Lonesome Night
Lonesome Night - meaning Summary
Shared Loneliness and Plea
Hesse addresses fellow sufferers in a compassionate, communal voice, describing lonely people who long for relief and hope during a bleak night. The speaker acknowledges shared pain and helplessness—"stumbling" and "wake"—and links disparate lives (ordinary folk, sailors) through common hardship. The closing plea, "Give me my welcome back," asks for reconnection or acceptance, turning collective lament into a request for belonging.
Read Complete AnalysesYou brothers, who are mine, Poor people, near and far, Longing for every star, Dream of relief from pain, You, stumbling dumb At night, as pale stars break, Lift your thin hands for some Hope, and suffer, and wake, Poor muddling commonplace, You sailors who must live Unstarred by hopelessness, We share a single face. Give me my welcome back.
Translated by James Wright
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