Annotation

I have been one acquainted with the night.
I have walked out in rain -- and 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,
A luminary clock against the sky

Proclaimed the time was neither wrong nor right.
I have been one acquainted with the night. 

Words and phrases in blue – These words like “night”, “saddest”, and “…outwalked the furthest city light” all dedicate to the dark and sad mood of this poem. I believe that these words diminish the possibility of a reader interpreting this poem for a happy, uplifting one.

Words in red – repeated usage of walking, moving, and passing movement

I have passed by the watchman on his beat – This phrase in the poem was difficult for me to understand as I read this poem on the surface. I did not know the exact definition of watchmen.

Watchman – A definition I found online referred to watchmen as security guards or persons who “protect property, assets, or people”. This definition may be helpful to readers who may not have a clear understand of what a watchman is.

Stanzas with grey highlighting – These stanzas contain enjambment. However, the poem starts with clear, strict punctuation but later changes in the third and fourth stanza. The distinct change throughout the poem could be an attempt to engage the reader to pay attention to the words and what is being said rather than what is being punctuated.

“I have been one acquainted with the night”  is repeated twice within the poem – at the beginning and the end.

Structure: 14 lines = Sonnet