The �beasts� and birds must �cling� for cover of man, for they will be �taken� and will �resign� to him. The chorus portrays the animals as pathetic animals that have no power over man. They say that man will �take,� which has a powerful connotation and suggests a more domineering and commanding tone.
Man also has the ability to �fashion� words and thought to gain �statecraft.� To �fashion� words portrays man with ingenuity and suggests man�s ability to manipulate objects to his own benefit. Man has the ability to dodge the �arrows of snow� and the �spears of winter,� but �cannot stand� when death comes. At this last line, the tone shifts from awe and reverence, to a more solemn and truthful tone; the power of death is far too powerful for man, but the chorus uses the word �stand� which does not suggest that man just gives up.
�Proudly� the city stands when all of the laws are followed, but when an �anarchic� man comes, or when there are too many �anarchic� men, the city will fall apart. In this stanza there is a clear shift in the tone, and the paragraph is centered on man�s limitations rather than its powers.