Twilight (also referred to as dusk, evening, gloaming or nightfall) refers to the period between sunset and sunrise and is classified into three types – civil, nautical, and astronomical.
Bella Cullen’s consumerist attitude further complicates her family’s efforts at living a “normal” existence, rendering their attempts futile. This short collection of poems about twilight offers readers seeking weightlessness in this overcomplicated world an enjoyable read.
1. Drifting Flowers of the Sea
In this poem, the speaker stands on a beach at night to observe the sea and notices white flowers floating on its surface. He imagines they once bloomed deep below in the ocean but now rise to the surface and will always drift along its surface even after humans have left this earth; these symbolic blooms represent perseverance and dreams unspoken by humanity.
The poem culminates with a joyful song from a thrush, serving as a reminder that this fading day is only temporary and brighter days will follow. This piece is an outstanding example of poets using twilight to convey hope; indeed it served as the source for Colin Dexter’s final Inspector Morse novel, The Remorseful Day.
As with the other Hartmann poems, this one contains two stanzas of twelve lines each and was published in Drifting Flowers of the Sea and Other Poems (1904). One striking aspect of this poem is its slanting margins – Hartmann employed this style to convey an atmosphere of floating.
Hartmann was an immensely prolific writer who composed poetry, literary criticism, and art history works. Traveling between Europe and America frequently, he formed relationships with some of the greatest literary and artistic minds at that time; many consider him an integral figure in shaping modernism as we know it today.
At some point during his career, he published several collections of poetry and literary articles influenced by Stephane Mallarme, such as Christ (1893) which is an extravagant symbolist depiction of Jesus’s life, complete with nakedness and orgies.
Hartmann experimented with traditional poetic forms as well as Japanese ones like haiku and tanka, perhaps learning of these from Lafcadio Hearn. In 1915 he published Japanese Rhythms which contained seven haiku and three tanka. Later that same year, he published another chapbook with more tanka from this collection; additionally, he would publish short stories and plays.
2. Twilight’s Last Breath
Halleck uses poetic allusion to depict the beauty of twilight in this poem as the sun slips away, leaving behind only its dim light. Halleck uses various literary devices to help convey his meaning for this allusion – most noticeably using enjambment (continuous phrases that run into each line), voiceless sounds, and enjambment, in particular, to bring life and emotion to his verse.
Halleck’s poem comprises four stanzas that follow a rhyme scheme of ABABCDCDEE/ FFGHIHIJJ/ KLKLMNOO/ PQPQRARATT; each stanza consists of two quatrains and a couplet. This poetic structure highlights how nightfall mirrors death; Halleck’s mastery of formal elements makes this piece truly extraordinary among works of its time.
One of the most striking aspects of Halleck’s poem is how he uses twilight’s shifting atmospheres to mirror emotions of life, helping readers process weather shifts and feelings associated with them. Halleck accomplishes this through careful poetic imagery such as, for instance, his first stanza opening with “Wild passion waves are lulled and rested”, depicting heart twilight; followed by nature twilight as sun rays fade and earth prepares for nightfall.
In the final stanza, the speaker compares fading sunlight with that of the North Star, an astronomical symbol for death. This metaphor is amplified by voiceless sounds in this stanza as well as drawn-out word rhythm that almost mimics lullabies. Finally, this poem ends by reference to life being “fled away” due to darkness encroaching upon our world.
3. Twilight’s Kiss
Poetry writers have long been inspired by the moment of evening’s transition into twilight, often exploring themes of transition, transformation, and time passing by through vivid images and rich language that capture its beauty and tranquility. Twilight poems offer us a snapshot of this special time of day!
Twilight’s mesmerizing beauty can also serve to convey human emotion in poetic form. Poems about twilight often explore the loss of loved ones, growing old, and time’s passage as well as inspiring readers to appreciate life and cherish memories while making more.
Christopher Marlowe’s 1592 poem The Lady of Shalott by Christopher Marlowe stands as an iconic work about dusk. Inspired by a mysterious figure known only as Shalott who served at King James I’s court as a mermaid, its use of allusions has inspired many later authors and served as an important example.
Contrary to most poems about twilight, this one does not focus on its physical aspects but instead emphasizes the symbolic nature of nightfall. As the poem states: “All that we had in days of old / Is gone and oh! what a change it’s made / In our dull homes, our sorrowful lives / And now this drab time.”
Hong Kong film Twilight’s Kiss tells the tale of two men in their late 50s who discover love after meeting at a park but have difficulty acknowledging or accepting it because of social norms that prevent their romance from blossoming fully. Directed by Helmer Yeung, this work explores what happens when love arrives late and must contend with stigmatized norms in society.
4. Twilight’s Shadow
Artists and poets have long been entranced by the magic of day turning to night. Poems that capture this precious moment often employ vivid images to elicit emotion in readers; exploring themes of change, transformation, and time passing.
The Twilight is an oppressive supernatural state found within Hyrule in The Legend of Zelda video game series, created by Zant to slowly cover its kingdom with shadow during his conquest of it. This realm is home to many creatures derived from Darkness; therefore Link must fight them off to free the Kingdom from this oppressive influence and defeat Zant and free it of its control.
Rev. Jim Hall has published numerous books, such as his inaugural poetry collection: “The Ocean Beach Pier, Poems, Prayers and More”. In it, he shares his insights into retirement life – such as theology in retirement, twelve-step thinking, and more prayers as well as life at the pier as well as some of his Twilight poems! This volume makes an excellent read and would make an ideal present!
