Fair is my brow as the day.
Battle and war are my minions,
Doing my will as divine;
I am the calmer of passions,
Peace is a nursling of mine.
Speak to me gently or curse me,
Seek me or fly from my sight;
I am thy fool in the morning,
Thou art my slave in the night.
Down to the grave I will take thee,
Out from the noise of the strife,
Then shalt thou see me and know me--
Death, then, no longer, but life.
Then shalt thou sing at my coming,
Kiss me with passionate breath,
Clasp me and smile to have thought me
This line is the volte of the poem, at which points the literary style, tone, and message shift. The key word of the volte is “then, no longer, but life” as it represents the monumental change from Death to life. The tone shifts from contrasting opposite phenomena in nature to focusing on a higher level: the ultimate contrast between Death and its opposite. Dunbar hereinafter discusses the difficulty journey to Death or its opposite. Interestingly, however, Dunbar personifies Death as a creature, but does not capitalize (or personify) life. This subtle grammatical phenomena seems to suggest that Dunbar believes Death is an animate being, whereas life is a concept, unable to be altered, harmed, or even have enemies. This is reflected in a later sentiment of Eckhart Tolle, one of the most influential spiritual authors and people in the world: 
 
  Tolle, Eckhart. Life Has No Opposite. The Opposite Of Death Is Birth. Life Is Eternal. Digital image. Quotespictures. N.p., 2013. Web. 31 Jan. 2016.
The Paradox