Question

What does " And my clay house mold'ring away" and " Nor grinding pains in my body frail" mean?

Answer 1

The poem "As Weary Pilgrim", by Anne Bradstreet is about finishing a journey (a "pilgrimage"). The author describes all the things that the pilgrim, having finished his journey, will never feel again. Bradstreet is clearly using the end of a pilgrimage as a metaphor for the end of a life, for the moment of death, and thus expressing her desire to reach that moment of eternal, blissful rest.

The phrase "And my clay house mold'ring away" refers to the body, aged and tired and near the moment of death.

The phrase "Nor grinding pains in my body frail" refers to that moment of eternal rest where there is no pain, only peace and bliss in the eternal afterlife.