James Weldon Johnson uses the progress of a day to trace the arc of a romance. Morning brings back the first confession of love, when a blush and a glance promised a perfect future. Noon shifts into memory of passion: the heat, the scent of her hair, the warmth of an embrace and a kiss. By night, though, the mood darkens. The speaker remembers a farewell—her tear-filled eyes silently asking him to stay even while her lips told him to go. Now memory turns bitter, and the night itself becomes heavy with loss. Across the poem, the speaker moves from tender hope to intense longing and finally to grief, creating a mood that is romantic at first, then sensuous, and ultimately sorrowful.
Morning, Noon and Night — Summary
When morning shows her first faint flush, I think of the tender blush That crept so gently to your cheek When first my love I dared to speak; How, in your glance, a dawning ray Gave promise of love's perfect day. When, in the ardent breath of noon, The roses with passion swoon; There steals upon me from the air The scent that lurked within your hair; I touch your hand, I clasp your form-- Again your lips are close and warm. When comes the night with beauteous skies, I think of your tear-dimmed eyes, Their mute entreaty that I stay, Although your lips sent me away; And then falls memory's bitter blight, And dark--so dark becomes the night.