heart of a person. Thus, when the term breast is mentioned, the narrator actually refers to the feelings and emotions a person has.
Fruits
Soon after mentioning the first battle between the British and the Dutch, the narrator mentioned how the "fruits’’ of the country were attacked by forces from the outside. The term "fruits’’ is used in this context as a symbol for the wealth possessed by a country, in this case, England. The "fruits’’ are thus the material wealth and the lands possessed by a country.
Birds of prey
Another element that appears in the poem are the birds of prey mentioned in the poem. The narrator mentions the birds of prey after mentioning the fruits of the country. As it is mentioned above, the fruits are used as a symbol for the wealth of the country and thus the birds of prey are the countries and the people who want to take advantage of the wealth of the country.
Vapors as a symbol for evil
When talking about the people who decided to rise against the King, the narrator mentioned how first vapors rose out of the ground and how those vapors were them followed by the people who wanted to harm the King. The vapors are often used in literature from that time as symbols for evil as it was believed vapors made people sick and influenced them to do harm.
Symbol for power
Another symbol found in the poem is the mentioning of the ships. The narrator focuses on how many ships each ruler has and leaves the impression than the greater the number of ships the more valuable and more powerful a person is. Thus, the ships become here a symbol used to suggest the power a country has.
