--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The evening with its lamps burning The…" description: "\"“The evening with its lamps burning The night with its head in its hands The early morning I look back at the worried parents Wandering through the hou..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/605/edward-hirsch-1614_darkness_the-evening-with-its-lamps-burning-the-n_1608009.jpg" --- # The evening with its lamps burning The night with its head… ![“The evening with its lamps burning The night with its head in its hands The early morning I look back at the worried parents Wandering through the house What are we going to do The evening of the clinical The night of the psychological The morning facedown in the pillow The experts can handle him…” quote by Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/605/edward-hirsch-1614_darkness_the-evening-with-its-lamps-burning-the-n_1608009.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/605/edward-hirsch-1614_darkness_the-evening-with-its-lamps-burning-the-n_1608009.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/605/edward-hirsch-1614_darkness_the-evening-with-its-lamps-burning-the-n_1608009.jpg) > ““The evening with its lamps burning The night with its head in its hands The early morning I look back at the worried parents Wandering through the house What are we going to do The evening of the clinical The night of the psychological The morning facedown in the pillow The experts can handle him The experts have no idea How to handle him There are enigmas in darkness There are mysteries Sent out without searchlights The stars are hiding tonight The moon is cold and stony Behind the clouds Nights without seeing Mornings of the long view It's not a sprint but a marathon Whatever we can do We must do Every morning's resolve But sometimes we suspected He was being punished For something obscure we had done I would never abandon the puzzle Sleeping in the next room But I could not solve it”” [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The poem juxtaposes daily routines with existential dread, highlighting the tension between routine and the unknown. **In simple terms:** Every day blends ordinary tasks with deeper anxieties. Key Takeaway Find meaning in daily moments. Themes existentialism routine anxiety Mood pensive somber hopeful Type literary introspective When to use this quote - morning rituals - night shifts - clinical work - personal reflection Key Concepts psychology poetics time perception Questions to Reflect On - How do you confront hidden fears? - What rituals ground you amid uncertainty? A Different Perspective The poem’s abstract imagery may obscure practical guidance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness/) [Early morning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/early-morning/) [Enigmas Darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enigmas-darkness-6127499/) [Every morning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-morning/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [Night Psychological](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night-psychological-6127497/) [Nights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nights/) [Nights Seeing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nights-seeing-6127498/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) ## Related quotes > [But for me, I thought you made a record, you got on a bus, went out and played your shows and made a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-aldean/but-for-me-i-thought-you-made-a-record-you-got-on-a-bus-went-out-and/) [Jason Aldean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-aldean/) > [I mean, when I was young I could write all through the night and I loved to work late into the night. 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Silvia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-j-silvia/) > [Will not the very moment of great disillusionment with my brother or sister be incomparably wholesome for me becuase it so thoroughly teaches me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/will-not-the-very-moment-of-great-disillusionment-with-my-brother-or/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [The shadows in the early morning don't tell much. The shadows rest at that time. So it's useless to gaze very early in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-castaneda/the-shadows-in-the-early-morning-don-t-tell-much-the-shadows-rest-at/) [Carlos Castaneda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-castaneda/) > [I just want to stay by you day and night. The best feeling I get is when I see your face early morning and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-just-want-to-stay-by-you-day-and-night-the-best-feeling-i-get-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I like to hit the gym early in the morning. I feel better throughout the day when I get in a workout first thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-jeter/i-like-to-hit-the-gym-early-in-the-morning-i-feel-better-throughout/) [Derek Jeter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-jeter/) > [It is early, early morning. It's that time when it's still dark but you know the day is coming. Blue is bleeding through black.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/it-is-early-early-morning-it-s-that-time-when-it-s-still-dark-but-you/) [Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/) > [“If it’s love, those tears are a sign of distress, not an act of defiance.        If it’s love, her bold fashion statement is something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-macy-stafford/if-it-s-love-those-tears-are-a-sign-of-distress-not-an-act-of/) [Rachel Macy Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-macy-stafford/) > [Don't wake up your neighbors early in the morning with a shout of Good morning! They will treat like a curse,\* not a blessing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuel-plove/don-t-wake-up-your-neighbors-early-in-the-morning-with-a-shout-of/) [Emmanuel Plove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuel-plove/) > [“Men with names never truly die. It is only the nameless and faceless who vanish like smoke into the early morning air.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-dandicat/men-with-names-never-truly-die-it-is-only-the-nameless-and-faceless/) [Edwidge Dandicat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-dandicat/) ## More by Edward Hirsch > [And my experience is the best titles, for me, emerge in the process of writing. They don't usually come at the very beginning and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/and-my-experience-is-the-best-titles-for-me-emerge-in-the-process-of/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [“I did not know the work of mourning Is like carrying a bag of cement Up a mountain at night The mountaintop is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/i-did-not-know-the-work-of-mourning-is-like-carrying-a-bag-of-cement/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [“Fall" Fall, falling, fallen. 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I thought of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/i-had-feelings-that-i-didn-t-know-what-to-do-with-and-i-felt-better/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [I think in terms of educating a group of readers, MFA programs are very good. I just think the model of MFA programs in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/i-think-in-terms-of-educating-a-group-of-readers-mfa-programs-are/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [“Jonson wrote a poem and called his son His best piece of poetrie A lovely line a little loathsome I loved that poem once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/jonson-wrote-a-poem-and-called-his-son-his-best-piece-of-poetrie-a/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [After my grandfather died I went down to the basement of my family house where my family kept books, anthologies and things and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/after-my-grandfather-died-i-went-down-to-the-basement-of-my-family/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [It does demand a certain space in order to read it and I think that space is somewhat threatened by the lack of attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/it-does-demand-a-certain-space-in-order-to-read-it-and-i-think-that/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [...I put down these memorandums of my affections in honor of tenderness, in honor of all of those who have been conscripted into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/i-put-down-these-memorandums-of-my-affections-in-honor-of-tenderness/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [Poetry is a vocation. It is not a career but a calling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/poetry-is-a-vocation-it-is-not-a-career-but-a-calling/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [You're shadowed by your own dream, especially as you get older, of trying to create something that will last in poetry. And so, you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/you-re-shadowed-by-your-own-dream-especially-as-you-get-older-of/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [The attention deficit disorder of the culture is very distressing in America now and I think it puts a lot of things at risk,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/the-attention-deficit-disorder-of-the-culture-is-very-distressing-in/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [Now, as I've gotten older I've been able to write more quickly. Sometimes I get in the space of something and I can do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/now-as-i-ve-gotten-older-i-ve-been-able-to-write-more-quickly/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [Poetry takes courage because you have to face things and you try to articulate how you feel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/poetry-takes-courage-because-you-have-to-face-things-and-you-try-to/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) [Explore all 222 Edward Hirsch quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) ## More Darkness quotes > [“Narrative cannot sustain formlessness any more than light can sustain darkness - it is the antithesis of formlessness, and so it can never truly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/narrative-cannot-sustain-formlessness-any-more-than-light-can-sustain/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [“Wait here, wait here!" he cried and jumped up and began to run for help toward a cluster of lights he saw in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/wait-here-wait-here-he-cried-and-jumped-up-and-began-to-run-for-help/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [Strange - is it not? That of the myriads who Before us passed the door of Darkness through, Not one returns to tell us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/strange-is-it-not-that-of-the-myriads-who-before-us-passed-the-door/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [Clear moments are so short. There is much more darkness. More ocean than terra firma. More shadow than form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-zagajewski/clear-moments-are-so-short-there-is-much-more-darkness-more-ocean/) [Adam Zagajewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-zagajewski/) > [I even see the cinema itself as a woman, with its alternation of light and darkness, of appearing and disappearing images](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federico-fellini/i-even-see-the-cinema-itself-as-a-woman-with-its-alternation-of-light/) [Federico Fellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federico-fellini/) > [I guess he'll have to figure out someday that he is supposed to have this dark side, that it is part of what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-guess-he-ll-have-to-figure-out-someday-that-he-is-supposed-to-have/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“I promise to respect and protect your aloneness, knowing that everything created must have its period of darkness: child and bulb, poem and personality.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-morrow-lindbergh/i-promise-to-respect-and-protect-your-aloneness-knowing-that/) [anne morrow lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-morrow-lindbergh/) > [The beauty of darkness is how it lets you see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/the-beauty-of-darkness-is-how-it-lets-you-see/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [“Even in darkness your lips taste of sunshine”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-lia-block/even-in-darkness-your-lips-taste-of-sunshine/) [Francesca Lia Block](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-lia-block/) > [“Defy me not for gleam can only shine in my existence" said Darkness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/defy-me-not-for-gleam-can-only-shine-in-my-existence-said-darkness/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“What does he look like? The question was soft- tentative. I knew who he meant. I interlaced my fingers through Rhysand's and squeezed tightly.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-j-maas/what-does-he-look-like-the-question-was-soft-tentative-i-knew-who-he/) [Sarah J. Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-j-maas/) > [The dream of coming back is becoming a reality. A lot of the uncertainty about the future has been cleared up. A lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tagliabue/the-dream-of-coming-back-is-becoming-a-reality-a-lot-of-the/) [Paul Tagliabue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tagliabue/) > [“Life is like coffee, the darker it gets, the more it energizes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ankita-singhal/life-is-like-coffee-the-darker-it-gets-the-more-it-energizes/) [Ankita Singhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ankita-singhal/) > [Twinking tears in a sea of black. Soft light in a world of darkness. Tiny wishes in a place of dreams. Do you see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-gentile/twinking-tears-in-a-sea-of-black-soft-light-in-a-world-of-darkness/) [Nicole Gentile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-gentile/) [Browse all 8,219 Darkness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The evening with its lamps burning The night with its head in its hands The early morning I look back at the worried parents Wandering through the house What are we going to do The evening of the clinical The night of the psychological The morning facedown in the pillow The experts can handle him The experts have no idea How to handle him There are enigmas in darkness There are mysteries Sent out without searchlights The stars are hiding tonight The moon is cold and stony Behind the clouds Nights without seeing Mornings of the long view It's not a sprint but a marathon Whatever we can do We must do Every morning's resolve But sometimes we suspected He was being punished For something obscure we had done I would never abandon the puzzle Sleeping in the next room But I could not solve it”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Edward Hirsch" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/the-evening-with-its-lamps-burning-the-night-with-its-head-in-its/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Darkness" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/the-evening-with-its-lamps-burning-the-night-with-its-head-in-its/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/605/edward-hirsch-1614_darkness_the-evening-with-its-lamps-burning-the-n_1608009.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/605/edward-hirsch-1614_darkness_the-evening-with-its-lamps-burning-the-n_1608009.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/605/edward-hirsch-1614_darkness_the-evening-with-its-lamps-burning-the-n_1608009.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The evening with its lamps burning The night with its head in its hands The early morning I look back at the…” — Edward Hirsch", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Edward Hirsch", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The evening with its lamps burning...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/the-evening-with-its-lamps-burning-the-night-with-its-head-in-its/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/the-evening-with-its-lamps-burning-the-night-with-its-head-in-its/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```