Dandridge’s “Sunset” speaks directly to the sun as if it were a living presence. The speaker watches it move westward—a huge, fiery body shedding heat—and describes the strange moment when its brightness meets the weakening light of the day. As darkness approaches, the sun seems to struggle against the fading day, and then, through the haze at the earth’s edge, a band of color rises like a straightened rainbow. The final line, “You are an artist, Sun!” turns the whole scene into praise: the sunset is not just something that happens, but something the sun creates. The mood is admiring and a little solemn, full of wonder at the scale and color of the evening sky.
Sunset — Summary
Round appearing, Illuminant fire, Built in space, Shedding heat, Traveling westward ;
Your photosphere Conflicts With dwindling light Of stricken day, At dying hour.
Emerging from The reek appears At distant edge of earth, A straightened rainbow Reaching far into the sky- You are an artist, Sun!