In The Cool Night Air



The bistred day has fallen still,
A darkened mead hangs overhead;
The hush within the evening chill
Chants now the yore is gone to bed.
A gently breeze steals from the west,
Cool along the shadowed lanes;
The sunburned broil, now at rest,
Its warmth has gone, though still remains.

The cool night air stands all alone
Anon the past is gone to sleep;
Daytime secrets tossed and blown,
The faithful night for ere to keep.
Secrets that the breeze fears speak,
Winnowing in the night-time swell;
Brushing eastward 'gainst your cheek...
The whispered wind mayn't kiss-n'-tell.

Evensong is served this eve
All around the moonlit shrine;
Absolution cedes when you believe,
The cool night air is sweet as wine.
Drink your fill in solemn thought,
Let your mind escape within;
Cleanse your conscience, ever fraught,
Save your soul! ~ confess your sin!

Here beneath a cloudless sky
You're not alone ~ you seldom are;
Within the dim nocturnals fly
As someone watches from afar.
So, meditate, your faith elate,
Ruminate, and yet beware;
Intoxicate your mindless state,
Drinking in the cool night air.

About this poem

When all is silent and all is still the peaceful solace of the cool night air will intoxicate you in this 1975 piece.

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Submitted by AlanSJeeves on June 21, 2021

Modified by AlanSJeeves on June 21, 2021

56 sec read
12

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABABCDCD EFEFGHGH IJIJKLKL MNMNOPOP
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,056
Words 184
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 8, 8, 8, 8

Alan S Jeeves

Alan S Jeeves is a Lancashire (England) born, Yorkshire based classical poet. more…

All Alan S Jeeves poems | Alan S Jeeves Books

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    "In The Cool Night Air" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 26 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/103230/in-the-cool-night-air>.

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