Acquainted with the Night : summary

Acquainted With The Night” is a famous sonnet by Robert Frost (1874-1963) published in 1928. In this poem, the poet has shown the beauty of nature differently. Robert Frost usually highlights rural nature more in his poems. But in this poem, the poet depicts the nature of the city. Here, the poet’s feelings of loneliness and sadness are revealed.

First of all, the poet said that he is familiar with this night. He started walking through the city at night in a depressed mood. The walk is coming to an end, but the rain doesn’t seem to stop. The poet walks around the whole city but nowhere finds a place to rest. That is, he searched the entire city and did not find a place of peace.

Then, the poet walks along a quiet road and sees a watchman. He continued walking without looking at the watchman. Because the poet does not want to tell the watchman the reason for his night walk, he says that if he talks to someone, he will express these sad feelings, but no one will understand his feelings. So, he continues to walk like himself without getting involved in unnecessary trouble.

The poet hears people crying from a house on the side of the road. But he does not stop hearing that voice. He thinks that no one will cry for him like this. Because no one in his life will cry for him like this, these lines reveal the intense frustration of the poet.

Then, the poet looks at the moon while walking. To him, the moon seemed like a clock and a reminder that time meant nothing to the poet. That is, his sadness will not disappear with time; rather, it is an integral part of his life. There is no end to this sadness and loneliness. Finally, he ends the poem by saying that he knows this night very well.