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Alone as alone can be. That's our speaker on this snowy evening. Why then, do we feel like he's not alone? Is it his little horse that seems to have a mind of its own, is it the landowner who is snug in his cozy house in the cozy village, or is it the presence of something else entirely?

• Line 2: The "village" can be interpreted as a symbol for society and civilization.
• Line 5: Horses have thoughts? We knew it all along. The horse is personified in this line.
• Line 6: Farmhouses may not be the most hoppin' places in the world, but they do usually involve people. Because of this, the farmhouse that our speaker mentions seems like a symbol for society and civilization.
• Line 10: Giving his harness bells a shake, the horse is personified once more as he asks "if there is some mistake."
• Lines 15-16: "Sleep" is a solitary activity, no? In these lines, "sleep" could be interpreted as a metaphor for death.