Question

Identify the figurative language used in these stanzas of Amy Lowell's "In Excelsis."

Answer 1

The figurative language used in these stanzas is METAPHOR.

Metaphor is the comparison of two unrelated object without the use of LIKE and AS.

The shadow is compared to the sunlight on a plate of silver.
The footsteps is compared to the seeding-place of lilies
The hand movements is compared to a chime of bells across a windless air, long, golden running of light from a rising sun, and the hopping of birds upon a garden-path.

In this way, when you see the sunlight on a plate of silver, you will think about the shadow it was compared to and vice versa.