At Dusk by James Whitcomb Riley
The poem explores the fleeting nature of life and the inevitability of death. It describes a scene at dusk where the speaker reflects on the passing of time and the transience of human existence. The poem's tone is melancholic, with a sense of resignation to the natural order of things.
By James Whitcomb Riley · First published 1880 · Genre: Poetry, Lyric, Romantic · 163 words
First lines
A something quiet and subdued / In all the faces that we meet; / A sense of rest, a solitude / O'er all the crowded street; / The very noises seem to be / Crude utterings of harmony, / And all we hear, and all we see, / Has in it something sweet.
Thoughts come to us as from a dream / Of some long-vanished yesterday; / The voices of the children seem / Like ours, when young as they; / The hand of Charity extends / To meet Misfortune's, where it blends, / Veiled by the dusk -- and oh, my friends, / Would it were dusk alway!
What this Textopian page supports
At Dusk is listed on Textopian as a poem by James Whitcomb Riley, dated 1880 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: James Whitcomb Riley
- Date: 1880 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Poetry, Lyric, Romantic, Reflective, Pastoral
- Length: 163 words
- Structure: 1 section, 2 paragraphs
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- Work identity for At Dusk by James Whitcomb Riley
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- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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Similar titles
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- In The Evening by James Whitcomb Riley
- In The Afternoon by James Whitcomb Riley
- Another Old Song by Edward Thomas
- The Creek by Madison Cawein
- The Evening Company by James Whitcomb Riley
Genres
- Poetry — The work is structured in verse form with rhyme and meter, characteristic of poetry.
- Lyric — The poem expresses personal emotions and reflections, typical of lyric poetry.
- Romantic — The themes of nostalgia and idealized past align with Romantic literary traditions.
- Reflective — The poem invites introspection and contemplation on themes of time and memory.
Tags
Poetry · Nature · Sunset · Evening · Peaceful · Serene · Reflection · Meditative · Quiet · Solitude · Nostalgia · Longing