Acquainted with the Night

“Acquainted with the Night” is a poem written by Robert Frost. This poem is a Shakespearean sonnet. This captivating poem is about a person who knows the night very well. Frost explains this in the very first line of the poem when he states, “I have been one acquainted with the night” (1). Through the course of the poem, Frost describes and explains both the sadness and darkness of the night.

The speaker of this poem knows what night is like. He also knows everything that happens after nightfall. When he thinks about what happens throughout the night and what the night is like, he begins to experience sadness. Frost describes the unhappiness of the night by writing “I have looked down the saddest city lane./ I have passed by the watchman on his beat/ And dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain” (4-6). It is not only the night that makes him feel sad and depressed; it is also the fact that he is by himself during his adventures through the hours of darkness.

The speaker feels lonely at night while he is wandering around in the darkness. The repetition of the word “I” throughout the poem shows that he has no one with him at night. Being all alone makes him feel lonesome. By him being alone, he has more time to better understand and learn about the night.

Another repetition in the poem is where Frost describes