Lyric Poem · Sad
Acquainted with the Night
by Robert Frost · 1928
I have been one acquainted with the night.
I have walked out in rain—and back in rain.
I have outwalked the furthest city light.
I have looked down the saddest city lane.
I have passed by the watchman on his beat
And dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain.
I have stood still and stopped the sound of feet
When far away an interrupted cry
Came over houses from another street,
But not to call me back or say good-bye;
And further still at an unearthly height,
One luminary clock against the sky
Proclaimed the time was neither wrong nor right.
I have been one acquainted with the night.
Full-text availability follows the United States display decision recorded below; status can differ elsewhere.
“Acquainted with the Night” by Robert Frost — quilloak.com/poems/acquainted-with-the-night
Quick facts
- Poem
- Acquainted with the Night
- Poet
- Robert Frost
- Published
- 1928
- Length
- 14 lines
- Form
- Lyric Poem
- Themes
- Sad, Life
Craft notes
How this poem works
Measured from the text on this page, not copied from a summary. Counts are approximate: syllables and rhymes come from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary, which models General American English, so dialect, older pronunciation, and performance can all change what you hear.
- Shape
- 14 lines · 5 stanzas of 2–3 lines
- End rhyme
- ABA in 60% of the stanzas — terza rima opening. The remaining stanzas vary, often through slant rhyme.
- Line length
- Mostly 10-syllable lines (pentameter length).
- Refrain
- “I have been one acquainted with the night.”Repeated lines act as the poem's hinge or drumbeat.
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Text, source & rights
A traceable edition
Full-text display is based on the cited edition and a United States term-expiry review.
- Author record
- Robert Frost1874–1963
- Source record
- WikisourceAcquainted with the Night by robert-frost, Wikisource transcription
- Display decision
- Full text · United States · reviewed 2026-07-18
- Publication record
- 1928
- Text fingerprint
- SHA-256 034ce168ec1cf38c…
- Editorial handling
- Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.
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