The speaker talks directly to a sorrowful city street at evening, as if it were a living presence. Its golden lamps and deep silence set it apart from the rest of the city, where there is music, energy, and construction. But this street only offers loneliness. Across the day, anyone approaching it seems marked by decay or dread: dry leaves rattle, shadows crouch on the pavement, evening brings a ship lost on dark water, and nightfall brings a cold touch at the heart. The street is patient, exhausted, and unchanged, having watched joy turn to pain, tears, and darkness. By the end, the speaker admits to drinking its "cold poison," meaning he has absorbed its sorrow and emptiness. The mood is quiet, eerie, and heavy with isolation.
Street of Sorrows — Summary
You street of sorrows bending Over your golden lamps in the evening; Dark street that is very silent, And everywhere the same: Elsewhere there is song and riot, Like golden fireflies flickering, Elsewhere the crane's gaunt muscles Tug the city up to the stars.
But who in the dawn should come near you? There are dry leaves rattling behind him. And who should come in the noonday? There are shadows that squat on the pave. And who should come in the evening? There is one: a ship in dark waters. And who should come at nightfall, To feel cold hands at his heart?
You street of solitude waiting Patient and still in the evening: Old street that is very weary, And everywhere the same; You that have seen joy passing. Into pain, into tears, into darkness, Street of the dead and musty, I have drunk your cold poison to-night.