The title of the poem suggests to keep your mind soul calm. The poet is all about to influence everybody towards the motive of peace. And to be united forever.
Counting upto twelve refers to 12 months of the calendar or 12 hours of the clock. And by keeping quiet and still will help us to achieve the togetherness and peace in the world and will save the earth.
No, the poet didn’t advocate total inactivity and death. He conveys through his poem that we should keep calm and still to bring peace and to realize what we have been doing and its consequences, and should not do wars and should protect our environment and earth.
Whatever we have been doing without thinking of it’s consequences will later lead us to sadness in our living. Poet says we all are in hurry in achieving our goal but sometimes this rush leads to danger and brings sadness in our lives.
What symbol from Nature does the poet invoke to say that there can be life under apparent stillness?
The poet took the example of earth to show that there can be a life under apparent stillness. He says with change in seasons, it brings so many different things with it. As in winter the water bodies gets freeze, trees shed their leaves but as soon the spring season comes it brings some new life with it. It gives lives to new blossoms, and nature gets new lives. He says by keeping quiet and still it doesn’t mean that it is total inactive but it means by doing so a new life and phase will begin.