The Sleeping Oxen

Oxen symbolize strength, diligence, and labor. That they are sleeping in this poem indicates an in-between state after a period of intense work. This aligns with the post-harvest landscape that the speaker evokes.

The Blueness of the Yoke

The color blue symbolizes dusk, coldness, and a melancholy otherworldliness. Yokes are not typically painted blue, which adds a degree of puzzling unconventionality. Rather than serve as a mundane description, the oxen sleeping in their blue yoke is slightly off-kilter.

Sheaves

Sheaves symbolize a bountiful harvest. As a bundle of grain stalks laid lengthwise and tied together after reaping, they represent the fruits of one's labor. They also evoke a rural or agricultural scene.

Cinquefoil

Depending on the cultural context, cinquefoil flowers may symbolize maternal affection. This matters in the poem as a reference to offspring since the wife calls forth a lost or awaited "little...