It Sounded as If the Streets Were Running

It Sounded as If the Streets Were Running - meaning Summary

Astonishment After Sudden Hush

The poem depicts a sudden, communal experience of a startling darkening—initial alarm and paralysis give way to cautious curiosity. Neighbors feel awe at the window, then someone ventures outside to test whether time and the world remain unchanged. The closing image of Nature "mixing fresher Air" suggests renewal and a return to ordinary rhythms after an extraordinary interruption. It compresses shared fear, wonder, and recovery into a brief domestic scene.