* Metaphor:
- Bradstreet begins the poem comparing the love she feels for her husband to "the loadstone to the north." This metaphor portrays their connection as a magnetic force, drawing them towards each other and creating a strong bond.
* Personification:
- The speaker's love is characterized as a "little turtle" that hides within her heart. This personification breathes life into an abstract concept, demonstrating how her love for her husband lies deep within her and remains a constant source of comfort.
* Simile:
- Bradstreet likens her husband's absence to "the eclipse that intercepts thy beams." This simile vividly expresses how his absence darkens her world and dampens her spirits, just as an eclipse blocks out the sun.
* Alliteration:
- In lines like "As loving doves with ceaseless moan" and "In foreign seas my love to toss," the repetition of consonant sounds creates a musical rhythm that further emphasizes the tender sentiments expressed in the poem.
* Paradox:
- Bradstreet employs paradox to convey the contradictory nature of their separation: "Love knows not distance, yet our distance parts us." This paradox highlights the conflicting feelings of longing and connection that result from being apart.
* Hyperbole:
- The speaker exaggerates the impact of her husband's absence, claiming "My heart is crushed under the weight / Of absence, like a flower pressed" and that her tears could "form a flood / To carry to the main." These hyperboles demonstrate the depth of her emotional pain and the strength of her longing for her husband.
Bradstreet's use of figurative language not only adds poetic beauty to the verses but also serves as a powerful instrument for conveying the complex and profound emotions associated with the theme of enduring love and the challenges of separation.