The second stanza uses an elaborate metaphor about how time can be measured with physical objects. In this case, different yarn-like balls represent the months of a year. To make these months move faster, the speaker says they will tie them into balls and then store them separate from another to make it easy for them to measure the time. This gives the speaker some sense of power over time and an ability to break it down into parts instead of having to deal with all of it together, as it would be if the balls merged.

The fly and the bee act as symbols for time and the difficulty and burden it places on people. The progression from the annoying yet harmless fly to the annoying and dangerous bee shows how time grows in strength the longer one has to endure it. Not only does the bee present a constant danger, but it also lurks and prepares to strike at any time, adding to the already large amount of dread the speaker feels at the thought of losing their love forever. The bee is also a goblin, which traditionally is a creature that steals.