Poems about night capture its divine beauty that transforms the environment with its serenity and exquisite sky full of twinkling stars and a glowing enchanting moon. The glow of the moon and stars softly light the still and calm surroundings, evoking awe for this ethereal aspect of nature that triggers profound philosophical thoughts.
These poems delve into the mysterious and otherworldly aura of the night, particularly when the moon and stars are dim or are shrouded by the clouds, letting the darkness pervade amid the silence, emphasizing the underlying, lingering sinister feel that often evokes anxiety and fear while triggering unsettling thoughts. Some poems might juxtapose the two views of the night, showing its inherent duality.
These poems also present the night’s immersing nature that opens up an alternate reality through the dreams and its mysterious energy, which makes one believe in or wonder about transcendental realms or the universe’s larger unknown secrets beyond human knowledge. Thus, nighttime becomes a soothing escape from everyday reality and concerns.
The night’s extraordinary beauty, tranquility, and relaxed mood create an apt backdrop for romance and love poems as everyone settles into their respective places, offering privacy while creating an intimate and surreal moonlit ambiance. Likewise, in some poems, the night’s solitude and privacy create a contemplative atmosphere wherein one can plunge into emerging thoughts, deeply exploring the self or the universe.
In essence, these poems embody the essence of the night, embodying its duality while capturing all its aspects, including beauty, sublimity, serenity, mystery, otherworldliness, darkness, ominousness, or etherealness, captivating one within the introspective, romantic, intriguing, or thrilling atmosphere.
Shelley’s ‘To Night’ personifies the night as the speaker longs for it and asks it to come soon, ranking it above day, sleep, and death.
'To Night' captures the essence of the night, which is serene and surreal yet has a lingering darker sinister mystery as the speaker yearns for the 'Spirit of night' that gives 'joy and fear' and thus is 'terrible and dear,' indicating the night's paradoxical aura. It emphasizes the soothing beauty of the night by personifying it like an ethereal force that wraps everything in the stars and blinds the day's eyes with her hair, suggesting the day's piercing brightness. The speaker asserts that though death and sleep are akin to the night, they cannot replace the night's inimitable experience and, thus, can come later when night has passed, suggesting the night's introspective and otherworldly aura, enhanced by solitude, that makes one explore even darker, unsettling thoughts.
Wordsworth’s ‘A Night-Piece’ describes a moment of the night sky’s beauty akin to heaven’s glory that is etched in the speaker’s mind.
'A Night-Piece' captures the aesthetic scenery and serenity of the night like an artful painting, appealing to the sense of sight with its intricate imagery. It presents a dark night wherein the dull moon is veiled by clouds yielding light so feeble 'that not a shadow falls.' The wind's silent rolling of the trees enhances the night's stillness, while the 'pensive' and 'lonesome' traveler suggests the night's introspective aura, privacy, and solitude. The clouds part momentarily to reveal a surreal, heaven-like, black-blue vault with a full moon and a multitude of small, sharp, and bright stars, offering solace and peace as the mind gets imprinted with this awe-inspiring natural phenomenon.
‘Nightpiece’ by James Joyce unfolds as a beguiling but depressing vision of a nearly star-less night as it envelops the sky above the speaker.
This 'Nightpiece' presents a gloomy night with an ominous, spectral aura calling it 'sindark,' suggesting this night is leaning toward darker, profane elements. It is moonless cloudy, and the pale stars make strange sounds, seeming like 'Ghostfires from heaven's far verges,' with soaring arches as if the night sky was an eerie cathedral where the angles, who are notably 'lost,' awaken only to perform an uncanny ritual, i.e., to release incense smoke that makes dark clouds in the sky or cathedral as if the prayers of people go in this void, futile making them wasted souls. This poem shows the feeling of dread, an eerie mystery, and the hopelessness a dark, cloudy, moonless, dimly starlit night can evoke.
‘Night Journey’ by Theodore Roethke admires the landscapes, likely the American countryside, one can observe via train at night.
This poem takes the readers on a sensory nighttime train journey, showing how the ordinary landscape gets imbued with an intriguing mystery while capturing the thrill and beauty of this journey through intricate auditory imagery. The night's darkness and silence enhance the speaker's senses, making him physically feel the train's movement or turns. The scenery outside is fragmented and fleeting amid night's darkness and likely a few flashes of light as the train goes 'From dark to blazing bright,' traversing lakes, bridges, mountain mists, gullies, trees, etc. The ambiance sounds of rain rattling the glass and wheels shaking the road stones emphasize the sensory beauty of 'Night Journey.'
Tennyson’s ‘Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal’ illustrates lovers’ union and the speaker’s desire through intricate nature imagery at twilight.
The poem captures the aesthetic transition of twilight into the night, creating a sublime romantic atmosphere as the meteors and stars begin to shine in the sky. It uses nature's elements to convey the night's relaxed, still, intimate, and private world that stimulates the romance as everything settles into its place; for instance, the petals sleep, trees stop moving, the lily rests in the lake's bosom, and the speaker invites his beloved to come and rest in his embrace. Further, the crystal gold fin doesn't wink, suggesting the absence of daylight and the presence of serene and soothing darkness wherein fireflies waken or glimmer, symbolizing the awakening of innate passions at night.
Anne Brontë’s ‘Night’ delves into longing and solace found in dreams, where the silent night revives memories of a lost loved one.
Night has a mysterious, otherworldly aura that makes the dream scenes seem authentic as if they belong to a parallel secret world. The speaker's days are filled with 'solitude and woe,' and the night offers an escape, transforming her sadness into 'hope and rapture.' The 'silent hour of the night,' as if the unknown forces of the universe are in action, brings the speaker into the realm of dreams, an alternate reality where she can see and connect with a lost loved one. Thus, this poem shows the night's mystical power that can let one transcend ordinary perception and experience visions beyond mundane reality, offering solace and hope via otherworldly experiences.
Hopkins’ ‘The Starlight Night’ describes the importance of looking at the stars and appreciating God’s creation in one’s everyday life.
The night in this poem becomes the revealer of the divine beauty of sacred stars. The speaker uses various metaphors to present the boundless beauty of 'The Starlight Night'; stars are grand like 'bright boroughs,' or circle-citadels,' precious, glowing, and magical as if 'diamonds,' and 'elves'-eyes' in the dark woods, they are fluid and shimmering like 'quickgold,' and seem as if they are floating and moving like lit trees or doves floating. The speaker presents the stars as a sacred creation of God, emphasizing that beholding the starlit night sky is like a divine prize, and one should not miss the night to observe the stars' divine beauty.
Look at the stars! look, look up at the skies!
O look at all the fire-folk sitting in the air!
The bright boroughs, the circle-citadels there!
Down in dim woods the diamond delves! the elves'-eyes!
‘Wild nights – Wild nights!’ by Emily Dickinson is a multi-faceted poem. It explores an ambiguous relationship that could be religious or sexual.
Nighttime is often associated with romance, and it is frequently used in literature to create a romantic backdrop and symbolize intense passion, intimacy, and physical union. Night in this poem is both a primary setting and a symbolic element. The wild, stormy night reminds the speaker of her solitary presence in such weather, stirring her desire, passion, and longing for the beloved. It represents both the external and internal wildness; the external rough weather evokes the speaker's emotions driving her toward the beloved's safety, while the wildness also mirrors the speaker's inner emotions of wild passion, unbridled desire, sexual yearning, and intense longing.
Wordsworth’s ‘A Night Thought’ describes a thought that occurred at night that humans do not appreciate what fortune has given them.
This poem emphasizes the night's contemplative aura that triggers deep thoughts. The speaker's thoughts concerning human nature seem to be stimulated by the peaceful night as the poem is aptly entitled, 'A Night Thought.' The night is tranquil and relaxed as the speaker personifies the moon and interprets it as someone satisfied and happy with its existence, as one can always see its optimistic brightness when the clouds part. However, humans, on the other side, are always sulky about something. Thus, the serene moonlit night inspires the speaker not to mourn as he prays to heaven for a counter impulse whenever he feels sad or sulky.
‘Clear Night’ by Charles Wright is about a poet’s thoughts under a clear night sky, suggesting a particular type of life he wants to live.
This poem embodies and evokes the night's calm, uncanny, and otherworldly aura as the 'Clear Night' sky lit by a moon triggers the speaker's odd yet intense thoughts. It seems serene yet eerie, as symbolized by a falling cassia flower, castor beans with their 'earrings of death,' and contrasting elements like 'Bird hush and bird song,' triggering the speaker's elemental passions as he expresses his deep desires abstractly. The mysterious night catalyzes the speaker's connection with nature's elements as he imagines the wind and the castor beans saying 'what' and the stars gearing and starting towards fulfilling his passions.
Clear night, thumb-top of a moon, a back-lit sky.
Moon-fingers lay down their same routine
On the side deck and the threshold, the white keys and the black keys.
‘Night’ by William Blake shows the surreal activities of angels and preying animals during the night, juxtaposing good and evil on earth.
The night is presented as a surreal and mystical time when the celestial beings, angels, tread on the earth amid the shining evening stars and the smiling moon to bless and guard all creatures and bestow sleep on those in despair, offering relief. While the angels protect creatures from wolves and tigers, they catch the spirits of those attacked and take them to heaven, where even lions are tender and friendly. Thus, the night is a magical, extraordinary time when divine beings balance the evil in some creatures as they protect on earth and offer eternal bliss in heaven.
Christina Rossetti’s ‘Goblin Market,’ narrates the fantastical tale of Laura and Lizzie, delving into sin, redemption, and sisterhood.
The night is often associated with darkness, otherworldliness, sensuality, secrecy, and an uncanny sinister aura, complementing the goblins' dark, unsettling mystery. The evil, strange goblins appear at night, while Laura gets tempted and eats the forbidden sexually suggestive goblin fruits at night, losing her senses, not knowing 'was it night or day.' However, Lizzie confronts and wins over the goblins at night while staying resolute, clever, and brave, thus suggesting the night's duality, which likely depends on external circumstances like Lizzie's smartness and will.
‘Tonight I Can Write’ by Pablo Neruda explores love’s transient nature and enduring impact, capturing poignant emotions felt after a breakup.
The night's romantic atmosphere evokes the speaker's moments with the beloved, symbolizing memories of the past and the gloominess of the present. The romantic night reminds the speaker of his beloved, becoming a significant element that connects with the speaker's emotions while symbolizing both memory and a silent witness to the speaker's changed relationship as now he is alone on the romantic night, which accentuates his sadness, making him write the 'saddest lines' as he misses his lost love and longs for the moments spent with the beloved.
Tonight I can write the saddest lines.
Write, for example, 'The night is starry and the stars are blue and shiver in the distance.'
Walt Whitman’s ‘When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer’ emphasizes the significance of experiencing nature to access deeper knowledge.
The setting of the night plays a crucial role in the poem, providing a backdrop for the speaker’s contemplative escape from the lecture hall. The mystical, moist night air enhances the contrast between structured learning and natural wonder.
When I heard the learn’d astronomer,
When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me,
When I was shown the charts and diagrams, to add, divide, and measure them,
When I sitting heard the astronomer where he lectured with much applause in the lecture-room,
In Robert Browning’s ‘Meeting at Night,’ the speaker sails across the sea to secretly reunite with his beloved under the moon’s soft glow.
In literature, night is often associated with hidden desires, passion, secrecy, and romance, such as the lovers' secret meeting and blossoming love under darkness. In the poem, night's darkness provides a cloak for the lovers to escape societal scrutiny and indulge in their private rendezvous. Moreover, the night with soft moonlight amplifies the sense of intimacy and sensual experience, accentuating the intensity of the lovers' passion.
The gray sea and the long black land;
And the yellow half-moon large and low:
And the startled little waves that leap
In fiery ringlets from their sleep,
Poems about Night FAQs
A night poem is a broad category of poetry that is written about the subject of night. Any piece of verse, no matter the style, time period, or intentions, can be a “night” poem if it includes the night in some form. A writer might choose to describe night broadly or to hone in on a single experience that occurred at night.
The best way to write a night poem is to start by writing down all of one’s emotions associated with the time of day. Are there any particular images that come to mind right away? One of these could be the central image of your piece. Do you find night a peaceful or terrifying time of day? Do you have any experiences from your own personal history that have occurred at night and were particularly important? The answers to these questions will help you in your quest to write a poem about night.
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