Evening Song by Edith Nesbit (1889)
The poem explores the theme of exhaustion and longing for rest. It describes how flowers, worn out by the sun, droop and seek healing in the evening dew. Similarly, humans, overwhelmed by life's brightness, yearn for night to bring them solace. Death is personified as a kind friend who enfolds us with love. However, with the dawn of a new day, the flowers awaken refreshed, and the poem questions whether humans can also turn their tear-stained faces towards the new morning, seeking renewal.
By Edith Nesbit · First published 1889 · Genre: Poetry, Romanticism, Philosophical Literature · 217 words
First lines
When all the weary flowers, / Worn out with sunlit hours, / Droop o'er the garden beds / Their little sleepy heads, / The dewy dusk on quiet wings comes stealing; / And, as the night descends, / The shadows troop like friends / To bring them healing.
So, weary of the light / Of life too full and bright, / We long for night to fall / To wrap us from it all; / Then death on dewy wings draws near and holds us, / And like a kind friend come / To children far from home, / With love enfolds us.
What this Textopian page supports
Evening Song is listed on Textopian as a poem by Edith Nesbit, dated 1889 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Edith Nesbit
- Date: 1889 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Poetry, Romanticism, Philosophical Literature
- Length: 217 words
- Structure: 1 section, 3 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Evening Song by Edith Nesbit
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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Similar titles
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- Song Of Long Ago by Edith Nesbit
- Morning by Edith Nesbit
- Faute De Mieux by Edith Nesbit
- Barring The Way by Edith Nesbit
- Kenneth And The Carp by Edith Nesbit
Genres
- Poetry — The work is structured in verse form, with a rhythmic and rhyming pattern, typical of poetry.
- Romanticism — The work explores themes of nature, emotion, and the human experience, common in Romantic literature.
- Philosophical Literature — The work contemplates life, death, and the human condition, characteristic of philosophical literature.
Tags
Fantasy · Children's Literature · Adventure · Magic · Imagination · Friendship · Growing Up · Coming of Age · Self-Discovery · Mystery · Supernatural · Folklore