April Midnight
By: Arthur Symons
Author Bio
Arthur Symons lived from 1865- 1945. He was born in Wales and was involved in poetry at a young age. He ofter wrote with themes such as love, loss, and sadness. Unfortunately hardly any of his works got published after 1908 because he suffered a mental breakdown. His most famous poem, April Midnight, was published in 1898.
April Midnight by Arthur Symons
Side by side through the streets at midnight,
Roaming together,
Through the tumultuous night of London,
In the miraculous April weather.
Roaming together under the gaslight,
Day’s work over,
How the Spring calls to us, here in the city,
Calls to the heart from the heart of a lover!
Cool to the wind blows, fresh in our faces,
Cleansing, entrancing,
After the heat and the fumes and the footlights,
Where you dance and I watch your dancing.
Good it is to be here together
Good to be roaming,
Even in London, even at midnight,
Lover-like in a lover’s gloaming.
You the dancer and I the dreamer,
Children together,
Wandering lost in the night of London,
In the miraculous April weather.
Analyzing the Poem
Through further investigation of this poem I was able to draw many conclusions about its theme and purpose. Firstly, the poem was most likely written in the perspective of a man because it states, "Where you dance, and I watch you dancing" (12). I was able to infer this because it is usually a man who would watch a woman dance. Another thing I was able to figure out was the overall message of the poem. I believe that this poem is about love shining through. Even in the tumultous nights of London. I can tell this because the poem reads, "Good it is to be here together/ Good to be roaming/ Even in London, even at midnight" (13-15). Overall I would say that the main theme present throughout the poem is the idea of love and togetherness.