Analysis of To Night

Joseph Blanco White 1775 (Seville) – 1841



Mysterious Night! when our first parent knew
Thee from report divine, and heard thy name,
Did he not tremble for this lovely frame,
This glorious canopy of light and blue?
Yet 'neath a curtain of translucent dew,
Bathed in the rays of the great setting flame,
Hesperus with the host of heaven came,
And lo! Creation widened in man's view.
Who could have thought such darkness lay concealed
Within thy beams, O Sun! or who could find,
Whilst fly and leaf and insect stood revealed,
That to such countless orbs thou mad'st us blind!
Why do we then shun death with anxious strife?
If Light can thus deceive, wherefore not Life?


Scheme ABBAABBACDCDEE
Poetic Form
Metre 010011101101 1101010111 1111011101 11001001101 1101010101 1001101101 11011101 0101010011 1111110101 0111111111 110101101 11110111111 1111111101 111101111
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 619
Words 113
Sentences 9
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14
Lines Amount 14
Letters per line (avg) 35
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 493
Words per stanza (avg) 111
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 20, 2023

34 sec read
69

Joseph Blanco White

Joseph Blanco White, born José María Blanco Crespo, was a Spanish theologian and poet. White was born in Seville, Spain. He had Irish ancestry and was the son of the merchant Guillermo Blanco and María Gertrudis Crespo y Neve. White was educated for the Roman Catholic priesthood but, after his ordination in 1800, religious doubts led him to escape from Spain to England. There he ultimately entered the Anglican Church, having studied theology at Oxford and made the friendship of Thomas Arnold, John Henry Newman and Richard Whately. He became tutor in Whately's family when Whately became the Archbishop of Dublin in 1831. While in this position White embraced Unitarian views. He found asylum amongst the Unitarians of Liverpool, and he died in the city on 20 May 1841. White edited El Español, a monthly Spanish magazine in London, from 1810 to 1814. Afterwards he received a civil list pension of £250. His principal writings are Doblado's Letters from Spain, Evidence against Catholicism, Second Travels of an Irish Gentleman in Search of a Religion and Observations on Heresy and Orthodoxy. They all show literary ability and were extensively read in their day. more…

All Joseph Blanco White poems | Joseph Blanco White Books

0 fans

Discuss this Joseph Blanco White poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "To Night" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/24508/to-night>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    1
    day
    8
    hours
    42
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    She recited a poem called "The Hill We Climb" in honor of the inauguration of President Joe Biden.
    A Amanda Gorman
    B Samantha Goodman
    C Anita Goldman
    D Angela Geisman