The second metaphor is "out of the night that covers me," which is utilized in the opening sentence. Night depicts the poet's sad periods and difficulties. The final metaphor, "looms but the dread of the shade," appears in the third stanza. Shade here alludes to an unforeseeable future or imminent troubles. This poem is about fear, anxiety, and uncertainty in life. The first line presents a contrast between day and night. Day is good, while night is bad. This metaphor is used repeatedly in the poem to describe many different situations. The next line continues this idea by stating that the night is full of dangers that can harm the poet if he goes out into it. However, the poet does not want to stay in bed during night time, because it would mean giving up hope of overcoming his problems. So, he goes out into it even though he is afraid something might happen to him. At the end of the third stanza, the poet realizes that the night is not as bad as he thought it was. He is able to face its dangers without being scared. Therefore, he decides to continue living during these times when everything seems hopeless. In the last line of the fourth stanza, the poet tells us that even though day is good, night is better. Night brings peace and quietness which we need in order to think more clearly and come up with new ideas that can help us solve our problems.