She Comes Not When Noon Is on the Roses
Herbert Trench's poem describes a visitor who does not come at bright noon, when the soul is busy with work and play. She comes at night, when the hills darken and great voices roll in from the sea. By starlight, candlelight and dreamlight, she comes to the speaker.
By Herbert Trench · First published 1900 · Genre: Lyric poetry, Love poetry, Symbolist poetry · 76 words
First lines
She comes not when Noon is on the roses -- / Too bright is Day. / She comes not to the Soul till it reposes / From work and play.
But when Night is on the hills, and the great Voices / Roll in from Sea, / By starlight and by candlelight and dreamlight / She comes to me.
Similar titles
- At Night by Sara Teasdale
- Winter Night Song by Sara Teasdale
- Come To My Window by Sabine Baring Gould
- I Am Like One That For Long Days Had Sate by Robert Louis Stevenson
- As Twere To Night by Thomas Hardy
- Not By The Sea by Sara Teasdale
Genres
- Lyric poetry — The poem is a short, musical first-person utterance centered on a single emotional state, with refrains, incantatory repetition and the 'she comes to me' closing that define the lyric mode.
- Love poetry — The speaker's longing for an unseen beloved, who comes only at the right moment of rest and night, makes romantic yearning the central theme.
- Symbolist poetry — The poem works through suggestive images (noon, roses, the soul, sea voices, starlight) that stand for inner states rather than describing the outer world, a hallmark of Symbolist practice.
- Mystical poetry — The 'She' who arrives unseen to the soul at night, through dreamlight and great voices, suggests a visionary or spiritual presence beyond ordinary perception.
Tags
lyric poetry · poem · night · dreamlight · starlight · candlelight · mysterious visitor · waiting · solitude · stillness · the soul · rest from work and play
What this Textopian page supports
She Comes Not When Noon Is on the Roses is listed on Textopian as a poem by Herbert Trench, dated 1900 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Herbert Trench
- Date: 1900 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Lyric poetry, Love poetry, Symbolist poetry, Mystical poetry, Dream poetry
- Length: 76 words
- Structure: 1 section, 2 paragraphs
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