Night by Wole Soyinka

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NIGHT

Your  hand  is  heavy,Night,upon  my  brow

I  bear  no  heart  mercuric  like  the  clouds,to  dare Exarcerbation  from  your  subtle  plough.

Woman as a clam,on the far crescent

I  saw your jealous  eye quench the  sea's

Fluorescence,dance  on  the  pulse  incessant

Of the  waves.And  I  stood  drained

Submitting  like  the  sands,blood  and  brine Coursing   to   the   roots.Night,you   rained

Serrated  shadows  through  dank  leaves

Till,bathed  in  warm  suffusion  of  your  dappled  cells Sensations  pained  me,faceless,silent  night  thieves.

Hide  me  now,when  night  children  haunt  the  earth  - I  must  hear  none.These  misted  calls  will  yet

Undo    me,naked,unbidden,at   Night's    muted    birth

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Analysis 

"Night" by Wole Soyinka is a poem that personifies the night as a powerful and enveloping force, exploring themes of submission, vulnerability, and the transformative nature of darkness. Here's an analysis of its key elements:

The poem opens with the speaker addressing the night as a heavy presence upon their brow, suggesting a sense of weight and burden. The comparison of the speaker's heart to clouds, which dare exacerbation from the night's subtle plough, highlights the vulnerability of human emotions in the face of darkness.

The night is further personified as a woman, described as a clam with a jealous eye that quenches the sea's fluorescence. This imagery evokes a sense of possessiveness and control, as the night exerts its influence over the natural world.

Read the themes and literary devices of this poem

The speaker describes themselves as standing drained, submitting to the night like the sands, with blood and brine coursing to the roots. This imagery suggests a sense of surrender and resignation to the inevitable passage of time and the dominance of darkness.

As the night rains serrated shadows through dank leaves, the speaker experiences sensations that pain them, likened to faceless, silent night thieves. This imagery conveys a sense of intrusion and violation, as the darkness infiltrates the speaker's senses and emotions.

The poem concludes with a plea for concealment, as the speaker seeks refuge from the haunting presence of the night children. The misted calls of the night threaten to undo the speaker, leaving them exposed and vulnerable at the muted birth of night.