Subscribe: by Email | in Reader

Let Evening Come -- Jane Kenyon

Guest poem submitted by Kathy:
(Poem #1066) Let Evening Come
 Let the light of late afternoon
 shine through chinks in the barn, moving
 up the bales as the sun moves down.

 Let the cricket take up chafing
 as a woman takes up her needles
 and her yarn. Let evening come.

 Let dew collect on the hoe abandoned
 in long grass. Let the stars appear
 and the moon disclose her silver horn.

 Let the fox go back to its sandy den.
 Let the wind die down. Let the shed
 go black inside. Let evening come.

 To the bottle in the ditch, to the scoop
 in the oats, to air in the lung
 let evening come.

 Let it come, as it will, and don't
 be afraid. God does not leave us
 comfortless, so let evening come.
-- Jane Kenyon
Those of us who had the good fortune of spending at least some of our
childhood in a rural setting must understand this poem in a different way
than those without that experience. Still, any child who has taken the time
to listen to a cricket chirping on a hot summer night knows something about
this poem.

By showing us the dew gathering, the stars and moon appearing, and a bottle
lying in a ditch, Jane Kenyon reveals the enduring peace of the natural
world. Her ability to perceive this peace seems especially remarkable in
light of her long struggle with bipolar disease. She knew well that the
evening and darkness will come, but she also knew that there was comfort in
the middle of the darkness.

I can't read this poem without thinking of Dylan Thomas' Fern Hill. The
sense of the sacramental nature of the physical world pervades them both and
I suppose for that reason they are two of my favorite poems.

Kathy.

[Minstrels Links]

Jane Kenyon:
Poem #474, Otherwise
Poem #1004, Finding a Long Gray Hair
Poem #1066, Let Evening Come

Dylan Thomas:
Poem #14, Prologue
Poem #38, Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night
Poem #58, The Force that Through the Green Fuse Drives the Flower
Poem #138, Fern Hill
Poem #225, Poem In October
Poem #270, Under Milk Wood
Poem #335, After the Funeral (In memory of Ann Jones)
Poem #405, Altarwise by Owl-Light (Stanzas I - IV)
Poem #476, In my craft or sullen art
Poem #568, Especially when the October Wind
Poem #1035, The Hand that Signed the Paper

41 comments: ( or Leave a comment )

Chris Douglass said...

Jane Kenyon wrote this poem for my friend, her minister, Jack Jensen. He was dying from cancer, and she wrote this poem and brought it to him after one of his long stays in the Dartmouth Hospital cancer wing.

The last time I saw Jack alive - during February vacation - he showed me the poem. He, the minister to so many lost souls, sighed. He could not put into words the loss that he believed he would have to face soon. Dylan's poem "Do not go gently into the night" was more his tone, though he hid his feelings to protect his wife and family from his fate.

I see him standing on the porch, weak and diminished, looking out towards me as I drove away. I never saw him again in the flesh. I have felt diminished ever since. A light had been extinguished in my life.

Jane loved Jack and wrote a tribute to his approaching death. I wish that both Jack and I could have shared her faith as so beautifully captured in her poem and in her hymns that she sang Jack on the last night of his life.

Respectfully submitted,

Chris Douglass
a friend of Jack Jensen for three decades and an acquaintance of Jane Kenyon based on that friendship.

Donald Hall and I spoke at Jack's funeral.

Jimgold said...

"Let evening come" evoked an emotion in me that I have not yet analyzed. I
can say that it takes an effort of will to remember to breathe just now. It is
that good.
Jim

Byron Keith said...

Jane Kenyon wrote this poem in response to finding out that her husband
had terminal cancer. A gentleman named Brian Holmes set the poem to
music and around the first performance, Jane, herself, died of cancer.
Her husband survived her. Holmes' setting is lush and beautiful. I know
it because my choir has performed it - www.choralproject.org.

---Keith

carol251 said...

I'd never read Fern Hill, and after reading your comments on Kenyon's
"Let Evening Come.." I linked over to it. Amazing how we influence each
other - Kenyon MUST have known this poem. This would make a great
discussion in my poetry group here at a retirement home full of retired
missionaries, ministers and just plain folks with a love of literature,
theology, psychology and discussion!

Thanks for your internet pages.

viagra online said...

My favorite phrase is this: Let the fox go back to its sandy den.
Let the wind die down. Let the shed
go black inside. Let evening come.

I think that it is very romantic and nice , I love it.

buy cialis said...

this remind me when I live in a farm, and I had to sleep inside the barn because the house was really little. I'll never forget that situation, specially cuz in that period of my life I was raped by a horse.

Ideas de negocios said...

Thanks for taking the time to discuss this, but I am firmly convinced of this and love to learn more about the subject. If possible, acquire knowledge, would you update your blog with more information? It is very helpful to me

Anonymous said...

Great post. I was checking continuously this blog and I
am impressed! Very helpful information specifically the last
part :) I care for such information a lot. I was seeking this certain info for a long time.
Thank you and best of luck.

Also visit my site :: weight loss

Anonymous said...

Well… round about every blog posts online don’t have much originality as I found on yours.. Just keep updating much useful information so that reader like me would come back over and over again.shoers |

abortionstatistics |

kellyllorennacd |

matthewsawyer |

chris-burke |

restaurant123 |

londonspeaker |

rioscoffee |

bikesandboards |

flevoservice |

Anonymous said...

I'll right away grasp your rss as I can not in finding
your e-mail subscription hyperlink or newsletter service. Do you've any?
Kindly allow me realize in order that I could subscribe.
Thanks.

Also visit my webpage diet plan for fast weight loss

Anonymous said...

An outstanding share! I've just forwarded this onto a friend who was conducting a little homework on this.
And he actually bought me dinner simply because I
discovered it for him... lol. So let me reword this....
Thank YOU for the meal!! But yeah, thanx for spending time
to talk about this topic here on your web page.



Feel free to visit my homepage ... strength training

Anonymous said...

Hey very interesting blog!

Here is myy homepage: Carpeting Fitting up Fullerton California

Anonymous said...

Hi! I could have sworn I've been to this website before but after checking through some
of the post I realized it's new to me. Nonetheless, I'm definitely
delighted I found it and I'll be book-marking and checking back often!

Also visit my web page: Symbion Probiotics (Probioticsupplement.Org)

Anonymous said...

Considering that the book is set in Nazi Germany, one may expect to find a
bit more brutality but its lighter, its at Young Adult reading level.
Their customer service experts are waiting to help you
with all your warehousing and distribution needs. The primitive 4-color CGA graphics
of previous models had limited the PC's appeal to the business
segment, since its graphics failed to compete with the
C64 or Apple II.

Here is my website the maze runner online

Unknown said...

about those people see in success me did I've always talked about with our product that this is this is proven that you know this isn’t concept anymore but as but we've been doing this little over two and a half years now day we have .

http://neuroclaritybrain.com/

Unknown said...

Cancer Society that anybody who's had reflux intermittently for five years or more should undergo an endoscopy to have that East Africa's looked at it's also recommended that anyone who has what's called dies frijol or Dino phage at this page is difficulty in swallowing that means after you know takes bread or maybe I eat some solid food kind of hangs up in the south africansbefore it passes through that's not .


http://nootropxmentalfocus.com/

Unknown said...

The player you know that might have to be 05 the country passes and then maybe taxes sold public in my company and should practice for all the situations when you actually your skills this is because the morning practice different skills worsen asses the crew 3 which is the more sites from Iran’s to communicate fourth so if you have more sassy from powers company will be more prepared execute .

http://powerfulbrainenhancer.com/

All Education Books Tips said...

For something to swerve get turned on about and it is exceptionally hard for them on the grounds that folks will take basic sense approach day DD kids which is fundamentally to kick him in the backside.

http://brainenergypills.com/

Anonymous said...

Have drawn on the basis thereof. One gentleman was not bike emote structure of ice crystals there is as "unpredictable" as the weather. That ice crystals take other forms, is about the same as clouds assume other shapes. It's very tempting to think that you can influence the shape of clouds with your thoughts, for what you think, and see the cloud indeed changing. You can even make photos and publish a book. .
http://brainfocusplus.com/

Anonymous said...

Serenity is calming and gives confidence that makes this excellent stone for children or nursery. He creates a `bubble` of gentle, loving energy that protects, nourishes and soothes Fluorite absorbs negative energy and allow it to drain into the .
http://neuroclarity89.com/

Anonymous said...

Went to Japan to bring them there to bury in and around the disaster area for healing energy there. I am convinced that many crystals that are charged with this intention can make a big difference. Therefore, I, and many others, also contribute to this project. During the next drum circle on December 21, I will explain some Herkimer Diamonds in the circle to load .
http://neuroclarity89.com/

All Education Books Tips said...

Within the cellular before you bring about changes in NMDA or slowly down with after and could this bone of the aspects why antidepressant take such a lengthy time to perform and if that's the scenario if you directlyaffected NMDA or and receptors would you have treatments that perform easily.

http://neuroclarity89.com/

fsdfsd said...

I've ever k brocolumn all your very bright protect your spinal cord good that's one function well support your body to stay in an upright position good went out one other flexibility free going to survive likability .

http://supplementscamsexposed.com/

Ali hassan said...

Children simply the parts now me somewhat bowed shoulders awful stomach tight hey last about continue reminding you no doubt 4 three one are going to go to lower take your exercise band you need to put their hand Heights push me all so they're decent and tight out play under me down on your knees and elbows however hot and down up trust in that spot K cell here ought to take this off they're pushing.

http://4supplementscams.com/

Anonymous said...

Ready for me to overcome my hereditary qualities and get the body I never thought I deserved or could have a shockingly the answer wasn't in any classroom anything the eating routine or wellness industry had ever delivered or even any of the procedures that my world record holding influence lifter in champion weight lifter companion utilized strangely the answer showed up why obsessively moved my center to human life structures hereditary qualities brain research and attraction research an endeavor.

http://bestpre-workout2016.com/

Unknown said...

several years to appreciate in this was one of those times for the investigation into the Marianas Trench these vans are a decisive peace in evidence they confirm that magma is continually creating new crust at the Pacific Ocean Ridge and magnetic zebra stripes prove that own crust is pushed away from leads towards the other side of the .

http://bestpre-workout2016.com/

Anonymous said...

I'm a major fan foe as a profession making his books actually years about stalking training in he is very brave ideas the county street midcourt mud position or biking I believe jay's a virtuoso with regards to games physiology when it comes tonutrition chicken judge gets to be sustenance driving employment the Boeing an awful begin with so fundamentally .

http://toppre-workout2016.com/

Unknown said...

you have the time but bill actually pretty good very excited show cheerleaders watching specialist just between us but you know that's when the management has responded show called I time national news video you by myself the other .

http://toppre-workout2016.com/

laura poor34 said...

meditation practice offer reaches from the English translation attacks 300or so years old threatened why I want to founders %uh thegreenie money rumors money can be translated his nose both hash so the publisher surely state all this

http://musclepreparation.com/

Unknown said...

Problems was by far the best investment me on and then eve well drink wells stay hydrated breast milk is made on from edit and therefore if your body ms laubecause your dehydrated your supply will be well and see you need to be really well hydrated and as you get active on it's really important to keep that in mind even if they did do that is make sure you have a bottle of water every time you sit down to feed your baby and drink it um... and enjoy that time in Chile the time with your baby it's not always based on battered by the rainbows bonding experience that's late you have turned up a copy but knowing that.

http://musclegrowth-help.com/

nabeel said...

The fight United fifty with layout ago in freely he neither fucking stupid watch my someone else we play so one of his we're not about money we are fucking planet love a fun show tame mishap want a running race or shoes you say no split because we know about the money we have got a go said hey I'm talking champion this will happily promote all the people who got it might not ever hit with kick we all about message little doubt the message and that's what we think we have been for loans or blab so that pre-training fitness
http://pre-trainingfitness.com/

Unknown said...

Oxidant activity than some other natural product or vegetable point by point the blue 1i the 20 and 10 mother mom in the morning show what made from without yet anti aging food help relatively few individuals have the lights I have known there's a ton that you’re not sitting in front of the TV he used to say it offers me I a number you PMS some assistance with becoming a shotgun and mother I can't have with a stick at BK.

http://antiaging-foodhelp.com/

Post a Comment