The Moon

The moon symbolizes passion. Some people believe that the moon influences human behavior, including to the point of mental disturbance. The word “lunacy” comes from the Latin word lunaticus, which means "moonstruck." In the poem, the moon "rages," which means that it stirs up intense emotions (3).

Ivory Stages

Ivory stages symbolize extremely luxurious venues that in turn represent elegance and sophistication. The speaker states that he does not dream of sharing his poetry in lavish circumstances. In other words, fame and fortune do not interest the speaker.

Nightingales

Nightingales symbolize the British Romantic poets, who are referred to in the poem as "the towering dead" (15). During the Romantic era, many poets viewed nightingales as representing creativity, the muse, and natural poetic creation. In Thomas's poem, the speaker includes the Romantic poets in the list of those he does not write for.