At Evening Poem by Vikram Seth

At Evening

Rating: 3.8


Let me now sleep, let me not think, let me
Not ache with inconsistent tenderness.
It was untenable delight; we are free--
Separate, equal--and if loverless,
Love consumes time which is more dear than love,
More unreplicable. With everything
Thus posited, the choice was clear enough
And daylight ratified our reckoning.

Now only movement marks the birds from the pines;
Now it's dark; the blinded stars appear;
I am alone, you cannot read these lines
Who are with me when no one else is here,
Who are with me and cannot hear my voice
And take my hand and abrogate the choice.

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Susan Williams 28 January 2016

Nighttime is the worst - the business of the day is over and nothing presents itself to distract and we are left prey to the tossing and turning in fruitless search of sleep while the heart yearns for the love that is gone. Great work.

26 2 Reply
Kallol Sarkar 27 October 2004

' Love consumes time which is more dear than love ' - ***

17 9 Reply
Monoranjan Thakur 09 February 2016

Realisation of life at the end of the day..it is really beautiful poem.

4 1 Reply
Ratnakar Mandlik 09 December 2016

daylight retified our reckoning Great conceptualization. Thanks for sharing.

3 1 Reply
Mahtab Bangalee 04 December 2020

Love consumes time which is more dear than love/// wow great line of this poem- I think; love consumes time and this time is most precious than this love; great philosophical expression and thought provoking also; greatly penned this poem

0 0 Reply
Lyn Paul 04 December 2020

Time takes so much from us. It is those thoughts that can drive us.

0 0 Reply
Dear soulmate 04 December 2020

You are pathetic not passionate. who is stopping you from your love U

0 0 Reply
Ratnakar Mandlik 04 December 2020

The modern self centered man and his thinking processes beautifully unfolded. Congrats on madern poem of the day.

0 0 Reply
Khairul Ahsan 04 December 2020

'Love consumes time which is more dear than love' - all lovers may not agree to this thought, but I do. 'And daylight ratified our reckoning' - that's a beautiful line! Congratulations on your poem's selection as the 'Modern Poem of the Day'!

1 0 Reply
Edward Kofi Louis 04 December 2020

Darkness! ! ! Time to sleep. Thanks for sharing this poem with us.

0 0 Reply
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Vikram Seth

Vikram Seth

Kolkata / India
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