Acquainted with the Night

Acquainted with the Night

-Robert Frost

I have been one acquainted with the night.

I have walked out in rain - and back in the rain.

I have outwalked the furthest city light.

I have looked down the saddest city lane.

I have passed by the watchmen on his beat

And dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain.

I have stood still and stopped the sound of feet

When far away an interrupted cry

Came over houses from another street,

But not to call me back or say good-by;

And further still at an unearthly height

One luminary clock against the sky

Proclaimed the time was neither wrong nor right.

I have been acquainted with the night.

I love this poem for several reasons. The imagery used makes me feel like I'm out walking the streets at night with Robert Frost. Night is also my favorite time of the day, so that makes this poem enjoyable to read.

The style Frost uses to describe the night kept me guessing as to what he actually means. "I have walked out in rain - and back in rain." Is he saying that even when it is raining, he still enjoys the night or is he saying that it is always raining so he constantly walks in it? But after thinking about the poem as a whole, I was able to figure most of the poem. When he walks past a watchmen hiding his eyes, he means that he walked by a police officer of some sorts and did not care to explain why he was out at that time.

Frost was an American poet, but this poem makes me think of old London. The "luminary clock against the sky" makes me imagine Big Ben. It rests against the skyline as the source of time in the streets of London. Also, the reference to the watchmen reminds me of british soldiers. Maybe I am just confusing my revolutionary soldiers though. 

Night holds a beauty that only be discovered by going out and seeing it for yourself. It's more than just the lack of light; its the stars and moon, the night-crawlers and hidden details, and the mystery. Night is mysterious to us because we live during the day and sleep at night. However, I think Frost is saying that he lives at night, therefore he is acquainted with it.