Night in the Old Home
The poem reflects on themes of memory, loss, and the passage of time. The speaker, in a moment of solitude, contemplates the emptiness of life as the embers of a fire fade. The imagery evokes a sense of desolation, with the speaker feeling as though they are traversing a barren landscape. As the living have departed, the speaker is visited by the spirits of their ancestors, who occupy the spaces once filled with life. These spectral figures convey a mix of wistfulness and reproach, suggesting a connection to the past that is both comforting and haunting. The speaker questions their own existence and purpose, pondering whether they are merely a remnant of a once-vibrant lineage. The ancestors seem to urge the speaker to embrace life as it is, without dwelling on the reasons for existence or the inevitability of death. They advocate for a life of acceptance, encouraging the speaker to enjoy the present, endure suffering, and wait patiently for time to pass. The poem ultimately conveys a tension between the desire for understanding and the acceptance of life's transient nature, highlighting the struggle between reflection and the call to live fully in the moment.
By Thomas Hardy · First published 1917 · Genre: Poetry, Literary Fiction, Gothic · 243 words
First lines
When the wasting embers redden the chimney-breast, And Life's bare pathway looms like a desert track to me, And from hall and parlour the living have gone to their rest, My perished people who housed them here come back to me.
They come and seat them around in their mouldy places, Now and then bending towards me a glance of wistfulness, A strange upbraiding smile upon all their faces, And in the bearing of each a passive tristfulness.
"Do you uphold me, lingering and languishing here, A pale late plant of your once strong stock? " I say to them; "A thinker of crooked thoughts upon Life in the sere, And on That which consigns men to night after showing the day to them?"
What this Textopian page supports
Night in the Old Home is listed on Textopian as a short story by Thomas Hardy, dated 1917 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Thomas Hardy
- Date: 1917 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Poetry, Literary Fiction, Gothic, Philosophical, Historical
- Length: 243 words
- Structure: 1 section, 4 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Night in the Old Home by Thomas Hardy
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Similar titles
- Past by Frederic Manning
- End Of Another Home Holiday by D. H. Lawrence
- The Tavern Of Last Times At Box Hill Surrey by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
- One We Knew by Thomas Hardy
- The Dykes by Rudyard Kipling
- The Old Churchyard Tree by Charles Dickens
Genres
- Poetry — The work is written in verse, employing poetic devices and structure.
- Literary Fiction — The themes explore deep emotional and philosophical reflections on life and death.
- Gothic — The atmosphere evokes a sense of nostalgia and haunting memories of the past.
- Philosophical — The text engages with existential questions and the nature of existence.
Tags
nostalgia · memory · home · loss · reflection · family · past · regret · identity · change · nature · solitude