Textual AnalysisAn Attempt

This is the text that I have chosen to analyze:

I have been one acquainted with the night.

I have walked out in rainand back in rain.
I have outwalked the furthest city light.
I have looked down the saddest city lane.
I have passed by the watchman 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 one acquainted with the night.

Prima facie, this text looks like a poem. This is because it has been "indented" into
stanzas. We can also observe a sort of rhyme scheme. This must be proof enough.
Upon closer investigation, we see that the poem is written in a strict iambic
pentameter, and has 14 lines (like a sonnet). The rhyme scheme , known as Terza
rima, is ABA CDC DAD AA. This is exceptionally difficult to write in English, but
the author has done it with such finesse, surely they must be very well-endowed.
We see that the poem begins and ends with the same sentence. In poetry, a significant
line or phrase is stressed by repetition. It may be that this phrase is somehow linked
to the title of our text, or to the major theme of the text.
Let us dig a little deep. The denotative meaning is brought out with ease, but we do
not know yet, how many layers of meaning lie. The narrator tells us that he us wellversed with the night and its ways, and he has walked up to the city limits in the
night. He has looked down lanes, and passed by people, but he hangs up his head, and
doesn't talk to them. He stops and waits when he hears voices, only to realize that
they are not meant for him.
Behind this "not-so-interesting" story, lies some meaning. Here, the narrator is found
to be very depressed and lonely. There is no mention of "day" anywhere, possibly
because he is ashamed and has such low self-esteem that he doesn't step out during
the day. Even at night, he doesn't talk to others and tries to avoid them. However, this
attitude is reversed when he hears a voice. He hopes that it is from an angel or
benefactor, who still cares about him in this world. He has hope. But it is soon
extinguished when he realizes that the voice was not meant for him, and his state of
depression and loneliness is only verified by this incident, and it grows. His solitude
is stressed by the word "I" , which begins quite a few lines of the poem. He has no
one whom he can call "his". Furthermore, as he steps out only during the night,
chances are that he won't find someone who could cure him of his "pain".
Let us now try and infer the context of this poem. Why is the narrator depressed and
lonely? It is possible that it is due to the loss of a loved one, someone who was
always by his side, and they were the last person to have such intimacy with the
narrator. Two contenders for such a person are his parents/ spouse. In case of either
we must assume that the other one was absent, otherwise our narrator won't be as
lonely. But maybe there was a spouse, or a parent (who knows?). But we cannot
refine our argument; in the sense that why is he so ashamed? Why does he not
interact with society? Many people lose their loved ones, but they don't stop talking
to people, or even avoiding them for that matter. And why does the voice have such a
different effect on him? Probably he has accepted his loneliness, and knows that the
voice is not meant for him, as he has no one who he can call his. Did he kill this
loved one himself? Or did he put the loved one in a situation from where they met
their death? This is all unknown to us, but it seems like a plausible reason to hide
from society. People have an inherent affinity for sensational news. So they may all
ridicule him for the death anyway, in spite of him being a distant, indirect factor, if he

IS a factor at all.
But here, in this poem, the major theme is not death. It is the emotion that follows-i.e depression and loneliness. If I were to establish a separate genre called
"melancholia/sob-stories" , this poem fits the bill. I shall now try to elucidate the
modus operandi of the genre. Usually joys are glorified, but authors, in some sense,
do glorify sorrow as well. In the poem, the feeling of being alone is emphasized by
the word "I" . Rain is known to symbolize sadness or despair. Dropping of eyes is
indicative of shame or avoidance. "One luminary clock" refers to the moon, his
timekeeper.His depression has made him switch his biological clock,we may say to
some extent. Depression has taken such a toll on him that he has become someone
who moves about only at night.There is a word in Sanskrit niacarah . It is
traditionally used to mean "demon". It also means "someone who is nocturnal".
Hence we can see that here, the narrator has become one of these. Depression and
loneliness has made him a demon. This word explains to us, the meaning of being
"acquainted with the night" At the end, the poem does evoke sadness/sympathy in the
reader's mind.
But why would such a text be written in the first place? Is it by someone venting their
own feelings? (Most likely so), but who? Let us delve into that.
My text is titled "Acquainted with the night" , and is written by none other than
Robert Lee Frost(1874-1963). He is a well-known American poet.He spent majority
of his life in New England, particularly New Hampshire, and his poems echo the
thoughts of a common New-Englander; which can also be seen from his extensive
use of colloquial terms from that region. Reviewing North of Boston in the New
Republic, Amy Lowell wrote, Not only is his work New England in subject, it is so
in technique.... Mr. Frost has reproduced both people and scenery with a vividness
which is extraordinary.
His poems are set in rural New-England, and he uses common sights to explain and
portray deep psychological phenomena.
His poems are filled with imagery, and if not in a direct sense, it is very easy to
imagine the scene that he is depicting in his poem. It is easy to imagine an orchard in
After Apple-picking, or spring in a farmyard in Two tramps In Mud Time.
And in that way, he can take your mind to New England. We also see such glimpses
in this text.
So much detail on Frost. But why did he write such a poem? Is it linked to some
event in his own life? We may never know, but we can take a guess.
Acquainted with the night was part of a collection of poems titled "West-running
brook" , which was published in 1928. Frost probably wrote the poem as a selfreflection, as in his early years, we can see a major build-up of loneliness in Frost's

personal life. This period was also the best for his poetry. He "distracted himself"
using poetry.
Robert Frost's personal life was plagued with grief and loss. When Frost was 11, his
father died of tuberculosis, leaving the family very poor indeed. Frost's mother soon
died of cancer .
In 1900, Frost had moved with his wife and children to a farm in New Hampshire
property that Frost's grandfather had purchased for themand they attempted to
make a life on it for the next 12 years.
In 1920, Frost had to commit his younger sister to a mental hospital, where she died
nine years later. Both he and his mother suffered from depression, and his daughter
was committed to a mental hospital in 1947. His wife, also experienced bouts of
depression.
His wife bore him many children, but not many were fated to live long. Son Elliot
(18961904, died of cholera); son Carol (19021940, committed suicide); ; daughter
Marjorie (19051934, died after childbirth); and daughter Elinor (died just three days
after her birth in 1907). Only daughters Lesley and Irma outlived their father. Frost's
wife, who had heart problems throughout her life, developed breast cancer in 1937,
and died of heart failure in 1938.
Additionally, during that time, Frost and his wife tried several endeavors, including
poultry farming, all of which were fairly unsuccessful. We also know that his wife
was a major inspiration for his poetry. So maybe he was writing what his wife had
felt during such a period. Losing children is a traumatic experience, more so for a
mother. Hence this "loss and pain" , which feels like the loss of parents/spouse ,
might as well be the loss of children.
The companion of the narrator may also be an intimate friend, who met with a similar
fate. This is also a possibility. However, I shall continue to stress over spouse or
parents, because in most cases, it is not the loss of a best friend that creates a void so
deep , compared to the loss of a spouse or parent. As we see from Frost's personal
life, he lost many of his children and this void might have been from the loss of his
children. Or was it his wife's reaction?
Or maybe not. Maybe he worried for his sister and thought she'd be lonely in the
mental hospital. Maybe he just glorified his sadness, his sister being the cause. But
we shall never know.
Acquainted with the night was probably a recollection of this period, and maybe the
hidden joy of having survived it unscathed. As they say, que sera sera, this too shall
pass.
I shall now try to explain why this text is relevant to us. We already know why Frost

could have written this poem. But who are its intended readers? What message does
the poem give to its readers? Why must we read a text such as this? (Apart from the
sole purpose of analyzing it, of course).
Who are the intended readers? It is hard to say, as there is no account of the intended
meaning of this poem, so we can't really be sure of the intended readers. However,
since we know that facts are sacred and opinion is free, I shall provide my own
(opinion).
It is possible that the intended readers are those who relate to what is being said. The
intended readers may be those who are lonely in their lives. They will learn, from the
poem, that such people do exist, and that the reader is not the only one in this world
who experiences loneliness. In fact, the reader may feel that he has a companion in
the narrator of the poem, and maybe also in the many others who are out there, who
he hasn't met yet. He can find a companion, and he is not alone.
The phrase "I have been" has a lot of meaning, and is one worth noting. It may be
indicative of the fact that the narrator is reciting a tale of when he was young, and has
now lived to tell the tale. This is what I had predicted, if Frost was writing about his
past life. Or it may suggest that he is a person on the road to recovery from
depression. His depression might still be existing, in a miniature form. But it is
unclear if he will make it clean, or will relapse back to his "acquaintance with the
night". This might be a reference to all those kin who were mentally ill. He hoped
they'd return to normalcy.
The poem tells its readers, the ones I believe who are intended , that they are not
alone in this world. Yes, it does "celebrate sorrow" but also hopes that the readers
will understand and move on. Then this glorified tale shall be an experience, with
which they can educate other lonely souls, and relieve them of their pain.
The actual readers will also learn the same thing the intended readers do. Some, who
appreciate poetry will analyze more and probably sympathize less, but nonetheless,
many readers shall be inscribed by the poem and its thought. "Happy" people will
also learn that such people exist, and may try to relieve others' pain. The text expects
its readers to be "sympathetic", to offer companionship, to relieve the pain of others.
In fact, inscribed readership is what this genre subsists on.
Those who look at this text as "a Frost poem" , will try to get into New-England
references, and appreciation of poetry. They will delve into his style, which was a
blend of 19th and 20th century poetry styles. The Frost "fans" , will revere these words,
because it is Frost. What if a drunk tramp wrote the same thing? They would not even
spit on it, in spite of its beauty. Authorship also matters for copyrighting purposes. We
get to learn about the author's personal life, the goings-on there, and also it earns a
place in the "fans'" hearts, as I described above.

After such an elaborate discussion, we fall back to the question of the narrator
shunning society, maybe because they had a hand to play in death. Did Frost do
something similar? We dare think about him that way. However, it is possible that he
is ashamed of himself, on not being able to give his loved ones the company/support
he'd like to give them during their last days. Real reason for such lines in the poem
remains unknown.
I must now discuss another aspect, that of intertextuality. Frost, being so original,
each of hs poems being so unique and distinct, it is actually very difficult to find a
reference to this particular poem. After searching high and low, I have found a
refernce, albeit minuscle.
Ciaran Carson (1948-) is an Irish poet. A very famous collection of his poems, The
Irish For No, is where I have found a reference. In the title poem, there is heavy
intertextuality with Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. However, there are references to
many other poems, Acquainted With The Night being one of them. Robert Frosts
After Apple-Picking has also been referred to in the same poem.
Does Carson relate to Frost's style? Why yes, that too substantially. Apart from this
intertextuality, Carson is known to write a lot relating to, and about his hometown,
Belfast; just like Frost wrote about New-England. Both are well-known. Both think
alike. This has a psychological reasonboth were probably brought up the same way,
or had similar experiences growing up. In short, similarity has roots in psychology,
which boils down to "nurture".
So many similarities. I don't know if they ever met and talked. They would relate so
much. All that separated them is the Atlantic.
The night is a friend, to many people too. But Frost refers to night as " dark period of
mental turmoil" in his poem. The meaning depends entirely on us. However, even in
the unlikeliest of scenarios, there is always someone for you. Seek them, feel blessed
even if you haven't, and you will never have to be,

Acquainted With The Night

Dhruv Mehrotra
UG Sem 1
SR No. 11957