Edgar Allan Poe

Evening Star

Summary

The poem describes a serene scene set at the cusp of summer's midday and midnight, where the narrator observes the celestial bodies, particularly the moon and the Evening Star. The moon illuminates with a cold, bright light, which the narrator finds unwelcoming, contrasting it with the gentler glow of the Evening Star. The poem captures the narrator's preference for the distant, warm light of the Evening Star, which brings joy and admiration, over the colder, more dominant presence of the moon. It explores themes of beauty, preference, and the emotional impact celestial bodies can have on a person's heart, drawing a parallel between physical light and emotional warmth.

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’Twas noontide of summer,
And midtime of night,
And stars, in their orbits,
Shone pale, through the light
Of the brighter, cold moon.
‘Mid planets her slaves,
Herself in the Heavens,
Her beam on the waves.

I gazed awhile
On her cold smile;
Too cold—too cold for me—
There passed, as a shroud,
A fleecy cloud,
And I turned away to thee,

Proud Evening Star,
In thy glory afar
And dearer thy beam shall be;
For joy to my heart
Is the proud part
Thou bearest in Heaven at night.,
And more I admire
Thy distant fire,
Than that colder, lowly light.

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