Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Let Evening Come" is a poem by Jane Kenyon, an American poet who was known for her spare, meditative style. The poem was written in the late 1980s and was published in her collection "Otherwise" in 1996. It reflects on the themes of acceptance, mortality, and the beauty of the natural world.

Explanation:

In "Let Evening Come," Jane Kenyon invites the reader to observe the natural world at dusk, as the light fades and the world prepares for night. She reflects on the inevitability of change and mortality, and encourages the reader to find peace and acceptance in the face of these realities. The poem celebrates the beauty of the natural world and encourages the reader to find solace in its rhythms and patterns. 

Poetic Elements:

• Tone: meditative, contemplative, and serene
• Imagery: the natural world at dusk, the fading light, the onset of darkness
• Symbolism: the setting sun as a symbol of the passage of time and the inevitability of change
• Metaphor: the natural world as a source of comfort and solace
• Personification: the world as a living, breathing entity
• Alliteration: "let the light of late afternoon shine"
• Structure: "Let Evening Come" is a four-stanza poem, with each stanza containing four lines. The rhyme scheme is ABAB, with the first and third lines rhyming with each other, and the second and fourth lines rhyming with each other. The poem has a regular meter and is written in iambic pentameter.

Conclusion:

In "Let Evening Come," Jane Kenyon reflects on the beauty of the natural world and invites the reader to find solace in its rhythms and patterns. The poem celebrates the inevitability of change and encourages the reader to find peace and acceptance in the face of mortality.

Poem Snippet:

"And let the winds of the heavens

dance between you.

Love one another but make not a bond

of love:

Let it rather be a moving sea

between the shores of your souls."