Fifty-Seven — Summary

The scene is a social gathering where the people around the speaker and a companion keep up empty, meaningless conversation. The two of them have had enough and leave, “seeking shadow.” That phrase suggests they want quiet, coolness, and concealment—not just a break from talk, but a hidden place away from exposure and noise. The speaker’s feeling is one of shared relief and quiet alliance: “we two” against the crowd. The mood is intimate and almost conspiratorial. The title “Fifty-Seven” may point to an age, giving the escape a sense of knowing what one no longer has patience for. In just a few words, the poem captures the tiredness that comes with empty social noise and the comfort of leaving it behind with someone close.