The speaker is watching an evening in the city, and the scene feels both festive and a little worn out. Evening is described as "overtaken by age," as if the night were already tired before it began. The city is "famous for sin," and its "riot of roofs" suggests a crowded, jumbled skyline, perhaps seen from above or from a distance, where the buildings seem as unruly as a crowd.
Then the poem turns to "my befuddled friends." The speaker sounds fond but amused, picturing friends who are drunk or dazed. The last line, "ringing up Eden," is the funniest and strangest image. It could mean they are phoning paradise, or trying to get back to the lost garden through a night of drinking and company. The tone is wry and affectionate, with a hint of sadness: the city is old and sinful, and these friends are still reaching, a bit clumsily, for something innocent and perfect. The mood is playful, slightly melancholy, and gently ironic.