Days

This poem questions the meaning of life, whether we do anything worthwhile with it and what happens to us when we die. The persona questions life in a monotone way in the first stanza and then answers the question himself in the second. 

Stanza 1:

• 'What are days for?' questions what is the point, and could be interpreted as pessimistic. Could also be interpreted as a childlike question, but still applies to us all. The answers that follow it are very adult and simple. 
• 'Days are where we live' suggests they are where we wait to die, triggers the question where do we go when we die?
• 'they wake us' shows how little control over when you live and when you die. 
• 'time and time over' implies the repetitiveness of life, that we have no control but to live in a cycle wasting time. 
• 'they are to be happy in' suggests if you stop questioning them and just live in the moment you will be happy, but if you don't accept them for what they are you will not. 
• 'Where can we live but days' connotes how inescapable life is and also questions the after life and what happens to us when we die. 

Stanza 2:

• 'solving that question brings the priest and the doctor' could be interpreted as when you die is the only time you will discover what lies outside of days. Alternatively it would be a reference to madness, suggesting trying to answer that question will make you loose your mind. Finally it could be seen as 'the priest and the doctor' are the people that could solve it, which is interesting considering their opposing views of life, a contrasting religious and scientific perspective.
• 'their long coats' suggests they have authority, and also suggests despite their different opinions they have similarities. 
• 'running over the fields' suggests freedom but also trampling over nature. It is also a pointless act which may show, as this is the end of the poem that trying to solve life's questions is pointless.