In these lines from Dylan Thomas's poem "A Refusal to Mourn the Death, by Fire, of a Child in London,"

the speaker wrestles with the concept of mourning the death of a child. The speaker contemplates
whether it's appropriate to express grief through prayers or tears ("pray the shadow of a sound" and
"sow my salt seed") in response to the child's death, symbolized by the "least valley of sackcloth," which
signifies a somber and humble mourning process acknowledging the profound sadness of the child's
passing ("the majesty and burning of the child’s death").

However, the speaker ultimately decides against adhering to traditional mourning practices. He rejects
the idea of further memorializing the child's departure with solemn truths or irreverent expressions
("murder the mankind of her going with a grave truth" and "blaspheme down the stations of the
breath"). Instead, the speaker refuses to add more elegies to commemorate the child's innocence and
youth, signifying a departure from conventional mourning rituals.

These lines encapsulate the speaker's internal struggle with how to respond to death while rejecting the
norms of mourning. He questions the appropriateness of traditional mourning customs and ultimately
chooses to refuse them, opting for a more unconventional and introspective approach to grappling with
the child's passing. Through vivid imagery and thought-provoking language, Thomas explores themes of
grief, mortality, and the complexity of human emotions, inviting readers to contemplate their own
responses to loss and the meaning of mourning in the face of tragedy.