This poem explores the happenings of nighttime that frighten us "day creatures." It paints an uneasy picture of the animals at night and what they do while we are sleeping - or trying to, anyway. The speaker is perhaps camping with another person/people, and they are a little leery of falling asleep among the unknown creatures of the night. The diction displays this fear, for the words used to describe the sounds, "cries," "squeaks," "noises," are rather harsh and unpleasant sounding - they are most definitely not soothing, soft words that roll off one's tounge and put them to sleep. These instead suggest uneasiness, "...noisy as ducks, drunk / on the boozy black, gloating chink-chunk" (Kumin 8,9). These noises are sharp and alert, keeping the speaker and company awake, for they must must "defend" themselves during the night. This suggests there is danger lurking that may attack or try to harm them. When listing the sources of all of these sounds, not one of them is positive, and "the strange" even has a line of its own. Unknown, unexplained, scary, foreign creatures are "the strange" ones that are especially frightening. All these campers can look forward to is the "sweet" sun that is guaranteed to rise in the morning and will silence all of the unknowns of the dark.The term "we" is used, referring to the speaker and their company. It could also, perhaps, be referring to the human population as a whole. In that case, the poem takes on an entirely different tone, one of slight sarcasm and mockery. The speaker would then be pointing out all of the scary things that make us softy humans afraid of the dark. It is silly of us to curl up in our blankets next to a cozy fire, surrounded by the little birdies, bats, and frogs - all harmless and simply making noises. And of course those "supposed...the never seen" are out there too - who knows what they're going to do to you!
The imagery throughout this poem is entirely auditory. There is no solid, physical evidence to reassure these campers' wandering minds. Not seeing any of these animals leads to the fear of the unknown, which is most often the scariest aspect. The campers assume the source of every sound to be a bird, a bat, or a frog; but there is always that possibility that it is not, that it is something far more threatening on its way to gobble them up, for they never actually see this bird, bat or frog.
The structure of the poem also adds to the uneasy feeling the reader senses. "And now" is the start of the first two stanzas. First of all, this puts the reader right in the moment with the campers, experiencing that same trembling fear. Beginning this way is also very informal, rushed almost, as though the speaker is not focused because they are too consumed by the threatening noises surrounding them. The final stanza is different, for it begins only with "Now." In
this stanza the speaker is now focused on the future - they are settled in, maybe a little accustomed to the noises, although still fearful. They are reassured by the definite coming of the "sweet" sun which will save them, and they concentrate on this to keep their minds off of the ever-present night sounds.
6 comments:
I enjoyed reading your analysis of "The Sound of Night" and think that you are absolutely right about the darkness of the piece, the beleaguered people on the shore of the lake.
I found the religious quality to the piece interesting and puzzling. Reference to the "vespers" as a sound also suggests the Catholic chant at the evening hour (of six, I believe). The translation (from Wikipedia) : "O God, come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be world without end. Amen. Alleluia."
I find several allusions to this in the poem: the repetition of "and now" (one translation I saw had "and now" instead of the "now" in this translation) and "now"; the way the poem, while mimicking the sounds of night, almost chants the poem, as if to stave off, as with the fire, the frightening nature of night ("O God, come to my assistance"); and, of course, the "hallelujahs" of the crickets.
Then, there is the image of the "firework / bright and hot and less for outlook / than for magic." This magic is perhaps a reference to the magical quality chanting has on us as well as, of course, the magical ability to pierce the darkness, if not the mystery, of night.
Just thought I would see what impressions you had of the religious quality to the work (obviously not an overt theme, but an undercurrent, nonetheless).
I hope to hear back from you.
Do you know when this poem was written?
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