Refrain
Refrain - meaning Summary
Alienation and Personal Decay
The poem presents a solitary speaker confronting inner despair, shame, and the sense of being overlooked. Night and shadow stand for an uncomfortable self that hardens into "bone," a repeated image of emotional ossification. The speaker registers others indifference or even relief at his suffering, while recollections of youth and laughter feel aged and hollow. The tone is resigned, emphasizing isolation, self-reproach, and the slow calcification of identity.
Read Complete AnalysesThe air is dark, the night is sad, I lie sleepless and I groan. Nobody cares when a man goes mad: He is sorry, God is glad. Shadow changes into bone. Every shadow has a name; When I think of mine I moan, I hear rumors of such fame. Not for pride, but only shame, Shadow changes into bone. When I blush I weep for joy, And laughter drops from me like a stone: The aging laughter of the boy To see the ageless dead so coy. Shadow changes into bone.
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