--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was growing dark on this long southern…" description: "\"“It was growing dark on this long southern evening, and suddenly, at the exact point her finger had indicated, the moon lifted a forehead of stunning g..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc8/pat-conroy-768_beauty_it-was-growing-dark-on-this-long-souther_1441247.jpg" --- # It was growing dark on this long southern evening, and… ![“It was growing dark on this long southern evening, and suddenly, at the exact point her finger had indicated, the moon lifted a forehead of stunning gold above the horizon, lifted straight out of filigreed, light-intoxicated clouds that lay on the skyline in attendant veils. Behind us, the sun was…” quote by Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc8/pat-conroy-768_beauty_it-was-growing-dark-on-this-long-souther_1441247.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc8/pat-conroy-768_beauty_it-was-growing-dark-on-this-long-souther_1441247.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc8/pat-conroy-768_beauty_it-was-growing-dark-on-this-long-souther_1441247.jpg) > ““It was growing dark on this long southern evening, and suddenly, at the exact point her finger had indicated, the moon lifted a forehead of stunning gold above the horizon, lifted straight out of filigreed, light-intoxicated clouds that lay on the skyline in attendant veils. Behind us, the sun was setting in a simultaneous congruent withdrawal and the river turned to flame in a quiet duel of gold…The new gold of moon astonishing and ascendant, he depleted gold of sunset extinguishing itself in the long westward slide, it was the old dance of days in the Carolina marshes, the breathtaking death of days before the eyes of children, until the sun vanished, its final signature a ribbon of bullion strung across the tops of water oaks.”” [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A vivid sunset and moonlit river illustrate the fleeting beauty of day turning into night, evoking awe and melancholy. **In simple terms:** Sunset to moon transition feels beautiful and sad. Key Takeaway Appreciate fleeting moments. Themes nature beauty transience reflection melancholy Mood poetic evocative Type descriptive literary When to use this quote - watching sunsets - writing - photography - meditation Key Concepts imagery poetry time change Questions to Reflect On - What does the changing light symbolize for you? - How do you feel when day ends? A Different Perspective Interpretation may be overly romanticized. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Childhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/childhood/) [Gold Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gold-moon-1366277/) [Gold Sunset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gold-sunset-1940465/) [Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) [Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moon/) [Moon Astonishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moon-astonishing-364926/) [Moon Lifted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moon-lifted-5158450/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [South carolina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/south-carolina/) [Sun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sun/) [Sun Vanished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sun-vanished-4582046/) [Sunset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sunset/) [Sunsets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sunsets/) [Twilight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twilight/) ## Related quotes > [“Funny, one somehow imagines her snuffing quietly out now, the way the moon would if the sun vanished.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-stewart/funny-one-somehow-imagines-her-snuffing-quietly-out-now-the-way-the/) [Mary Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-stewart/) > [If there was a little shine of gold on the moon, the mankind would have been to the moon even in the 19th century!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/if-there-was-a-little-shine-of-gold-on-the-moon-the-mankind-would/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [I am the pool of gold When sunset burns and dies-- You are my deepening skies; Give me your stars to hold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-teasdale/i-am-the-pool-of-gold-when-sunset-burns-and-dies-you-are-my-deepening/) [Sara Teasdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-teasdale/) > [Viewed from the distance of the moon, the astonishing thing about the earth, catching the breath, is that it is alive. ... 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Behind us, the sun was setting in a simultaneous congruent withdrawal and the river turned to flame in a quiet duel of gold…The new gold of moon astonishing and ascendant, he depleted gold of sunset extinguishing itself in the long westward slide, it was the old dance of days in the Carolina marshes, the breathtaking death of days before the eyes of children, until the sun vanished, its final signature a ribbon of bullion strung across the tops of water oaks.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Pat Conroy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/it-was-growing-dark-on-this-long-southern-evening-and-suddenly-at-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Beauty" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/it-was-growing-dark-on-this-long-southern-evening-and-suddenly-at-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc8/pat-conroy-768_beauty_it-was-growing-dark-on-this-long-souther_1441247.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc8/pat-conroy-768_beauty_it-was-growing-dark-on-this-long-souther_1441247.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc8/pat-conroy-768_beauty_it-was-growing-dark-on-this-long-souther_1441247.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It was growing dark on this long southern evening, and suddenly, at the exact point her finger had…” — Pat Conroy", "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": "Pat Conroy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“It was growing dark on this...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/it-was-growing-dark-on-this-long-southern-evening-and-suddenly-at-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/it-was-growing-dark-on-this-long-southern-evening-and-suddenly-at-the/#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 } } ] } ```